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DeMar DeRozan News & Rumors

Jennings, DeRozan loving life as pros
February 9
Toronto Sun
 
"DeMar DeRozan and Brandon Jennings met as 10-year-old basketball players in California. Today, both are young, potential stars in the NBA. The pair appreciate having a peer they have been friends with for ages to relate to. "Man it's great, it's awesome," Jennings said before his Milwaukee Bucks took on DeRozan's Raptors on Wednesday night. "It's like how they do in the movies when you're boys and everybody talks about what they're going to be when they grow up. "We're kind of living that right now. Living our dreams.""
Raptors' DeRozan gets full points for aggressiveness
January 31
Toronto Star
 
"DeMar DeRozan will look at the boxscore from his most impressive outing in weeks and the Raptors can only hope something clicks in his brain when he does. In Sunday's 94-73 triumph over the New Jersey Nets, DeRozan did all the attacking with all the aggression his coaches have wanted all season and it turned into a career night for him. The third-year swingman got to the free-throw line 16 times — a single-game high for him — in the first game in weeks in which he was a dominant offensive force. "Getting to the free-throw line 16 times was huge for him," coach Dwane Casey said after the game. "That's what he has to continue to do, to attack, because he's too athletic and too quick not to"
DeRozan sees his minutes dip
January 26
Toronto Sun
 
"DeMar DeRozan was in an unfamiliar position Tuesday in Phoenix. While the Raptors were closing out the game, DeRozan was on the bench. In fact, he was there for most of the night playing a season-low 22:35. For the first time this season, he did not see the floor for even a second in the fourth. On the same night head coach Dwane Casey shuffled his lineup sending Amir Johnson to the bench and talked extensively about the need for everyone to be accountable, the long stint on the bench for one of his core players had to raise a few eyebrows."
Raptors trying to get DeMar DeRozan going offensively
January 18
Toronto Star
 
"Dwane Casey finally got what he wanted, a couple of hours of uninterrupted gym time to do some teaching and some talking and not worrying about tiring his Raptors out or some wedding setting up in the team hotel. "Today was very valuable for us from the fact that we were able to get on the court, go through our offensive sets, talk about timing, go through it live … not in the ballroom or not in the shootaround where you're worried about wearing the guys out going too hard too long," the coach said after a lengthy session at the TD Garden here Tuesday afternoon."
DeRozan can't snap shooting woes
January 11
Toronto Sun
 
"DeMar DeRozan doesn't need to look at a boxscore to know what has to happen. DeRozan knows his team needs him to score and he knows the 31 combined points over the past four games just aren't going to cut it. "I just got to play better," DeRozan said after an 11 point game that saw him hit just one of his first 10 field goal attempts. "I take a lot of the (blame) when we're not doing as well because I got to step up and start being consistent on both ends of the floor.""
Calderon, DeRozan and Bargnani on ballot for NBA all-star game
January 5
Toronto Star
 
"Everything is compressed in this odd NBA season, including the voting for all-star starting lineups. Less than two weeks after the regular season began, and less than eight weeks before the actually game, the league unveiled the ballot Wednesday afternoon and there were no Toronto surprises. Guards Jose Calderon and DeMar DeRozan and forward Andrea Bargnani were named to the ballot for the Feb. 26 all-star game in Orlando."
Hard work puts DeRozan in the zone
January 4
Toronto Sun
 
"Watch DeMar DeRozan shooting three's these days and it's as good an advertisement for Dwane Casey's methodology as a full-page ad in one of Toronto's dailies. Watch him shoot the ball from anywhere on the court these days and you can't help but marvel at how far he has come in one calendar year. A season ago DeRozan's jump shot was very much an evolving part of his game. He could and can dunk with the best of them, perhaps better than anyone including the immortalized Blake Griffin and would have proved it had our neighbours to the south not fallen for that over-hyped jump over the hood of a car, but the staple of the young, rising star's arsenal was inconsistent."
DeRozan elevating his game with new-found confidence
January 4
Toronto Star
 
