NBA Toronto Raptors

DeMar DeRozan’s Recovery Still Bewitching Toronto Raptors

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Toronto Raptors forward DeMar DeRozan (10) sends a pass into the key during the Raptors 100-84 win over Philadelphia 76ers at Air Canada Centre. (Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports)

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The peaks and valleys of returning from a serious injury are daunting and bound to cause disruption on any team, so it’s no surprise DeMar DeRozan and the Toronto Raptors are struggling with this painful lesson right now.

“Now I need to get back in the flow of things and playing consistently,” DeRozan told the Raptors’ website recently. “Whenever that is, back-to-backs or three games in five nights. Just for my body and get the feel back from that (injury).”

Friday it was a little bit of peak and more valley as DeRozan’s mammoth struggles continued, scoring only eight points and going 4-for-14 from the field in a 91-86 win over the lowly Philadelphia 76ers. After scoring 20 points or more in his first three games and averaging 18 PPG overall this season, DeRozan’s numbers have bottomed out terribly in his last three appearances going a horrid 6-for-34 from the field combined and while scoring a total of just 14 points. On Monday he was held scoreless and went 0-of-9 in a 92-89 win over the Milwaukee Bucks and then in Wednesday’s dismantling by the Memphis Grizzlies, he scored just six points and was 2-of-11 shooting during a 92-86 loss. 

On Friday, DeRozan played his sixth game since a lengthy six-week absence due to a torn abductor muscle suffered against the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 28. He admitted during the recovery process that it was his first serious injury and the time away from the floor was “killing him.” Right now, it’s still killing the Raptors and it’s obvious his recovery isn’t yet fully complete. What DeRozan really needs is to just “maintain” those peaks valleys as former Tennessee Volunteers power forward Greg Bell once put it to me, while coaching a community college team in Hamilton, Ontario, about the frustrating process of recovering from an injury.

The Raptors were “maintaining” in DeRozan’s absence with Kyle Lowry again uplifting Toronto with some sensational play and earning a spot as a starter in this year’s NBA All-Star game. But now with DeRozan back on the floor, everything seems completely out of kilter for the Raptors. Every game is like an episode of the old television series ‘Bewitched,’ where anything that can go wrong, will. Former NBA center and Canadian national team coach Leo Rautins may have put it best about the Raptors’ current struggles during the buildup to Friday’s game.

 “It hurts losing a player like DeMar because it’s harder to win, but it’s really hard getting a player like that back because all the guys filling in for him had extra minutes and extra shots,” said Rautins, now a broadcaster for Canada’s TSN. “They don’t have them (numbers and minutes) right now and DeMar doesn’t have his rhythm,” 

The Raptors are 4-8 in their past 12 games and haven’t put together back-to-back wins since beating the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets on Dec. 27-28. On Friday, Lowry’s heroics bailed them out again with the Philadelphia native scoring 21 points while putting up five assists and three steals with his family watching courtside. The victory was really a hollow one because the Raptors are still suffering from lethargic defense and horrid shooting and are currently one of the easiest teams to beat in the NBA.

So for now, the big thing for the Raptors is to first get back on the same page and then turn the page on the DeRozan injury. Otherwise, their slim chances of contending for the conference title will be dashed completely.

Peter Mallett is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RedCardTheRef1 like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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