Houston coach praised DeRozan and see him play a few more years at the high level

With Deebo enjoying his best in three-point shooting and playmaking, Rockets coach believes he can last long in the NBA.

© David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

DeMar DeRozan is one of the most well-known talents and players in the NBA today, but there are some doubts about how long he can continue to play at a high level.

While Deebo's abilities are known, it has been called into question how long he can be one of the primary scorers. Since entering the NBA, the All-Star has focused on developing and perfecting his mid-range shots, which are his go-to plays when the ball is in his hands.

Amid these doubts and criticisms he received, DeMar still has strong support from Ime Udoka, who is played with him several years ago. 

Udoka belives in Deebo 

For Ime, Deebo is a remarkable player who can actually extend his basketball career.

Both of them might have spent just a year in San Antonio back in 2018-19, so Udoka understands DeRozan and the abilites he can bring to the table. With that, the Rockets coach believes that the Bulls star can continue performing at a high level in the Association for years to come.

“I think he's gonna be able to play for a long time,” Udoka said about DeRozan before his Houston Rockets fell against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. “The way he plays, the pace he plays and kind of gets to where he wants to — his spots, he’s a tremendous scorer. He’s been that for a long time. And he's only going to get, I think, more efficient as he gets older.”

Not a one-sided star

This 2023-24 season has been a solid testament to why Deebo can realistically play for such a long time, just like what Ime claimed.

This year, Deebo holds the highest three-point shot attempts that he had since 2017-18, in which he's firing 2.8 averages per game. Impressively, he's draining them at 35.3 percent mark — a career-best.

To add, DeMar has taken his playmaking wits this year to the next level. As the Bulls’ main ball handler and the focal pace pusher, he is tallying 5.4 dimes per game — the best assist average in his three years of stay so far in Chicago.

WHAT A 360 PASS BY DEEBO 🌪️@NBCSChicago | @DeMar_DeRozan pic.twitter.com/zC7LWPKtmC

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 14, 2023

Though he is 34 years of age already, the Compton native still has plenty of time to continue developing and adapting his game. His elevated three-point shooting and passing this year will always be solid evidence of why he has more left in his tank to continue playing.

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