It’s that time of the month where we celebrate and highlight the best of our monthly MVP or as you’ll know as This Month’s MVP (stylized as #ThisMonthsMVP). Choosing an MVP for April wasn’t a difficult decision but at the same time it wasn’t easy and, on The Baseline, we love all the superstars of NBA and basketball. This month of April truly deserves to Toronto Raptors shooting guard, DeMar DeRozan
Born DeMar Darnell DeRozan in the city of Compton on August 7th 1989, this man has been an avid basketball lover in a city where not a lot of African-American men have the sweetest opportunities to pursue big careers due to the high crime activity that suck these men into the life of crime. But that was never the case of young DeMar
IMAGE CREDIT: DRAFT EXPRESS
DeMar played basketball for Compton High School where he was already making himself known to college scouts as well as the nation of the United States of America. In all his four years in high school, DeMar has been averaging 20+ points as he averaged 22.6 points in his freshman season, 22.3 points in his junior season and a whooping 29.2 points in his senior season. And because of all that, DeMar would lead his high school team to win the Moore League championship where he’d win the Moore League MVP award. So it’s clear that he’s been an MVP since high school.
IMAGE CREDIT: SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
In college, he played for USC where he would record double figured points in 28 games and become one of the driving forces of the USC heading to the NCAA championship where they’d be eliminated by Michigan State. DeMar recorded 485 points while playing for USC which makes him the third in the all time highest scorers in USC history.
Months later, DeMar was eligible to be in the NBA Draft where he’d be drafted nine overall pick by the Tornoto Raptors where we all know, would become one of the greatest players in the franchise. For years, DeMar has been regarded as an elite scorer from his rookie days as he once recorded a then career high of 37 points and would tie his career high points twice in two successive years.
IMAGE CREDIT: BUSINESS INSIDER
DeMar DeRozan’s breakout would begin in the 2013-14 season where he became a focal player of the Toronto Raptors alongside teammate and best friend Kyle Lowry. Averaging 22.7 points, DeMar led the Raptors to a Playoff appearance where he began to outbreak his breakout regular season as he’d score 30 points in back to back games making him the first Raptor to do so since Vince Carter.
In the 2015-16 season, DeMar made history as he became the first Raptor since Chris Bosh to score 15+ points in eight straight games. That already was a sign that DeMar was indeed a great of the Toronto Raptors. In the same season, DeMar alongside Kyle Lowry would lead the Raptors in an 11-game winning streak and the pair had earned their All-Star nods to the All-Star Game which was played in Toronto that same season. DeMar DeRozan is the Raptor player with most wins in the team history and he made that feat on the 22nd of February 2016.
DeMar has led the Raptors to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers where they were defeated but that didn’t stop DeMar from having another sensational season in 2016-17 as he was named in the NBA All-Third team, highlighting his high talent in the league.
IMAGE CREDIT: CBC
This season, DeMar has been on the talks for MVP and has done so in such a high manner. He averaged 23 points and had a field goal percentage of 45.6 percent this season and in his career, he’s averaging 19.7 points and a field goal percentage of 44.8 percent.
But one thing that makes DeMar
DeRozan a fantastic player is his very high ability to score anywhere within the three-point perimetre. Many will mention the names of Kevin Durant in terms of elite scorers but DeMar DeRozan resembles his game to one elite scorer who not only set the tone for scoring but inspired him to become the player he is today is Kobe Bryant. So it’s no coincidence that DeMar DeRozan is a fantastic player and indeed an MVP calibre player.
Big ups to our April #ThisMonthsMVP
The Baseline 