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Bulls' 2022-23 season review: DeRozan's usage drops

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The Chicago Bulls experienced an underwhelming and inconsistent 2022-23 season, one in which they finished at 40-42 and failed to exit the play-in tournament to make the playoffs.

Though the season-long absence of Lonzo Ball delivered a major blow, the Bulls still possessed plenty of their core players to perform better. But a team that never posted a four-game win streak never fully achieved consistency. For every step forward, the Bulls took a step backwards.

Over the coming days, NBC Sports Chicago will review the seasons from each of the main rotational players, with a look ahead to next season as well.

Next up: DeMar DeRozan

2022-23 statistics

74 games, 36.2 minutes per game, 24.5 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per game, 5.1 assists per game, 50.4 FG%, 32.4 3PT%

Contract status

DeRozan finished the second season of his three-year, $81.9 million. He is due to make $28.6 million in 2023-24 and is extension-eligible this offseason

Season high point

DeRozan posted 42 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks in an inspired home overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 28. He shot 60 percent on 25 shots from the field and 12-for-14 from the line.

The Bulls trailed by 15 in the fourth and by 11 with less than 3 minutes left. But DeRozan’s steal and assist to Ayo Dosunmu for a fast-break basket with 7.1 seconds left forced overtime, where DeRozan took over with 10 points.

Season low point

DeRozan missed all seven shots and scored four points, his fewest as a Bull in a March 22 home loss to the 76ers. Worse, DeRozan re-aggravated a quad injury that plagued him most of the second half of the season and exited with 7 minutes, 48 seconds left in the third.

The Bulls trailed 17-0 and 21-1 on a frustrating night all around. P.J. Tucker hounded DeRozan, who drew a flagrant-one and technical foul on the same play in the second quarter when he blasted through a Paul Reed screen.

Summary

Coach Billy Donovan began training camp by raising the need to rely less on DeRozan isolations and more on “randomness” offensively, a term Donovan later reframed as “unpredictable.”

Either way, DeRozan’s usage rate dropped from 30.8---the second-highest of his career---in 2021-22 to 27.2 this season. It didn’t impact DeRozan’s efficiency; he shot the same 50.4 percent. And DeRozan still got to the line over 7 times a game for his third straight season and eighth time in his career.

But his scoring dropped 3.4 points per game from his career-high 27.9 points per game set the previous season.

Donovan’s decision also didn’t impact the Bulls’ offense, which posted an offensive rating of 112.8 after recording 112.7 in DeRozan’s career year. But in a season where the rest of the league’s offenses improved, the Bulls moved from 13th last season to 24th.

DeRozan’s slight role change didn’t negatively affect his feelings for Chicago.

“Chicago’s been everything for me, honestly. I can't even find the words of appreciation and love that this organization and these fans have given to me,” DeRozan said in his season-ending media session. “Just allowing me to be me, allowing me to be the person I always knew I was career-wise, and embracing it. It's been amazing.”

Even with the lingering quad injury, DeRozan logged the 11th-most minutes in the league. He’s durable. And he led the team in assists while averaging just 2.1 turnovers.

DeRozan attempted 1.9 3-pointers per game for the second straight season, slightly above his career average of 1.5 per game. His career-high of 3.6 came in 2017-18, his final season in Toronto.

But to hear DeRozan tell it, look for that number to rise next season. The Bulls were the only NBA team not to attempt at least 30 3-pointers per game.

“Next year, there will be more frequent (3-pointers) from me without a doubt,” he said. “I always had this vision of my career as I get older, I will continue to expand my game. That’s a main priority and a point of focus for me to capitalize on as I get older.

“You got to break it down just to understand what more I can do to help us team-wise and incorporate that. I think I’d be a fool not to look at and consider that aspect of it. So just me being a student of the game and understanding that is going to be called on and called for us to be better, I am all for it.

“I still try to stay in the confines of me being great at what I am great at. And when there are (3-pointers) there, I will take them.”

DeRozan wouldn’t comment on whether his agent will seek an extension from the Bulls, saying he never worries about contract issues. Given how much roster work exists, it would be a mild surprise if management seriously engages in such talks.

Previous player season reviews

Zach LaVine

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