(670 The Score) New Bulls wing DeMar DeRozan has a message for any doubters who question his fit in Chicago.
He's not nearly as concerned about that as you are.
"It's basketball," DeRozan said. "A lot of people I see criticizing and talking about 'fit this, fit that' have probably never even played basketball. Being a basketball player, you go out and play at the park, some of your best teams are against guys you don't even know, that you go out there and compete with. But for me, if everybody is on the same page and mentality and wants to win, it don't matter about a fit, because it's all going to come together how it needs to come together to make it work."
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In Chicago, the 32-year-old DeRozan has joined a team that mirrors him in the sense of being hungry to win at a higher level. The Bulls have high-profile talent, but most of their players haven't won at a high level. A seven-year NBA veteran, All-Star wing Zach LaVine is still eyeing his first trip to the playoffs. All-Star center Nikola Vucevic won a total of two playoffs games in eight full seasons in Orlando, with the Magic quietly exiting in the first round twice in his tenure there. Beyond them, a handful of Bulls youngsters are also unaccomplished.
A four-time All-Star, DeRozan had plenty of success in his nine-year Raptors tenure – Toronto advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016 – but he sees similarities in the attitude that he and his teammates hold after coming up short in the past.
"They haven't had the best seasons the last few years," DeRozan said of the Bulls, who went 31-41 last season and haven't made the playoffs since 2017. "And kind of being a part of that and wanting to change it back around, bring back that winning mentality. Every guy when I look at that roster has a chip on their shoulders. Me knowing Vooch since college, I know what type of player he is, how bad he wants to win. Zach wanting to be on that main stage and wanting to compete for something much more than just stats during the season. Myself, I always carried a chip on my shoulder. And Lonzo (Ball) putting all those mentalities together."
Having joined Chicago on a three-year deal worth $82 million, DeRozan projects to start on the wing in a lineup alongside guard Lonzo Ball, LaVine, forward Patrick Williams and Vucevic. Given that LaVine (27.4 points last season) and Vucevic (23.4 points) are both coming off All-Star campaigns and have often operated with the ball in their hands, it led to questions about how DeRozan – who rarely shoots 3-pointers – will fit in after he was the focal point of the Spurs' offense while averaging 21.6 points last season.
The answer to that will involve each player adjusting and sacrificing. LaVine will need to play off the ball more, spacing the floor with his deadly 3-point shooting and cutting to the hoop to take advantage of his supreme athleticism and ability to finish at the rim. Vucevic will also need to be a floor spacer and perhaps give up a few post-up opportunities each night. DeRozan will sometimes be asked to be the secondary creator in the half-court setting and could be tasked with being the lead option on bench units in an effort to stagger minutes and always have one of LaVine or DeRozan on the floor.
It will take time to work out, DeRozan reminded, and he's fine with that.
"At the end of the day, the common denominator is winning," DeRozan said. "So if you have that mentality going into it, everything will be figured out how it needs to be figured out in a process. And that's when chemistry is built. I never really get caught up in all this stuff about, 'Oh, this fit. This, this, this.' At the end of the day, you bring that mentality of winning and everything's going to come together how it needs to come together."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