"A year ago, DeMar DeRozan would set himself to launch a three-pointer and the ball would be passed to him and the shot would fly and he'd have zero confidence it would go in. That lack of confidence was a big reason why the Raptors swingman only attempted 52 three-pointers in 82 regular-season games and a huge factor in him making only five of them. But an extended summer in the gym, and the discipline to stay there shooting until he'd made up to 500 in a session, have imbued DeRozan with a new-found sense of confidence. And a shocking new proficiency in three-point shooting."
DeRozan needs to be more consistent
December 30
Toronto Sun
 
"DeMar DeRozan doesn't want to be known as a one-half wonder. The Raptors shooting guard has scored 37 points over two games this season. All but four have come in the final two quarters of a win in Cleveland and a loss at home to Indiana. The sophomore believes he has been too laid back so far early and is looking to change his approach, starting with Friday's game in Dallas. "I try to be more passive in the first half, get everybody going, but I might need to do more, help us get going," DeRozan said after practice on Thursday. "I love the fourth quarter, it's fun to me. It's my job to come out in the fourth quarter and make big plays for the team ... (but) you can put games away early"
Another slow start for DeRozan
December 29
Toronto Sun
 
"DeMar DeRozan had a great second half. He earned praise from his head coach who called him the single biggest factor in the Raptors' second half comeback before it fell just short in a 90-85 loss to the Indiana Pacers. The problem was the first half when DeRozan was pointless on 0-for-4 shooting. "I thought everyone was hesitant and tight in the first half,' head coach Dwane Casey said. But no one seemed as hesitant as DeRozan who admitted this isn't the first time he has struggled early on."
DeRozan and Bargnani Show a hit in Raptors' season debut
December 27
Toronto Star
 
"There were a couple of DeMar DeRozan baskets and a couple of Andrea Bargnani baskets and a DeRozan free throw and any questions about who gets the ball and who takes the shots when Raptors games are hanging in the balance have been answered. From this day forward it will be the DeRozan and Bargnani Show, head coach Dwane Casey has decided, and if the results come as they did here Monday night, no one is going to argue. DeRozan had nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and Bargnani had two of his five baskets in the same period as the Raptors got the abbreviated 2011-12 NBA regular season off to a professional and thorough start with a 104-96 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at"
Raptor future hinges on DeRozan's presence
December 14
Toronto Star
 columnist Cathal Kelly
"With only a few days to transform the Raptors from a team of doormen ("No, no, after you") into a squad of stoppers, coach Dwane Casey is running his two-a-days long and, apparently, hard. "(Jamaal) Magloire knocked me down earlier today. Felt like I hit a wall," said DeMar DeRozan, the 21-year-old face of the franchise. "It's good for us." Did he at least say sorry? "No. He didn't say sorry." Later, Magloire seemed surprised to hear about it. "Just practising hard. I'm not trying to hurt anyone," Magloire said, sounding like he was definitely trying to hurt someone."
DeRozan's pumped about defence
December 8
Toronto Sun
 
"DeMar DeRozan has carved out a reputation as one of the NBA's up-and-coming young scoring stars, but it is defence that is on his mind ahead of the 2011-12 season. DeRozan, who met with the media on Wednesday after taking to the court just hours after arriving in Toronto from California, said he is eager to get working under a revamped defensive system. "I love it," said DeRozan, who averaged 17.2 points per game in his sophomore season — including 23.1 per in eight April contests. Though new head coach Dwane Casey, the architect of Dallas' title-winning defence is not yet allowed to meet with his new charges, DeRozan knows what to expect. "I can't wait to learn the system, see the schemes"
DeMar DeRozan apologizes for Drew League fracas
August 8
CBSSports.com
 
"Toronto Raptors forward DeMar DeRozan is a native of Compton and a veteran of the esteemed Drew League, the West Coast's best known summer league circuit. On Saturday, DeRozan had the chance to pull out a last-second win in a Drew League playoff game for his Go H.A.M. team. Instead, he was at the center of a mini-controversy that resulted in a tossed ball, a bumped referee and a bunch of yapping. Here's how it went down. Go H.A.M. trailed a Long Beach team named Problems 85-84 with six seconds left. DeRozan took a side inbounds pass near the three-point line, drove hard right into the key and contacted a rotating help defender while putting up a runner. The runner bounced off but was"
Raptors exercise options on DeRozan, Davis and Johnson
June 25
NBA.com
 
