NEW YORK — Coby White sees a side of DeMar DeRozan that fans don't see.
More than anything, the Bulls' breakout player this season has found stability in his veteran teammates.
“He never complains,” White said. “He just loves the game. He loves hoops.”
DeRozan finished the season as the NBA's minutes leader, playing 44 minutes in New York's 120-119 overtime loss to the Bulls on the final day of the regular season. DeRozan logged 2,988 total minutes, the third-most of his career and the most since the 2013-14 season.
DeRozan, 34, becomes the first player in his 30s to lead the league in minutes since LeBron James (age 33) in 2018. Before that, Elvin Hayes (age 31) in 1976-77 was the last player in his 30s to lead the NBA in minutes. DeRozan's 2,988 minutes are also the most since Bradley Beal finished with 3,028 minutes in 2018-19.
“And he doesn't miss practice. He doesn't miss shootaround,” White said of DeRozan. “He's early for everything. Those are the things I noticed. He's always on time. He's always one of the first ones there. That can be the case for some people. You know, and for him, it's just his professionalism that never changes.”
White, 24, ranks third in the NBA with 2,881 minutes played. This season, his body took some damage. The thought of what DeRozan would have faced in his 15th season made him cringe.
“I can't imagine it,” White said.
Sacramento Kings star Domantas Sabonis ranks second in the NBA with 2,921 minutes played. Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, 35, is the only player in his 30s to rank in the top 10 in minutes this season.
Over the past 20 seasons, only 19 players have ranked in the top 10 within minutes of their 30th birthday. DeRozan on Sunday became the eighth player to do it twice in the same span. The others include Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, James, Durant, PJ Tucker, Russell Westbrook and Nikola Vucevic.
“I always joke with a lot of the older guys in the league, guys like Chris Paul and Kyle (Lowry), 'Hey, we've got to hold back for the older guys.' ''' DeRozan said. “Because I hate the stigma that 33, 34, 35 is old. I hate it. So I try to break that stigma. Men can be in their mid-30s.
“As long as they take care of themselves, they can still go out and compete and play at the same high level as the younger players. So I take that personally. I take that challenge every time I go out and play. And I just want to go out there and show it.”
DeRozan averaged 37.8 minutes in 79 appearances. His career high in average minutes played is 38.2 minutes in 2013-14 when he logged 3,017 minutes in 79 games. One season into his fourth NBA year, DeRozan played in all 82 games for the second time, totaling 3,013 minutes. He also achieved the rare feat of playing in 82 games in his second season.
“Honestly, I had a goal last year. I wanted to play in all 82 games,” DeRozan said. “But there was a quad situation. And last summer, I said to myself, I want to be able to play more, let's try to play 82 again. I played 79. The other night (Washington) missed the game for personal reasons. That's one thing (the game fell through).
“So for me, it's just a goal of how hard I work, how well I take care of my body, how hard I work. Every season, I try to extend my time and be more productive.” I'm trying to find other ways to enhance my career. ”
Over 15 seasons, DeRozan has been as durable as ever.
He appeared in 1,110 of the 1,193 regular season games, an astonishing 93% of the team's games. Since joining the Bulls in the 2021 offseason, DeRozan has missed only 17 of 246 games.
Even after a physically demanding overtime series against the Knicks ended the regular season, DeRozan had no complaints about the amount of minutes he played. If he has his way, he'll play more.
“I love it. I want to play,” DeRozan said. “I always tell Billy, 'Don't take me out. I want to play.' I want to be outside with the guys. I want to feel that challenge. Especially 15 more years, 10 more years. When I found out I wasn't going to be able to play this year, I'm going to give it everything I have while I'm here. I don't want to disrespect anyone, my teammates, me. These are the people who came.
“I just want to go out and play as much as I can. And I'm going to take care of myself as best I can so I can do that.”
DeRozan says self-care doesn't have to be difficult.
“I've always taken the best care of myself on and off the court,” DeRozan said. “I try to eat the best food I can. I don't do anything. I don't go out. I don't drink. … I take care of myself so that I can serve those people. I'm trying to take care of it. And at the end of the day, I just love playing. I don't think it's an age thing. I just love playing basketball.”
Bulls coach Billy Donovan said DeRozan's availability and adaptability — his 225 3-pointers, for example, were the second-most of his career — helped Chicago endure a rash of injuries. praised.
The Bulls finished 9th in the Eastern Conference with 39 wins and 43 losses. On Wednesday, they will host the 10th place Atlanta Hawks (36-46) in a play-in tournament game. Donovan said who knows how bad the Bulls' season would have been without DeRozan.
DeRozan's workload was heavy as the Bulls lost Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams to foot injuries late in the season. They join Lonzo Ball, who missed his second straight season while trying to come back from a career-threatening knee injury. Other contributors for the Bulls also moved in and out of the lineup.
But for nearly 3,000 minutes over 79 nights, DeRozan was a steadying presence for the Bulls.
“He's one of the most special people I've ever been around, in every way: player, person, teammate,” Donovan said. “The ability to communicate with him. Who he is every day. I've never seen him have a bad day. I've never seen him in a bad mood. I haven't seen him take it. He definitely puts a lot into it. He's just as frustrating as everyone, but he plays a key role in keeping the group together. I accomplished it.”
It wasn't just DeRozan's on-court dominance or fourth-quarter magic, but his 182 clutch points, second only to Stephen Curry, certainly contributed. Thanks to DeRozan's late-game drama, the Bulls outscored their opponents by a league-high 115 points in a league-high 210 clutch minutes (defined as games with a five-point lead or less) and finished as the league's best clutch team. . within the final five minutes and overtime.
But DeRozan received as much praise for tutoring his teammates as he did for his shooting touches during games. Donovan specifically cited DeRozan's coaching of second-year swingman Darren Terry, whose improvement was evident over the second half of the season.
“I appreciate the investment he made in Darren. I think Darren would say, 'Part of my growth is because of DeMar's investment.' And what I like about him is that he invests in people and also invests in others. ”
Vucevic, a two-time All-Star and a top-10 player in two of the past three seasons despite being in his 30s, said DeRozan's personality makes him appealing throughout the locker room.
“The way he cares about all his teammates. The belief he has in all of us,” Vucevic said. “When he takes over at No. 4, when he takes a big shot, when he makes a big play, that's what everyone sees. But the most important thing for us is that he's off the court. It's just how we are around us.
“No matter what happens, even when someone is struggling on the court, he always believes in his players and always supports them. That's very important, especially from the best players and leaders. That goes a long way, especially for young guys. That's what we appreciate most about him.
“He's a very simple guy, an easy-going guy. He's not looking for anything special because he's the best player or he's been in the NBA for 15 years. He's just like everyone else. Everyone loves him. I think I respect him the most.”
DeRozan doesn't think he's weird even though everyone knows he is.
“He's a Hall of Famer,” White said.
Surely someday. But for now, DeRozan just wants to be one of the guys and have fun doing what he loves: playing hoops and playing against Father Time.
DeRozan gets another point.
“It means a lot,” DeRozan said. “It just shows that it's possible, that it happens. If you protect yourself well and take care of yourself, nothing can delay you.”
(Photo of DeMar DeRozan and Bojan Bogdanovic: Elsa/Getty Images)
