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

Why Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan should be an All-Star: Reliable three-point shooting

Once upon a time, there was a tongue-in-cheek phrase being uttered on playgrounds and open gyms across the country. Whenever a guy would pass up an open look from beyond the arc and decide to drive to the basket instead, he would look at the crowd on the sidelines and say “DeMar don’t shoot threes.”

A few knowing chuckles would always follow. It didn’t matter that the guy’s name probably wasn’t DeMar. Making a difficult contested layup in the paint instead of shooting an open 3-pointer was a page out of DeMar DeRozan’s playbook. Everyone knew who the phrase was referring to.

However, slowly but surely, the characterization of DeMar DeRozan as the guy who passes up open three-point shots has become inaccurate. The Bulls’ best player, Zach LaVine, is a slasher who can wreak havoc upon defenses when he puts the ball on the floor and drives into the paint.

Nikola Vučević, their other perennial All-Star, is a capable outside shooter, but must also get touches in the post in order to be most effective. That means that DeRozan and the rest of Chicago’s supporting cast must do their part by knocking down the open shots created when defenses collapse on their stars.

Through nine games this season, DeRozan has not been shy about shooting the long ball. So far, he is taking 2.1 attempts per game and knocking them down at a clip of 42.1 percent. If he keeps this up, he’s going to go from being known as a guy who doesn’t take three-pointers to one of the most reliable long-distance shooters in the league.

For Chicago Bulls fans, it’s a welcome transformation, and yet another reason the former USC Trojan is on pace to return to the All-Star game this season.