NBA MVP Ladder Week 4: DeMar DeRozan makes his unexpected debut

Week 4 NBA MVP Ladder: 4. DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls

Last Week: Unranked

Stats: 26.6 points (5th), 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.9 steals, 59.7 true-shooting percentage

The Chicago Bulls have been one of the surprises of the NBA season thus far, surviving a tough schedule and multiple injuries and absences to demonstrate they have real staying power in the league. While there are multiple new players to thank for this, the most surprising and most impactful has been DeMar DeRozan.

DeRozan has tended to be derided in certain basketball circles for what he is not; not a 3-point shooter, not a lockdown defender, not a ceiling raiser. His teams have historically been better with him off the court than on. Yet, this season, the Bulls’ success and his fit with this team have drawn out that he is an incredibly talented player who can excel in the right situation.

DeRozan ranks fifth in the league in scoring, a throwback to his All-NBA days in Toronto, driven in part by elite 87.3 percent shooting at the line on 7.9 attempts per game. Even more impressive is that he is a key cog in one of the league’s best defenses.

The Bulls aren’t simply surviving on defense despite him, but they are excelling defensively with DeRozan as a part of that success. He has the least staying power on this list, though, both because the Bulls may float back to earth a bit and his impact may revert to his recent numbers. For now, however, he deserves his flowers.