Chicago Bulls: DeMar DeRozan is straight-up mocking load management

With just under a dozen games to go in the 2022-2023 NBA season, the Chicago Bulls continue to find themselves flirting with a possible postseason.

Chicago currently sits in the 10th seed, which is good enough to sneak into the play-in tournament. However, they’re winners of three-straight and, with some help, might find themselves moving into more comfortable positioning.

That three-game win streak has been largely impressive, too, with wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and, for the first time ever, Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.

One of the sole reasons this Bulls team has been playing so well as of late is because of their ability late in games to close things out. The Patrick Beverley addition was huge for this club, no doubt. But, it’s been the DeMar DeRozan show for a while now, and especially as of late.

What DeRozan has been able to accomplish, at his age, is essentially putting the league on notice that this whole “load management” idea is a total sham.

Chicago Bulls fans should be thankful for a guy like DeMar DeRozan making load management look like a silly strategy

Over his last three games, DeRozan is averaging nearly 33 points per contest while playing just about 47 minutes.

His most impressive outpouring came in a double overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves last Friday night, where he ended with 49 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals. DeRozan was absolutely magical in that victory, willing the Bulls to victory alongside Zach LaVine, who ended with a whopping 39 points himself.

He won’t get any MVP consideration, but if the Bulls make the playoffs, DeRozan will be the number one reason why. He hasn’t taken a single minute off all season long, and feels like the type of guy who would laugh at the idea of Billy Donovan giving him a “rest day.”

Averaging 25.4 points, 5.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game, DeRozan is about as well-rounded a star as you can find in the league today. You don’t have to look far in the past to find a former MVP who averaged similar numbers once upon a time; cough, Derrick Rose.

Whether the Bulls make the playoffs or not, DeRozan’s season has been one for the books. He’s been as consistent as you could ask all season long, and at his age, load management is nothing more than a fairytale.