Is Demar DeRozan a Hall of Famer Without a Ring?
DeMar DeRozan is just 33 years of age, so he still has plenty of basketball left in him. After another All-Star appearance, the former USC star is showing no signs of slowing down. With Chicago's do-or-die in Miami tonight, it's a good time to look at what DeRozan has accomplished in his career.
The Compton, California, native has had success everywhere he has been. In multiple countries, on multiple teams, and on multiple levels, DeRozan has been a really solid player for a long time. Let's take a specific look at why the All-Star forward deserves a Hall of Fame bid, even without a ring.
DeMar DeRozan's Legendary Statistics
DeMar DeRozan's numbers are incredibly underrated. According to Basketball Reference, DeRozan has 21,685 points in his career. That is a higher amount than Hall of Famers Hal Greer, Bob Petit, John Stockton, and Bernard King. Again, DeRozan is still just 33 years of age. He has averaged over 20 points per game in each of the last 10 years.
His career mark of 4,106 assists is a greater mark than Hall of Famers Jo Jo White, Manu Ginobili, and Pete Maravich. Not only has he been a great scorer throughout his career, but he has had a very underrated passing career, too. When facing him, opponents need to be wary of DeRozan's playmaking abilities.
DeMar Derozan's All-Star Portfolio
The former Pac-10 star has proven to be an elite player in the NBA for a decade. He has made six All-Star teams. Four came within five seasons with the Toronto Raptors (2014-2018). His last two appearances have come with the Chicago Bulls in back-to-back seasons (2022-2023). He has also been named an All-NBA performer twice (2018, 2022).
He also has two gold medals to his name. His first came in the FIBA World Cup in 2014 with Team USA. His second gold medal came in 2016 with Team USA at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
All-Star, All-NBA performer, Olympian, legendary scorer, underrated passer, etc. These are the titles that DeMar DeRozan can claim. He has been one of the most steady players of this era.
The only thing he is missing is a ring. Again, the Chicago star is still just 33 years of age. In the regular season, he averaged 24.5 points per game. This was the second-best mark of his career. He is not slowing down just yet. If he can win the ring before his career is over, he will undoubtedly be in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Right now, he is certainly trending that way because of his numbers.