Sports Illustrated released its Top 100 NBA players earlier this week and DeMar DeRozan responds on Twitter to being ranked No. 36.
DeMar DeRozan had a fantastic year in 2016 and led the Toronto Raptors back to the playoffs, where they lost in the second round to LeBron James and the Cavaliers. There’s no shame in losing to Cleveland, as they’ve represented the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals three years in a row.
Sports Illustrated came out with its annual Top 100 NBA players list earlier this week and DeRozan was ranked No. 36 on the list. SI’s Rob Mahoney had this to say about DeRozan and the reason for his low ranking:
"Our verdict comes down to this: DeRozan is a refined, impressive scorer whose limitations create real problems. His best skill—and his only one that is above average—is one we’ve seen repeatedly stifled in a postseason setting, leaving us with lasting concerns about the ceiling DeRozan imposes on his own team."
The Raptors’ star wasn’t too happy about his ranking and took his thoughts to Twitter, sending this tweet out on Wednesday morning.
F SI...#ProveEm
— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) September 12, 2017
“F*** SI [Sports Illustrated],” is what DeRozan sent out to his followers, hoping to lead the Raptors to a deeper playoff run this next season.
Some notable names that were ahead of DeRozan included Khris Middleton, Hassan Whiteside and LaMarcus Aldridge. Because those players haven’t accomplished as much as DeRozan, I can see why the Raptors’ star is outraged at his ranking on this list.
Next: Five big questions for the NBA’s rookie class
NBA players often look to any type of chip on their shoulder for motivation, looks like Sports Illustrated’s Rob Mahoney has provided that for DeRozan.
They’ll have a tough test this year, as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics have elevated over them by a wide margin. Kyle Lowry is back with the Raptors, but that might not be enough to dethrone either of those teams in May.