"The Toronto Raptors announced Friday they have exercised team options on the Rookie Scale Contracts of guard-forward DeMar DeRozan and forwards James Johnson and Ed Davis. The club picked up the fourth year team options for DeRozan and Johnson and the third year option for Davis. The contracts for all players are now guaranteed through the 2012-13 season. In accordance with the league's collective bargaining agreement, the Raptors had until October 31 to exercise their option on the three players. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. DeRozan, 6-foot-7, 220 pounds, was the ninth overall pick by Toronto in the 2009 NBA Draft. In his two seasons with the Raptors he"
Casey is DeRozan approved
June 22
Toronto Sun
 
"Dwane Casey foresees a nastier Raptors in the 2011-2012 season assuming there is a season. But with labour problems colouring everything the league does these days, the new head coach remains focussed on what he has control over. Casey is promising to hold players accountable for any lackadaisical defence and left no question in anyone's mind what job No. 1 will be in the first year of the three-year coaching deal he signed Tuesday. "One thing I do plan to do here in this coming season is help this team develop an NBA defensive identity," Casey announced. Had this been an open news conference with the Raptor faithful in attendance, those words might have brought the house down. That's how"
DeRozan not surprised by Griffin's feat
March 23
Toronto Sun
 
"Like many in the NBA, DeMar DeRozan saw tape of Blake Griffin's facial on Marcin Gortat. As a fellow high flyer, DeRozan appreciates feats that occur above the rim and the challenges of each dunk. While Suns head coach Alvin Gentry expressed downright amazement, DeRozan was less enthused. "He did it before,'' DeRozan said of Blake's dunk. "It ain't surprising.""
DeRozan not surprised by Crawford's ability
March 18
Toronto Sun
 
"Whether it was watching Jordan Crawford step up his game during Xavier's NCAA tournament run or hearing about a LeBron James facial that would become the talk of the basketball world, DeMar DeRozan has paid attention to this explosive wing. Tonight against the visiting Wizards, DeRozan will go toe to toe with Jordan for the first time at the NBA level. Last summer, Crawford, who grew up in Detroit, made his way to L.A., where many of the game's established and emerging ballers convene in an informal setting. Later, DeRozan, a native of L.A., would run into Crawford in Las Vegas at summer league. Friends who will become on-court foes, DeRozan isn't surprised at Crawford's ability to fill"
DeRozan debunks the sophomore jinx
March 8
Toronto Sun
 
"When the Raptors selected DeMar DeRozan with the 9th pick of the 2009 draft, the team was cautiously optimistic it had found a key part of its future. Back-to-back 30-point performances in London last week were the latest steps taken by young DeRozan to justify that faith. As a sophomore, DeRozan has continued his trend of finishing strong. The USC product made encouraging progress as a rookie, scoring 8.6 points per game on 49.8% shooting, improving down the stretch (57% shooting over the final 24 games of the season) just as he did during his lone year in college. In seven games since the all-star break this year, DeRozan has averaged 21.1 points and 3.0 rebounds on 48.8% shooting. He"
DeRozan not getting the calls
March 1
Toronto Sun
 
"With each non-call following a foray to the hoop, the frustration has mounted for Raptors sophomore DeMar DeRozan. He did a great job managing it all season long, but appears to have had enough, picking up technical fouls in each of his past two outings, doubling his total for the year. According to DeRozan's head coach Jay Triano and veteran point guard Jason Kidd, he must bide his time and stay aggressive. "That's the game of basketball, you're not going to get every call, you just have to be patient," said Kidd, after Dallas defeated Toronto on Sunday. "For the young guys in this league, you have to be patient and just play through it. If you feel you didn't get the call, you just have"
DeRozan not a fan of gimmick dunks
February 23
Toronto Sun
 
"DeMar DeRozan is done with the slam dunk contest unless artistry starts trumping gimmicks again. DeRozan lost on Saturday night to Blake Griffin, who jumped over a car and multiple-ball dunks and teddy bears were also part of the show. "I'm a dunker. A dunk contest you go out there and dunk. I'm not really into all the props and everything," DeRozan said before the Raptors took on the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night. "I try to come up with a creative dunk and do it and go from there. My fans liked it and you can see the reaction from a lot of people afterwards. If there's a dunk contest next year I'll do it, but not no prop contest.""
Blake Griffin and DeMar DeRozan agree and differ on dunk contest
February 23
Los Angeles Times
 
