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How DeMar DeRozan has returned to All-Star form with the Chicago Bulls

By Thomas J. Brown

BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 01: DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls reacts after scoring in the second half of a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on November 1, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 01: DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls reacts after scoring in the second half of a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on November 1, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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DeMar DeRozan
Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) drives to the basket defended by Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) during the second half at TD Garden (Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports) /

If rosters for the NBA All-Star game were announced today, Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan should be included.

In 1985, New York Knicks forward Bernard King was named an NBA All-Star for the second consecutive season. He would go on to finish the season with a league-leading 32.9 points per game.

In a league filled with stars like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Julius Erving, nobody put the ball in the basket with more regularity than the former Tennessee Vol that season. And then his career took an unexpected turn.

In a road game against the Kansas City Monarchs that very season, King suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right leg. He would miss the remainder of the season, and the entirety of the following one.

Then, after several surgeries and years of comeback attempts, everything fell into place for King in the 1991 season. He returned to form, averaged 28.4 points per game, and was once again named an All-Star. It had been six seasons since his last All-Star game appearance; King had gotten over the hurdle and proved all of his doubters wrong.

Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan should be an All-Star this season

This year, another high-scoring forward is undergoing a resurgence similar to King’s in the Windy City. DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls has not made the All-Star team since 2018. This season he has returned to form and is playing at an All-Star level.

DeRozan is enjoying a rebirth that not many casual observers could have predicted. The last time DeRozan made the All-Star team was in 2018 as a member of the Toronto Raptors.

It is no secret that being traded to the San Antonio Spurs by the only organization he’d ever played for affected DeRozan deeply. However, he seems to have put those feelings behind him and is now playing some of the best basketball of his career. Let’s take a closer look at why DeMar DeRozan is on track to become an All-Star once again this season.

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