To absolutely no one’s surprise, the NBA has officially named DeMar DeRozan the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. The Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant claimed the award for the Western Conference.
Your Eastern Conference Player of the Week!@DeMar_DeRozan | #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/lhZNSCTx7D
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 3, 2022
Over four games from December 27 to January 2, DeRozan averaged 27.8 points with 7.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game. The Bulls went undefeated over that stretch, extending their winning streak to seven in a row, which is the longest active streak in the league.
In case anyone went on some sort of meditative retreat in the wilderness over the past seven days, I’ll also remind you that DeRozan became the first player in NBA history to hit game-winning buzzer-beaters on consecutive days. His one-legged 3-point heave gave the Bulls a 108-106 victory over the Indiana Pacers before his well-contested shot over Bradley Beal gave the Bulls a 120-119 win over the Washington Wizards.
Feel free to relive the moments below:
DEMAR DEROZAN DID IT AGAIN OMG OMG OMG https://t.co/4O6su7zyjd
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) January 2, 2022
DEMAR DEROZAN DID IT AGAIN OMG OMG OMG https://t.co/4O6su7zyjd
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) January 2, 2022
This marks the second time DeRozan has won the weekly award this season. The first time came back on December 6th after he rattled off a stretch of three victories over the Hornets, Knicks, and Nets. DeRozan averaged 30.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists on an absurd 58.7 percent from the field that week to claim the previous award.
As I said the first time around, I’m sure this accolade doesn’t mean much to the victory-hungry DeRozan, but it’s still an acknowledgment of the outstanding play he’s provided all season long. As the NBA’s 6th-leading scorer and best 4th quarter threat, the more he takes home these smaller-scale awards, the more it feels like he belongs near the top of the MVP conversation.