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DeMar DeRozan has been on a roller coaster of a ride with the Chicago Bulls this season. After making the playoffs and being eliminated in the first round last year, DeRozan and the Bulls hoped to replicate some of that same success this season. Unfortunately for the team, with Lonzo Ball sidelined with an injury, things haven't clicked for the Bulls.
Despite winning three of its last four games, Chicago (9-11) sits 11th place in a stacked Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, DeRozan's game has ebbed and flowed from electrifying to questionable. Although he's averaging a near-career high in scoring, fans have noticed that late-game his isolation ball doesn't seem to be going over great with Zach LaVine.
After posting an MVP-caliber season last year that saw the Bulls break their four-year playoff drought, DeRozan hasn't been able to reproduce that success. Given that it would be easy for him to be a top 10-15 player in the league, the way former NBA player Chandler Parsons sees things, that isn't the case.
“I think he’s more in the 30 to 40 range," Parsons said during a recent appearance on FanDuel TV. "And that’s not even a knock on DeMar. I think the league is just so talented now, and there’s a lot of guys that I would personally rank higher than him, but yeah, he’s a bucket.”
Below you can see some highlights from DeRozan's 26-point performance in the Bulls' 114-107 win over the Jazz on Monday night.
DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls' season in a stacked Eastern Conference
Despite DeMar DeRozan continuing his career resurgence this season, it's hard to ignore the fact that the Bulls have struggled. Fortunately for the team, the way things look right now, they will have one of the easier remaining schedules. With the Eastern Conference being increasingly competitive, the team's chances of making a run at the playoffs is dwindling.
Right now, the top three teams in the East have three of the NBA's best records.
In first place, the defending Eastern Conference champions, the Boston Celtics, have jumped out to an early lead with a 17-4 record. In second place, the 2021 NBA champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, have posted an impressive 14-5 record, with Giannis Antetokounmpo putting up MVP-level numbers again.
Sitting in third place is the Cleveland Cavaliers (13-8), who have been led by Donovan Mitchell and his fellow young stars. From there things get more competitive, with the Indiana Pacers (12-8) in fourth place, Philadelphia 76ers (12-9) in fifth, and the Toronto Raptors (11-9) in sixth.
With the Bulls a half-game outside of a play-in tournament spot, albeit with 62 games remaining, the franchise needs to turn things around sooner rather than later. With the return of Lonzo Ball still on the horizon, it will be interesting to see how things play out in Chicago the rest of this season.
The team will head to Phoenix (14-6) to play the Suns on Wednesday in a game in which they are the underdogs.