"Blake Griffin and DeMar DeRozan had common ground in their thoughts on the dunk contest but only to a certain point. DeRozan thought he was robbed when he did not reach the final of the dunk contest Saturday at Staples Center, and said he was done with it unless the props landed on the cutting room floor. Following the Clippers' loss here Tuesday, Griffin talked about the dunk contest and DeRozan's comments as he walked down the hallway of Oklahoma City Arena to meet his family and friends. Griffin jumped and dunked over a car for the winning dunk. "To be honest, I'm not a huge [fan] of props either," Griffin said. "If you don't have props, you're going to be limited." He might have been"
Raptors' DeRozan done with 'prop dunk contest'
February 23
Toronto Star
 
"Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan slammed the NBA's prop-heavy dunk contest on Tuesday, saying he is through with competing in the annual event, in part because he didn't appreciate this year's focus on gimmicks. "I felt like the (props) take away from your dunk more than anything," said DeRozan. "If there was a dunk contest next year, maybe I'd do it. But not a prop dunk contest." DeRozan, who made his second straight appearance in the all-star weekend dunkfest on Saturday night, was the only one of the four competitors not to use any props during his dunks. L.A. Clippers forward Blake Griffin won the contest with a final-round production that saw him dunk over a car while an on-court choir"
DeRozan learning from master
February 19
Toronto Sun
 
"Ajax native Justin Darlington first dunked a basketball at age 16. Raptors star DeMar DeRozan did it in the sixth grade. Yet Darlington, like DeRozan is at the NBA's all-star weekend in Los Angeles competing for slam dunk glory. Six years after his first jam, Darlington has become one of the most well-known high-flyers around, earning the nickname 'Jus Fly' and from SLAM magazine, the title of 'best dunker in the world.' While DeRozan will compete at the big show on Saturday against the likes of Blake Griffin, Darlington took on three opponents on Friday night with $10,000 U.S. on the line at the second annual Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown. Darlington, a former star high jumper at McGill,"
Dunking at its best
February 15
Toronto Sun
 
"When Toronto's DeMar DeRozan and Los Angeles phenom Blake Griffin met on Sunday night at the Air Canada Centre it was a preview of what was to come this weekend at the NBA's slam dunk competition. Griffin is the clear favourite, though DeRozan says the only time he has ever lost a dunk contest was at last year's all-star weekend. While Griffin had one spectacular jam on Sunday, DeRozan had the dunk of the night and even stared down the Clippers bench afterwards. DeRozan said there wasn't any malice intended or any message trying to be sent: "It's just fun to get out and run and get a dunk. I don't get to dunk as much as Blake during a game," he said. Griffin and the young Raptor had a"
Blame the Raptors' losing streak on the terrible three
February 1
Toronto Star
 columnist Doug Smith
"When things go bad, they go terribly bad. Three key points that have contributed to the 12-game Raptors' losing streak, which is now tied for the fourth-worst in franchise history: Remember when DeMar DeRozan was lighting up the league in early January? Or when Andrea Bargnani was pouring in 20 points a night without working up a sweat? Not so much now. In their last three games, Bargnani has been a combined 17-for-62 from the floor and DeRozan's been a miserable 10-for-40, and there is no way Toronto can win with that kind of production from its two top players."
Raptors duo need to make adjustments
January 31
Toronto Sun
 
"After allowing 116 points on 55.3% shooting to the NBA's worst offensive team and scoring just 87 points on 33.7% from the floor the next night against the league's shoddiest defensive outfit, what can the Raptors possibly do for an encore on Monday night? According to head coach Jay Triano, adjustments by his top two players might be a good start. The offensive games of leading scorers Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan have gone South of late and Triano believes they must respond to being keyed on. "They're learning how when teams focus on them, you need to be better than just the guy guarding you because there will be more emphasis placed on you and you'll get the best defender more"
DeRozan, ignored by Wolves, developing nicely
January 30
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"The Timberwolves selected point guards Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn consecutively in the 2009 NBA draft, a duplication that started the national perception basketball boss David Kahn collects point guards like some NBA executives gather cufflinks. One player -- and position -- Kahn bypassed in that draft: Southern California shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, who arrived at Target Center on Saturday with Toronto. Rubio remains in Spain, and his arrival someday in Minnesota -- despite Kahn's assurances -- is not nearly guaranteed. Flynn is struggling mightily through a second NBA season that started six weeks late because of July hip surgery. Meanwhile, the Wolves continue to search for a true"
DeRozan steps into go-to-guy role for Raptors
January 30
Toronto Sun
 
