The Bulls have been a mediocre team this season. They should be bad: based on their negative point differential, you would expect them to have a 29-37 record. Their current record is 32-34 thanks in part to a pound sterling. 23-15 record in decisive games.
No team has played more minutes in the clutch moment than the Bulls this year, and DeMar DeRozan has been saving them from the jaws of defeat time and time again with crazy shots.
At 34 years old, DeRozan is set to break LeBron James’ record as the oldest player to lead the league in minutes per game. (James set the record at age 33 in 2018.) DeRozan has had to take on more responsibilities and Zach LaVine missed most of Chicago’s season. Despite that heavy load and defenses rushing at him, he has saved the best things about him for the end of games.
DeRozan earned the nickname “King of the Room” for his heroics two seasons ago when led the league by a mile in the last quarter scoring. He would have won the Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year award if he had been around back then. This year he once again has the strongest argument, both from a statistical and cinematographic and narrative point of view.
DeMar DeRozan Clutch Stats
DeRozan does not lead the league in fourth-quarter scoring this year. He is a miserable third behind Giannis Antetokounmpo (who also deserves much more attention for the award) and last year’s Clutch Player winner, De’Aaron Fox.
In key statistics, defined by the NBA as a five-point game in the final five minutes, DeRozan is on all leaderboards.
DeRozan and Stephen Curry are by far the two leading candidates for the award in the betting markets. Here’s how those two compare among players who have attempted at least 50 game-winning field goals:
| statistics | DeRozan | Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Betting Odds | -170 | +130 |
| Clutch record | 21-14 | 18-16 |
| Clutch minutes | 166.5 (second) | 122.5 (6th) |
| Points | 161 (2nd) | 165 (1st) |
| Field goal % | 52.2% (5th) | 49.5% (seventh) |
| % of 3 points | 50.0% (1st) | 46.7% (2nd) |
Those clutch designations are probably too broad for our liking.
Here’s what the stats look like in the final 30 seconds with a score difference of three points or less, which is when the game really comes down to each team’s last shot:
| statistics | DeRozan | Curry |
|---|---|---|
| Clutch record | 14-9 | 9-12 |
| Points | 41 (1st) | 29 (2nd) |
| Field goal % | 50.0% | 50.0% |
Both DeRozan and Curry have been on a different level than everyone else in the league as primetime scorers. They have been among the best of the best for the last three years.. However, DeRozan has come out on top much more often this season, both in terms of wins and points that decide the outcome of the game.
DeRozan also leads the league in Unpredictable Clutch Metric (violation only), which is the best publicly available advanced statistic to measure clutch performance.
If we just look at key shooting-related performance (field goals, drawn fouls, free throws), DeMar is #1: pic.twitter.com/cdYxlAPBJa
– Mike Beuoy (@inpredict) March 14, 2024
DeMar DeRozan Clutch Highlights
The degree of difficulty of DeRozan’s shots is absurd. Everyone in the gym knows that the ball will be going his way against the other team’s best defender, and he will have to create a shot out of nowhere for himself.
He has saved the Bulls time and time again.
DeRozan is very difficult to stop due to his footwork and difficulty making shots.
Opposing coaches and teammates can regularly be heard on the broadcast yelling at defenders to stay down. If they jump, you will commit a foul every time. He has been the best in the league for years at fooling defenders with the game on the line.
As we saw tonight, DeMar DeRozan is elite at drawing fouls in tough situations.
Added DeRozan’s rank by season in win probability in tie situations:
2023-24: #1
2022-23: #1
2021-22: #1
2020-21: #3
2019-20: #1– Mike Beuoy (@inpredict) February 29, 2024
If defenders take on DeRozan directly, then good luck. He is shooting 52.2 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from 3-point range and 87.1 percent from the line in the clutch this year.
DeMar DeRozan’s Key Narrative
DeRozan has led the Bulls to a ton of wins that they had no business being even close to. Some highlights include:
- Scoring 18 points in the fourth quarter of a 104-103 win against the Raptors in which the Bulls trailed by 17 points with less than five minutes remaining.
- Coming back from a 22-1 start against the Heat to win 102-97.
- Outscoring the Kings single-handedly going a perfect 7-of-7 in the fourth quarter of a 113-109 victory.
DeMar DeRozan’s fourth quarter last night isn’t getting enough attention. He single-handedly outscored the Kings 19-18, going a perfect 7/7 from the field to lead the improbable comeback. pic.twitter.com/2g1FrVxlJC
—Steph Noh (@StephNoh) March 5, 2024
There is a certain level of calm that comes at the end of Bulls games. The team is much more composed than it should be, which is a big part of its overachievement. That all comes from DeRozan, who has taught the rest of the team not to panic.
DeMar stops the bleeding and tells everyone to calm down and come down. pic.twitter.com/HlRO41YStq
– Will Gottlieb (@Will_Gottlieb) March 8, 2024
DeRozan’s days as a high-performance player are numbered. He’s more than willing to pass the torch to some of the Bulls’ younger players, but he’s still at the top of the game right now. He is more than deserving of recognition for how incredible he has been at taking the last shot at the end of games.
This should be the award DeRozan would win.