The famed Coach K is more than OK with everything DeMar DeRozan is putting up in this young basketball season for the ages.
In fact, Mike Krzyzewski admitted that he wouldn’t necessarily have picked DeRozan to lead the NBA in scoring but “what’s he’s done has not surprised me.
“He’s the ultimate good person,” the legendary Duke University and U.S. Olympic coach said in a phone conversation. “And along with being a confident player, that combination is tough to beat. I believe only good things are going to happen for him.”
DeRozan played for Krzyzewski at the Olympics in Rio last summer, and, in fairness, barely played. His role was limited to mostly coming off the bench and bringing some energy to Team USA with the occasional dunk. The coach loved him. His teammates loved him even more.
And Krzyzewski believes the Olympic and international experience DeRozan has lived through the past two summers have made a difference in his game.
“Well, I’ve seen it actually since coaching him in the World Cup in 2014,” Krzyzewski said. “One, he’s such an easy guy to coach. And two, he’s such a team player and he’s constantly working on his game.
“He was in a great place to improve all the time because he’s not worried (about his role), he’s not a jealous player. He’s really confident and team-oriented. And one on one, I think by playing, the amount of experience he has had in the pros helped him and playing on those two teams helped him.
“He knows he’s as good as those other guys (he played with). And you learn from being with those guys.”
This has happened before to professional athletes; it just doesn’t happen often. Normally, in pro sports as a veteran, you are who you are. You establish a game, a style, a point structure at a certain place in your career, and that’s where you fit in.
And every once in a while, like these past 11 games for DeRozan — and who knows how long this streak will continue? — it is almost magic time. There is that fine line between good and great in any sport, between being productive and being special.
DeRozan is doing what few have ever done before.
“Who knows who would lead the NBA in scoring, but I knew he’s going to be one of the top scorers,” said Krzyzewski. “He was already a good scorer. But with his experience of playing and also the experience of having a coach (Dwane Casey) coaching him for a long time, he’s had that continuity. The coach sees and the coaching staff sees how they can use him more and more ways.”
They grow together, Krzyzewski said. They grow up together.
“He’s not on a selfish team,” said Coach K. “I also coached Kyle Lowry (at the Olympics) and Kyle is a great guy. He’s surrounded by those kind of players and that’s a great place for him to be.”
DeRozan is averaging 33.3 points a game this season through 11 games with the Raptors. He has scored 40 points twice, seven times in the 30s, twice in the 20s to date.
Last year, he averaged 23.5 points a game.
The year before that: 20.1. Before that: 22.7, 18.1 and 16.7.
DeRozan is almost doubling his scoring from five years ago. That won’t last, can’t last, but you ride the wave for as long as you can.
Only five players in history have scored more than 34 points a game for an entire season. Wilt Chamberlain. Kareen Abdul-Jabbar. Bob McAdoo. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Four of the greatest players of all-time and the greatest Buffalo Braves scorer ever.
This is a heady place for DeRozan, who after 11 games last season was averaging 21 points and had not scored 30 in any game. Now, at 33.3 points per game, he is scoring 58 per cent more than he did a year ago at this time.
Fifty-eight per cent. That’s 10 points a game more than LeBron James, best player on the planet, is scoring. That’s five more points a game more than Steph Curry or Kevin Durant, who are lined up right behind LeBron. And it’s a dozen points more than Paul George, whom the Raptors had no answer for last April.
Krzyzewski is proud to have played whatever part in DeRozan’s newfound success, but more than that, he’s just happy for the player, happy for their relationship.
“We have a good relationship,” he said. “I hope it’s great. I like the fact that he loves people. And loves his little kids. He’s a good guy, he’s really a good guy. And you’re happy to be around him all the time. And I like that about DeMar.”