"A combination of excellent play and tight coverage on Andrea Bargnani appears to have moved sophomore DeMar DeRozan up in the Raptors' pecking order. "I think (DeRozan's) developed extremely well, he's really started to take off," head coach Jay Triano responded to a query from a Minnesota reporter. The Wolves had two high picks in the 2009 draft and showed considerable interest in DeRozan, before opting for point guards Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn. "He's become our go-to-guy, the guy we put a lot of faith, a lot of trust in with the basketball," Triano continued. "It started last year in the summer league and it's been accelerated because of the injuries we've had. "He's getting to the"
DeRozan's rising star
January 28
Toronto Sun
 
"It happens at least once a game now, lately more often than that. It is DeMar DeRozan doing something beyond his year and a half in the pros, something that says not only is he a good player but a special one and getting more special by the day. This past Saturday in Miami in a game in which DeRozan would score 30 points, that moment came relatively late. DeRozan broke away from the Miami defence with his team on a fast break, took the pass on the far right hand corner, just beyond the three-point arc and cut in for, what for him, was a routine dunk. But as he made the sweeping left hand turn back up court, he turned towards the Miami bench and shot them a glare. It's the kind of cocky"
DeRozan and his slam-dunk sidekicks
January 24
Toronto Star
 columnist Dave Feschuk
"The sandwich hung for a moment over a wall of cameramen in the post-game locker-room chaos. "Amir!" DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors swingman, had hollered a moment earlier, projecting across a crowded locker room. "Give me a tuna, special delivery." And Amir Johnson, who'd been standing within reach of a selection of bagged sandwiches laid out on a table, had happily grabbed the grub, sized up the logistics, and let fly with his teammate's order. DeRozan, seeing Johnson's alley-oop was doomed to fall a couple feet short of its intended target, didn't even bother trying to catch it. The sandwich hung, and then the sandwich sunk. Media types made way as it landed with an unappetizing splat next"
DeMar DeRozan gets belated Slam Dunk invite
January 21
Toronto Star
 
"Raptors sophomore guard DeMar Derozan is going back to the NBA's Slam Dunk contest. The NBA announced on Tuesday that DeRozan, who finished runner-up to Nate Robinson in the all-star weekend event in Dallas last season, will replace injured Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings, who has missed 14 games with a broken foot. This year's event will be held on Feb. 19 in Los Angeles at the Staples Center, which is near Compton, where both DeRozan and Jennings grew up. The pair, who know each other quite well, also exchanged Tweets following the announcement."
DeRozan added to dunk contest
January 21
Toronto Sun
 
"He may be late to the party, but DeMar DeRozan has no plans on being a wallflower now that's he has the invite. DeRozan found out in the wee hours of Thursday morning as the team was heading to its charter flight to Orlando that he would be replacing good friend Brandon Jennings in the NBA all-star game dunk contest. You may recall DeRozan was in it a year ago and finished runner-up to Nate Robinson. DeRozan certainly remembers it and it's fuelling him this time around because the second-year Raptors feels he got jobbed the first time around. DeRozan believes even with the ankle injury that kept him from attempting any two-footed takeoffs, he deserved the title a year ago. Now up against"
DeRozan continues upward trajectory
January 13
The Globe and Mail
 
"There is no point in saying DeMar DeRozan is the next 'this' or the next 'that,' any more than this Toronto Raptors season was meant to be judged at any point other than at its conclusion. But let's just say this: in a city whose hockey team has turned the phrase "first-round draft pick" into an expletive deleted (or, at least, expletive traded to Boston) the progress of DeRozan, last year's first-round pick, is notable. That he has been able to refine his game – to do a better job of handling the ball in tight quarters, make nice wide runs down the wing and increasingly find his mid-range jumper – while becoming enough of a factor that he has separated himself statistically from the bulk"
Raptors not getting the calls
January 13
Toronto Sun
 
