Why DeMar DeRozan's defense is key to Raptors
TORONTO -- DeMar DeRozan might be remembered more for his offense -- like the 40 points against Detroit that set the Toronto Raptors franchise record for opening night scoring. But it's defense that he and his teammates are touting as his most important quality.
And they learned that watching him play against the world.
DeRozan's play during the Olympics didn't go unnoticed by those in the Raptors organization. Coach Dwane Casey confronted DeRozan upon arriving back from Brazil, revealing that he challenged the two-time NBA All-Star to show the same type of defensive intensity during the setting of an NBA game.
"I told him this summer: He told on himself with the U.S. team, I said, 'How come you can go play for Mike Krzyzewski and play defense but you come here and we have to hide you defensively?'" Casey said. "When he makes the muscle he can get down and guard and defend. That's the growth of DeMar DeRozan, is him saying, 'Let me guard that guy?' And taking it on as a challenge."
DeRozan's defensive improvements didn't happen overnight. He put in extra work during the Olympics, admitting he was aware Team USA didn't need him to score big points. So instead, he dedicated his time to fixing his shortcomings.
"You just find a new passion, and I found it during the Olympics," DeRozan told Paste BN Sports. "(Team USA) didn't need me for scoring or none of that so you learn to do other things that make me a better player and try to carry that over to my team."
The true test of DeRozan's defensive ability will come when he faces stiffer competition and is forced to go toe-to-toe with the league's star players. The first opportunity comes on Friday when the Raptors host the Cleveland Cavaliers for an Eastern Conference Finals rematch.
The Cavaliers eliminated the Raptors in six games on their way to winning the NBA title, and one of the issues as the team dropped four of six games to the LeBron James-led group was an inability to shut down the team's high-powered offensive firing squad.
If DeRozan truly has improved, though, his backcourt All-Star running mate envisions the Raptors being a much more difficult team to beat.
"He's putting the effort into it," Kyle Lowry said. "He's an unbelievable athlete. He's strong, long and athletic, and you just got to put the effort into it. Once you put the effort into the mind of playing defense, he can do it on both ends."