CHICAGO (670 The Score) – In assessing the transformational effect that star wing DeMar DeRozan has had on the Bulls this season, coach Billy Donovan often comes back to a certain trait.
“There’s just a calmness to him,” Donovan said.
That much was again on display Sunday evening, when DeRozan scored 19 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter to lift the Bulls to a 115-110 victory against the Lakers in a back-and-forth affair at the United Center. It marked the first time in 15 days that DeRozan had played in a game, as he had just returned from a COVID-19 protocol stint in which he cited “boredom” as his main symptom. He picked up where he left off, and it was a much-needed showcase for a Bulls team that still has five players in health and safety protocols, including star guard Zach LaVine.
DeRozan shot 7-of-11 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, and he hit a go-ahead 20-foot pullup jumper from the right wing with 52.6 seconds left put the Bulls up for good.
“He doesn’t get rattled,” Donovan said. “I think he’s been in so many of these moments throughout his life in his career, I think things slow down for him. I think he knows exactly what he has to get done, what needs to get done. And then he finds ways to stay totally locked in. It’s really an incredible gift that he has and I’m sure it’s something he’s worked on over the years that he’s developed. But I think there’s a real calmness there. The ball is in his hands, and you know what? He’s going to make the right play. He’s going to get to his spot, and he’s going to generate a good shot for himself or he’s going to find the open man. That’s the way he plays.”
DeRozan starring in crunch time has become a theme for the resurgent Bulls, who improved to 18-10 with the victory and sit alone in second place in the East. He’s leading the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring average at 8.2 points this season, and he’s doing so in efficient fashion, shooting 53.8% from the field and 91.2% from the free-throw line in the final frame.
The Bulls make a point to run most of their sets through DeRozan late. That’s because in addition to being an efficient scorer who operates comfortably out of the mid-range, DeRozan also takes care of the ball well and is a willing passer. Those areas were largely weaknesses as the Bulls as they wandered in the wilderness rebuilding the past four years.
“I try to clear my mind as best I can going into the fourth quarter, kind of erase everything that happened before and just try to just completely lock in,” said DeRozan, who's averaging 26.8 points per game in his 13th NBA season. “It’s something I’ve been working on for the last couple of years, just channeling my energy in a positive light and focus on one thing – and that’s winning. I try to carry that over to the best of my abilities in the fourth quarter.”
Of DeRozan’s seven field goals in the fourth quarter Sunday, five came on jumpers between 12 and 20 feet. His goal is to always make the right play based off what the defense gives him late, but DeRozan also acknowledged that there are times when he channels his focus to getting to a certain spot on the floor in which the defender is left helpless.
“For me, I have a crazy routine of how I shoot when I go back to the gym at night, of practicing those shots over and over and over and over and over from different angles, from different bounces, of getting to a spot,” DeRozan said. “To where a lot of times it’s not even me focusing on the defender (in game action). It’s just me getting to my spot and what I work on every single night. That’s why it seems so comfortable when I do do it. I just try to focus and get enough lift, get the shot above and hope for it to go in.”
More often than not, it seems to.
“I love it,” DeRozan said of crunch time. “I love it. Just growing up as a kid and having that imagination, trying to recreate your favorite players’ moments, for me, it’s big. It’s an honor to be trusted in those moments. I never take it for granted. It’s an adrenaline rush that you can’t duplicated. So you try to make the most of it every time you’re put in that position. So for me, I love it. There’s nothing like it. It’s fun. You got to take the good with the bad, and I’m willing to take both.”
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.