"It is the vicious circle every non-contending team finds itself in. You have to be good to get the calls, but in order to get good you need a few calls. Right now the Raps aren't getting any calls and hit a new low last night getting to the free throw line just 12 times. Not that there weren't plenty of opportunities. DeMar DeRozan, a guy who with more time in the league will begin to get calls, had more than a handful of times he could have got a call but didn't. The Raptors also desperately wanted a call on Jose Calderon's last second drive to the basket where Al Horford appeared to bump the Raptors point guard as he lost the ball out of bounds on the way to the basket. Not only did"
Raps show 1-2 punch
January 10
Toronto Sun
 
"In a perfect world, an offensive approach featuring an inside/outside game is the preferred mode by virtually every NBA team. It's a formula that often leads to sustained success during the regular season, which lends itself quite nicely for an extended run in the post-season. These Raptors are far from perfect, which isn't exactly news - a team that is life and death to beat even the very worst the NBA has to offer. But for now and for the immediate future, barring the acquisition of a bona fide back-to-back basket presence, which isn't going to happen, the Raptors have a one-two punch in Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan, two perimeter players who are at their best when quick heaves are"
Andrea Bargnani scores 30 to lead Raptors over Kings 118-112
January 10
Toronto Star
 
"They are the most dissimilar of duos. The oft-laconic 7-foot Roman with the sweet jump shot he'll take from anywhere and the athletic 6-foot-7 swingman from Los Angeles who has become almost relentless in attacking the basket. But as diverse as their backgrounds and abilities may be, there is a sense that whatever success the Raptors have offensively during the rest of the NBA season will come because Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan have figured out how to co-exist on a basketball court."
Raps' DeRozan will dunk, if asked
January 6
Toronto Sun
 
"Even though he was an afterthought this time around, if the NBA asks DeMar DeRozan to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest again, he'll do it. DeRozan's good friend Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks will take part in the 2011 event in Los Angeles along with the hometown favourite Blake Griffin of the Clippers, Washington centre JaVale McGee and Oklahoma City big man Serge Ibaka. DeRozan was the runner-up last year, falling to Nate Robinson. "No they didn't ask (and) I wasn't really paying too much mind to it," DeRozan said prior to his team's tilt with the Cavaliers on Wednesday night."
DeRozan needs to raise his game
November 30
Toronto Star
 
"DeMar DeRozan doesn't have to be told his play has dropped off significantly of late, he's fully aware that he's not giving the Raptors nearly enough. He's had a sore hamstring and a laissez-faire attitude that he said will change right away. "I think I haven't been as aggressive," said DeRozan, who has managed to score more than 10 points only twice in his last six games. "When we played Boston here (over a week ago), I (hurt) my hamstring and it was bothering the next couple of games but I'm feeling better now, a lot better."
DeRozan starting to roll
November 15
Toronto Sun
 
"The strides the Toronto Raptors have made in Florida are pretty apparent to all. Even short-handed, they are competing, staying with teams that out-talent them by a huge margin, playing solid defence against all-stars and making them work for everything they get. But what we are also witnessing is the next stage in the development of the guy the Raptors hope will eventually become one of those all-stars. DeMar DeRozan has been touted as that player since the Raptors selected him ninth overall two drafts ago. But it's just now that they are expanding the sets they run to include plays designed specifically to get the ball into his hands in late-game situations and let him take advantage of"
DeRozan showing DeLightful DeVelopment in second season with Raptors
November 15
Toronto Star
 
"It was last spring when Jay Triano was asked about the skill development of DeMar DeRozan and what the Raptors rookie needed to work on most over the coming summer. Without hesitation, the head coach said something to the effect of: "If he learns to beat the first defender, he'll be great; he's always going to do something to beat the second guy.""
DeRozan makes quiet homecoming
October 31
Toronto Sun
 
"DeMar DeRozan's first trip home this season comes a little more than a week earlier than it did in his freshman season. And if that's the only similarity between the two visits, DeRozan will be one happy Raptor. The first homecoming was one to forget. Last Nov. 13, the Compton native led his new team into the Staples Centre where he had starred as both a collegian and high school player and laid one big egg. Hyped up, as expected, to be playing at home in front of family and friends and having scratched and clawed for every ticket he could get his hands on to accommodate them, DeRozan was all but fried out once the actual game tipped off."
Aggressive DeRozan key to Raptor success
October 20
Toronto Star
 
