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Coach Donovan gave his propos to DeMar DeRozan for his nightly leadership of the Bulls: "I appreciate all he does"
The Chicago Bulls survived yet again courtesy of DeMar DeRozan. With two of his fellow stars out, Deebo poured his best in the Bulls’ 118-113 tight win over the Atlanta Hawks. DeMar finished with 25 points and scored 11 of them in the fourth quarter to lead Chicago in the end game.
Through the use of his trademarked mid-ranger, DeRozan was responsible for giving the Bulls a 111-110 margin with 1:42 left. To ice the win, he tallied four markers in the final 26 seconds, which included a silky smooth layup after a spectacular fake.
A solidified franchise star
Billy Donovan can’t thank Deebo enough for consistently staying ready in all of the Bulls’ ups and downs. Amid the star veteran’s uncertain future with the team, Donovan acknowledged DeMar’s leadership and professionalism, which helped them clinch nine wins in their last 13 games.
"I appreciate him. He's a consummate professional," Donovan said. "The thing I love about him is he'll do whatever he's gotta do to help the team. In conversations with him about us having to play faster and him to get up the floor, he does what you ask him to do.
"He's an elite closer. And he's been that way for his career. When the game slows down, you try to get him in areas of the floor where he does what he does. But the unselfishness and sacrifice for him for 36 minutes of trying to get off the ball, advance the ball, help us play fast, get those other guys involved, generate shots for those guys and still keep his head in the game, it speaks to his greatness.”
A true leader in Deebo
Besides the late-game carry, Deebo also led the Bulls with his playmaking by chipping six dimes. Donovan highly considers DeRozan as a special talent with what the star swingman has been flashing on a nightly basis for Chicago.
"I just told him I appreciate all he does. He's not only closing out the game at the end. He's also getting everybody else involved and playing stylistically in a way that's best for those guys. To his greatness, he can play a lot of different ways. For as long as I've coached, you come across guys who are really unique and special. And he's really special as it relates to not only being an elite talent and probably a first ballot Hall of Famer, but he just wants to win. And he can see the big picture of what we need to do."
