Demar DeRozan has created two All-Star games since being traded by the Toronto Raptors, believing that the legendary figure has helped save his career.
Demar DeRozan is best known for nine seasons with the Toronto Raptors despite playing for three other teams, where he began his career, blooming All-Star and becoming the franchise’s all-time goal scorer.
However, nine seasons later, he was traded for Kawi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs on a contract responsible for winning Toronto’s sole title in 2019.
Derozan is open and trade feels betrayed by him, but he believes in the contract that found a silver lining and prolonged his career.
Before trading with the Spurs, Derozan was one of the best scorers in the game, but his style was very one-dimensional. He wasn’t a great defender and could not promote shots from deep or make shots. Instead, he thrived in the midrange and paint, scoring with volumes near the basket.
It will not fly in San Antonio under Greg Popovich’s team-first system.
“One of the first shotarounds we had, mate, I will never forget, he revealed.
The Spurs signaled the end of their dynasty by swapping Leonard, but along with Delozan, Lamarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay and Derrick White, they were talented enough to stay competitive.
Dejounte Murray missed all of Derozan’s first season at San Antonio with an injury, leaving a hole in point guard. Popovich unconventionally puts his front in the lead guard spot, and he blossomed.
“Later I went down the line and thought he did it to challenge me to understand how to make everyone around me better.
“I remember the first month, the month, the half. I was like four in the top three, assists in the league.
During Delozan’s three seasons with the Spurs, he set a career-high mark on assists and perhaps multiple All-Star teams would have made the Spurs better, but Popovich’s influence was beyond the court.
During his coaching tenure, Popovich accepted the person rather than the player. This is not exactly a revelation, but it is more clear in DeRozan than anyone else.
DeRozan’s father passed away in February 2021, leaving DeMah without any important figures in his life. Popovich helped him lead his grief, and whenever Derozan returned to San Antonio to face the Spurs, he accepted Popovich before and after the match.
“His approach with me was not basketball, but the humility he brought about as a coach, and it wasn’t even my Spurs jersey that he quickly established, made me feel like I was running through the wall for this mother,” Derozan said, looking back on my first few weeks with the Spurs.
In 2024, Derozan published a book called “Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm.” Popovich has written the foreword and appears excited that Derozan is focusing on something bigger than basketball.
Derozan certainly peaked as a player during his time with the Raptors, but his time with the Spurs extended his career. His shots and playmaking improved, and as he ageed and lost athleticism, Popovich’s coaching allowed him to maintain his 30s All-Star.
| span | ppg | APG | FG% | 3pt% |
| Before the Spurs (9 seasons) | 19.7 | 3.1 | 44.8% | 28.8% |
| After the Spurs (7 seasons) | 23.4 | 5.5 | 49.5% | 31.6% |
The Spurs made the playoffs only once during Derozan’s three seasons of tenure, but playing him point guard doesn’t encourage victory, but he can lead the offense for a few minutes and add offensive versatility in San Antonio.
The Raptors, led by Delozan and Kyle Lowry, could have made the finals at LeBron Jamesless East in 2019, but Toronto had to make some sort of move to bolster their roster and add star power, and Delozan was a strange guy.
Shipped to San Antonio was not ideal, but Delozan made the most of the situation and extended his peak and career.