"It is not only with a selfish purpose that DeMar DeRozan attacks the basket as one of the most aggressive players the Raptors employ. All those hits and knocks he takes are as much for others as for himself, a way to help his team get better and enjoy any small advantage it can get. "I like getting to the free-throw line, try to get the team in the bonus early," the second-year swingman said Tuesday. "I think we have a lot of players on the team who are great free-throw shooters and I think that's just more helpful for us.""
DeRozan full of swagger, head to toes
October 6
The Globe and Mail
 
"The shoes on DeMar DeRozan's feet at the Toronto Raptors' first preseason game on Wednesday will be as flashy as his dunks. Red, black, yellow? He isn't naming the colour just yet. But his strut – not the wild shoes he's promising to wear – is what's really drawing attention to the 22-year-old as he enters his second NBA season. Head coach Jay Triano said DeRozan's increased confidence is the natural byproduct of hard work. His teammate and buddy, Sonny Weems, says he's "come out of his shell" after his rookie year. But DeRozan, for his part, said the swagger he developed growing up in Compton, Calif., never left. "You could always tell a Compton person from an L.A. person. Everybody's"
DeRozan comes out of his shell
October 4
Toronto Star
 
"DeMar DeRozan breaks into that silly grin of his and puts on his 'aw shucks' face when he's asked about the shiny new red kicks he was sporting at the Raptors' intrasquad game here Sunday. "You're going to see a lot this season," he said, looking down at his feet. "I'm wearing wild shoes. Crazy colours. I don't know why, I've always been like that, I want my shoes to stand out." And, finally, some personality may be emerging from a team that really doesn't have an identity or an identifiable face."
Raptors exercise option on DeMar DeRozan's contract
October 1
Toronto Sun
 
"DeMar DeRozan said a couple of things Thursday you won't hear too often from a professional athlete. He professed to enjoy two-a-day workouts and downplayed the financial aspect of the Raptors picking up the option year of his contract. While veteran teammate Jarrett Jack called the gruelling pair of workouts the team has been going through the first few days of camp a necessary evil, young DeRozan said he actually looks forward to them. "We play 82 games, this is what it takes," DeRozan said after the morning session at the ACC. "I think it's good for us, it definitely helps us." But it wasn't always that way for DeRozan. Things were different at USC. "I hated it in college, I'm not going"
DeMar's drive is back
March 19
Toronto Sun
 
"DeMar DeRozan is proof that even a winless road trip can reap some benefits. DeRozan, mired in a funk going into the Raptors trip, was one of the few who returned on better ground than he left. And once home, DeRozan took things to another level going off for 19 points in Wednesday's win over the Atlanta Hawks. The easy explanation is that DeRozan is back to driving to the basket like he was when he was most effective earlier in the season. When he drives, he opens up the offence for everyone, gets to the free-throw line and scores. It's a win-win-win scenario and with his athleticism, defences have a hard time dealing with him. And while that isn't the whole explanation for DeRozan's"
DeRozan's homecoming
March 9
Toronto Sun
 
"DeMar DeRozan is home again and he's not exactly shy about letting everyone know how happy this has made him. With practice winding down and the media just getting into the daily discussion with head coach Jay Triano, the gym erupted as DeMar DeRozan came in from behind an unsuspecting Patrick O'Bryant and dunked over the 7-footer. "That's a statement," DeRozan said. "I'm taking all big men out. That's my new statement. I'm going to get CB next." That little bit of foolishness is a perfect example of how much more comfortable DeRozan is, even on his own team, than he was the last time he came home with the Raptors. "I think the first time I think I was just a month into my NBA career,""
While Raptors hit road, DeRozan feeling at home
March 9
Toronto Star
 columnist Dave Feschuk
"Banged-up veterans reached for ice packs. On-court stragglers hoisted a few final jump shots. Raptors practice was winding down on Monday afternoon, until DeMar DeRozan wound it back up. In a rare moment of post-workout explosiveness, DeRozan, the rookie swingman, threw down a towering baseline dunk atop Patrick O'Bryant, his 7-foot teammate. The jam stirred no end of trash talk among the travelling hoopsters. And it put a smile on the face of Jay Triano, the Raptors coach. "DeMar," said Triano, "is happy to be home.""