16. DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
Position: Shooting Guard
Age: 27 (8/7/1989)
Experience: 8th Season
2016-17 Slash Line: .474/.246/.844
2016-17 Season Averages: 35.7 MPG, 28.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.3 SPG
The Toronto Raptors have one of the best backcourts in the NBA with point guard Kyle Lowry and shooting guard DeMar DeRozan. Lowry is one of the most well-rounded players in the Association, and DeRozan is an explosive scoring threat.
Against the Boston Celtics, DeRozan further established why his scoring proficiency ranks amongst the Top 5 in the NBA.
Toronto went 1-2 this past week, but DeRozan was the last player to place the blame on. He posted 36 points and eight rebounds during the loss to the Chicago Bulls and had 36 points, six rebounds, and five assists on 13-of-21 shooting during the loss to the Houston Rockets.
With the Raptors trending in the wrong direction, DeRozan put the team on his back with 41 points and 13 rebounds on 16-of-29 shooting during a 114-106 win over the Boston Celtics.
The win over Boston was clutch in the sense that it ended a two-game losing streak and came against a fellow contender. The Celtics are the biggest threat to the Raptors’ current spot as the No. 2 seed and DeRozan handled his business against them.
Whether you find his game visually appealing or not, there’s no way around the truth of this situation: DeRozan gets the job done.