USC Basketball: Has DeMar DeRozan Done Enough to Make Naismith Hall of Fame?

He has the stats and accolades, but does he have the postseason success?

Apr 19, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) drives to the basket past Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith (24) in the second quarter during a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

When the time comes, has former Pac-10 All-Freshman Team USC Trojan-turned-Sacramento Kings swingman DeMar DeRozan accomplished enough to merit inclusion into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame?

The 6-foot-6 small forward/shooting guard just inked a three-year, $73.9 million contract with Sacramento that will take him through his age-37 season, 2026-27. The current club, led by DeRozan and incumbent 2023 All-Stars De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis (both missed the cut last year, as did DeRozan while with the Chicago Bulls), does not seem to have enough defense to truly contend for a title any time soon, which would be DeRozan's first.

The 35-year-old has had enough individual success to qualify for Springfield, but has had a mixed go of it in the playoffs. To be fair, he was the best or second-best player on several Toronto Raptors clubs that made several deep postseason runs, including a 2016 Eastern Conference Finals berth. He hasn't been out of the first round since Toronto traded him in 2018.

DeRozan is a six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA honoree. He has twice finished among the top three players earning votes for Clutch Player of the Year honors, and has thrice been a top-11 MVP vote recipient.

For his career, DeRozan boasts averages of 21.2 points on .469/.296/.841 shooting splits, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 dimes, and 1.0 steals a game. He has scored 23,582 career points. He is known to be something of a defensive liability, which has at times cost him in the postseason.

This currently slots the stunningly durable vet in as the No. 36-most prolific scorer in the history of the NBA and ABA (and 31st-most in strictly the NBA), behind fellow class of 2009 draftee and first-ballot Hall of Famer Stephen Curry. Everyone above them has or will make the Hall of Fame. Both Curry and DeRozan appear poised to lap at least the next five players above them before their careers are over (barring major injury absences) on the combined list: power forward Charles Barkley (23,757 career points), point guard Allen Iverson (24,368), Ray Allen (24,505), center Patrick Ewing (24,815), and center Artis Gilmore (24,941).

During his one-and-done season with the Cardinal and Gold, DeRozan averaged 13.9 points on 52.3 percent shooting from the field and 64.6 percent shooting from the charity stripe, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.9 steals a night.

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