DeMar DeRozan has developed himself into one of the best 25 players in the NBA and one of the NBA’s three best shooting guards over the past few years by utilizing his elite athletic gifts and mid-range game to get to the free throw line at will and become a top notch scorer in the NBA.
DeRozan can finish at the rim, hit an array of turnaround, pull-up or stepback jump shots in the mid-range area and converts about 84% of his free throw attempts. The one area of his game that prevents him from truly being a complete offensive player is his inability to shoot the three ball.
DeRozan shot 26.6% from three-point range in the 2016-17 season and has shot only 28% for his career, it is the main detractor that can clog up the Raptors offense at times and make things more difficult in the postseason when the game gets more physical and the paint is hard to get into.
So what is he doing this off-season? Shooting three-pointers and pretty well apparently…
DeMar DeRozan hit 64% of his 700 3pt attempts during a late-night workout, according to his IG story pic.twitter.com/why2crAqoQ
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) July 25, 2017
64% percent out of 700 is pretty good, especially if he was moving around to different spots and keeping his heart rate up while doing so to tire his legs.
This is an encouraging sign, but nailing a bunch of threes in an open gym with no one guarding you and while in a rhythm is far different than nailing them consistently in a game situation with defenders around and the possibility of not taking that kind of shot for a half hour or so previous.
If he can be a 35% shooter from downtown, the Raptors will be a much more dangerous team in 2017-18. One thing is for sure, until he proves he can make the shot consistently, he will get plenty of good looks.
