King of the north to King of the 4th: DeMar DeRozan stakes Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year claim
Whenever the Chicago Bulls are in a tight situation this season, they find themselves looking to DeMar DeRozan for answers. Amid the injuries and setbacks, he has not shied away from carrying the Bulls' offense, earning him a spot at possibly winning the Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year award.
He was branded as the "King of the North," as a nod to Jon Snow from HBO's "Game of Thrones," where he has been a big-time shotmaker in the fourth quarter for Chicago, which is also located in northern Illinois.
In Wednesday night's road game against the Indiana Pacers, DeRozan helped his team to a 132-129 overtime victory. Putting up 46 points on 15-of-24 shooting and nine rebounds, he put the league on notice of his strong case for the Clutch Player of the Year trophy.
DeRozan had nine points each in the fourth quarter and overtime period to help his Bulls put the Pacers away. Previously losing in blowout fashion to the LA Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks could derail any team's morale and spirit heading into the home arena of an opponent. It was why this win was crucial for the Bulls as they continue to keep their playoff hopes alive.
What are DeMar DeRozan's odds to win the Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year award?
Looking at DeMar DeRozan's competition this season for the Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year award, he most certainly has some tough competition ahead of him.
According to Covers' AJ Salah, he ranks fourth across three sports betting websites. DraftKings Sportsbook has him with +2000 odds, FanDuel Sportsbook with +1600 odds and bet365 at +1400 odds.
Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry leads the race at the top spot with -300 odds from DraftKings, while OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is not far behind in the second spot with +700 odds from FanDuel.
Moreover, Bucks star Damian Lillard is one spot above DeRozan with +1200 odds from bet365.
Compared to the three candidates ahead of the Bulls star, their teams all have a winning record compared to where Chicago is at this point of the regular season. In the 64 games he's played, DeMar DeRozan is putting up 23.4 points on 47.5% shooting with his efficiency in the clutch at 48.0%.
This season still has a few more games to go for DeRozan to solidify his case for the award.