DeMar DeRozan is leading the Bulls offense: Breaking down the tape

After over a decade, the question of whether Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan is “good” has been a hotly debated topic. “Good,” in this case, being a shorthand for a skillset that fits on a winning basketball team.

On the surface, this is a silly notion. Before joining the Bulls, DeRozan averaged 20.1 points per game during his stints with the Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs. However, his lack of a reliable three-point shot, propensity to take contested mid-range jumpers, and bystander defense caused some to view him as a relic from a less basketball-enlightened period.

When the Bulls acquired DeMar DeRozan this past offseason via a sign-and-trade, many of those folks who define the four-time All-Star by his deficiencies figured that he would do more harm than good on a team that now had legitimate playoff aspirations.

Fortunately, things haven’t quite turned out that way for the DeRozan or the Bulls. Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan has played well for his new team and is a big reason why they’ve gotten off to a great start.

Breaking down the tape as to how DeMar DeRozan has been leading the Chicago Bulls on offense this season

Unsurprisingly, DeRozan has filled up the usual box score stats, averaging 26.9 points per game. As you would expect, many of those points have come from the mid-range, with eight of his 19.1 attempts coming from that area. Unfortunately, the efficiency from that spot hasn’t been there to start; he has only shot 40 percent from that distance compared to 47 percent last year.

Where DeRozan has thrived, however, is in the paint. Per NBA.com, he ranks sixth in non-restricted area paint field goal percentage among forwards who have taken at least two shots per game in that area. The numbers aren’t as great when shrinking the scope to inside the restricted area, but even that is a slight improvement (63.6 percent compared to 61 percent last year).

Much of his success rests with his proficiency in the post, where he ranks in the 97th percentile in points per possession, per BBall Index (subscription required). Thus far, he has preferred to initiate these possessions in transition.

Here, Bojan Bogdanovic develops some happy feet as DeRozan charges toward him. Before the Utah Jazz’s sharpshooter can get himself set, DeRozan spins past him for the easy layup.

When he isn’t doing that, he’s simply putting his head down and generating rim pressure (15th in drives per game, 11th on FGA on drives, sixth in PPG on drives). We’ve seen what can happen when teams leave him and his defender to their own devices (on this particular play, his spin move is again the tool used to get by OG Anunoby):

And if an extra defender sticks around to prevent this — which happens often (90th percentile in Box Creation, per BBall Index) — he’s shown that he can make the right play, especially if the help comes from one pass away.

Combine all of that with some anomalous early 3-point shooting (right now at a career-high 39.1 percent, albeit on just 2.3 attempts per game) and his frequent trips to the foul line (41.4 percent free throw attempt rate), and you get one of the most productive offensive players in the league (eighth in Offensive Box Plus/Minus).

Obviously, there are things to be concerned about. His defense has been as bad as expected (-1.1 Defensive Box Plus/Minus), and, again, the spotty early shooting from midrange is a problem considering how many shots he fires from there.

However, those things not greatly hindering DeRozan’s value to the team is a great sign, particularly since no one expects him to continue missing as many midrange shots as he has.

Of course, saying all of this probably won’t convince anyone who has made their mind up about DeMar DeRozan that he’s anything to the contrary. And in some ways, he’s been everything those folks say he is. But so far, that’s been more than enough to help the Bulls get off to this fast start.