On the Brink: Predicting the fates of 16 borderline NBA Hall of Famers
By Cal Durrett
9) DeMar DeRozan
NBA star DeMar DeRozan has an underrated case for the Hall of Fame, given his consistent production over his first 15 seasons. DeRozan spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Toronto Raptors and was one of the best players in franchise history while helping them to their best stretch of success in team history.
With DeRozan, they made the playoffs five straight times and the Eastern Conference Finals twice. However, he was traded to the Spurs and was forced to watch as the Raptors won a championship without him. DeRozan put up strong numbers with the Spurs, averaging 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists in three seasons.
He was later traded to the Chicago Bulls, where he had the best year of his career with 27.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists at the age of 32, no less. He has continued to play well into his 30s, averaging 25.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in his three seasons in Chicago, all while over the age of 30.
At 34, he'll possibly play the remainder of his career on the Sacramento Kings and has a chance to round out his Hall of Fame resume. He has already amassed 23,582 points and has a strong chance to become the 12th player to rack up at least 25,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, and 5000 assists. Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant are all on that list. That all but ensures he'll make it in.