DeMar DeRozan passed Vince Carter again. DeRozan already passed Vinsanity in the hearts of Toronto fans, he passed Carter for 26th on the all-time scoring list earlier this season, but now he as made their gap more noticeable, becoming just the 23rd player in NBA history to score over 26,000 points. He has a chance to pass Kevin Garnett, John Havlicek, Paul Pierce, Tim Duncan, Dominque Wilkins, and Oscar Robertson this season as he's less than 1,000 points away from them with half the season to go.
Every player on that list has something that's up in the air for DeRozan, and that's an Orange Jacket. Scoring 26,000 points puts DeRozan in rare air. It helps his Hall of Fame case, but there is another side to his coin that could delay his candidacy unless he puts in more time.
DeMar DeRozan's Hall of Fame case
The game is about buckets. With that logic, DeRozan should be a surefire Hall-of-Famer. Firstly, he's accomplished something only 23 individuals have. Nearly 5,000 guys have laced up, but DeRozan is one of the few to put the ball in the hole at this rate.
DeRozan's approach to scoring is a callback to the NBA explosion days. His game is buttery smooth from the mid-range area, similar to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. DeRozan is half man-half ballerina with the way he works his pivot foot. He knows his game and has bent to the pressure of the "3-or-die" philosophy that runs this era. It's refreshing to see a player continue to produce results with their era-unqiye style.
A conglomeration of stats helps Hall of Fame cases, but accolades move the needle just as much. DeRozan is a six-time All-Star and has three All-NBA's under his belt. He has a top-eight MVP finish along with those team selections. Add the fact that he's arguably a top-three Toronto Raptor ever.
DeRozan's Toronto ranks:
- Points: 1
- Games: 1
- Minutes: 1
- Field Goals made: 1
- Free Throws: 1
- Assists: 4
- Rebounds: 7
He put the country on his back when it was cool to do. He could've left in free agency or pouted his way out like VC, but that wasn't in DeRozan. He gave it his best shot in the postseason but ran into that guy. Is that a good enough reason to keep him out of the Hall?
Why DeRozan shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame
Many recall his playoff stints in Toronto as "DeFrozen" time. That was used to represent DeRozan's playoff failures. These come-up-short moments would mainly happen when LeBron James was across from DeRozan.
James, maybe the best player to do it, was 12-2 against DeRozan-led teams from 2016-2018. Toronto was always a good regular-season team, but they were never going to beat the Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, James-led Cleveland Cavaliers. DeRozan didn't play well in 2016 or 17, but the masses didn't think they'd win.
2018 was more of a toss-up. The Raptors finished 58-24. They were first in the East with a top-two offense and a top-five defense. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, made midseason 2k trades and barely beat the Victor Oladipo-led Indiana Pacers in the first round (that was goaltending).
If Toronto was ever going to get it done in the DeRozan and Kyle Lowry era, the time was then. Not only did Toronto lose. They got embarrassed — four games to zero. James was toying with them with one-legged shots.
DeRozan didn't help his cause to combat the DeFrozen narrative, as he averaged 17 points on a 44 effective field goal percentage, down from 23 and 49 percent in the regular season. It didn't help that the Raptors went on to win the championship the following year after trading DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard.
The shadow on DeRozan's name about being a playoff dropper never went away. It's possible Hall of Fame voters could have that on their mind during voting time.
Resume-wise, Shawn Kemp and Jermaine O'Neal have DeRozan's All-Star and All-NBA count, and they aren't in the Hall. Amar'e Stoudemire has an identical All-Star count and two more All-NBA's, but he isn't in the Hall.
DeRozan does have longevity over those guys. I can't emphasize enough how impressive it is to accomplish something only 23 players have ever accomplished. He's averaging nearly 19 points at 36 years old, and he's shooting a career high from 3 (36 percent on 2.2 attempts per game).
DeMar isn't slowing down and can continue to get buckets for a long time. He can crack 28,000 points and make the Hall of Fame. Basketball-Reference gives him a 48 percent chance to make it. Among active players, DeRozan is below Karl-Anthony Towns and one spot above Luka Dončić. DeRozan is in good shape considering he's not close to the finish line.