“He was a motherf**ker”: DeMar DeRozan says he drew inspiration from Dwyane Wade’s agility and speed
DeMar DeRozan revealed he drew inspiration from Dwyane Wade when he played as a shooting guard. DeRozan started his career and played primarily as a two before eventually moving to the three and four as he grew older.
Playing the two saw him guard some of the game's best shooting guards, including prime D-Wade.
During an interview on Iman Shumpert's podcast, "Imanamongsmen," DeRozan reflected on the inspiration he drew from Wade, saying:
"I was a 2, I played primary 2. So I always had to deal with D-Wade. He was a motherf**ker. Being fast, quick, the way he reject. If he don't got the reject, he take your a** in the post. Pump fake. And that's where a lot of my game started to come from.
"Using the pump fake from D-Wade, getting to the midrange, picking your spots, using athletic ability, getting downhill. Seeing D-Wade so much really made me feel like, 'S**t I gotta add a lot of this aspect to the game.'"
Dwyane Wade's prime was past him slightly quicker than expected, which makes most fans forget how lethal he was back in the day. Several players from DeMar DeRozan's and the current generation drew inspiration from the three-time NBA champion's skillset.
Not many players can replicate what Wade brought to the table with lighting movement and a wide array of offensive moves that made him one of the toughest players to guard.
DeMar DeRozan is the last of the traditional shooting guards in the NBA
Several greats in NBA history have played the shooting guard position. We could start from guys like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade to many more. DeMar DeRozan could be among the best two guards when he hangs his sneakers.
DeRozan is among the last of the old-school shooting guards in the league. His technique is a testament to that. In the modern-day NBA, where 3-point shooting has become an offense's bread-and-butter, DeRozan continues to wreak havoc with his game from inside the arc.
That's because he studied greats like Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant closely. DeRozan has become one of the midrange masters of the game. The eye test suggests that there's practically no move he can't come through with inside the arc. His efficiency is among the best in the league on pull-up jumpers, while he's just as good attacking the rim.
DeMar DeRozan has become somewhat of an anomaly in today's game, where even bigs look to improve their 3-point shooting. However, DeRozan impacts the game highly, even without the long-range shooting.
He can bait his defenders almost better than anyone in securing and-1 opportunities and get to his spot every time he has the ball on the perimeter.