DeRozan sheds losing seasons, shows an underdogs hunger

DeMar DeRozan can recall the training camps when there were nine or 10 new Toronto Raptors to meet, and much of the familiarity built the previous season had been washed away.

He counts his blessings for the way it is today.

For most of DeRozans early years in Toronto, each fall brought the daunting challenge of learning the tendencies of new teammates and creating new chemistry. The Raptors selected him ninth overall in the 2009 NBA draft, a 19-year-old swingman who had played just a single college season at USC. He opted to leave school early largely for what an NBA contract could do to ease the pain his mother suffered daily with lupus. The Raptors general manager at the time, Bryan Colangelo, compared his athleticism to that of renowned Raptor Vince Carter.

Hes got a chance to be special, Colangelo had said in DeRozans introductory press conference. But lets let him do it on his own time.

DeRozan watched dozens come and go during his first five years in Toronto, names such as Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu, Jose Calderon, and Rudy Gay. One constant remained with DeRozan Amir Johnson, from Los Angeles just like him.

Together, they navigated the Raptors painstaking process of building a roster and eventually, a winning culture.Oh man, we had so many teammates over the years, I couldnt even count them, Johnson said. Yeah, weve become close; DeMar and I have definitely bonded. Were happy to see the growth of this team.

DeRozans first four years in Toronto were all losing seasons, but his average points a game swelled with each year, his game improved and his value deepened. Last season, he ranked 10th in the NBA with a career-best 22.7 points a game, helping lead the Raptors to a franchise-high 48-win season and their first playoff appearance since 2008. From there, the 6-foot-6 workhorse threw himself into the off-season, hiring a ball-handling specialist, pushing his conditioning to the limits back in California and doing everyday things with his left hand in the hopes it could strengthen his off-hand play on the court. Any little thing to help sustain the magic the Raptors created last season, a playoff magnetism that had sold-out crowds stoked and rollicking in the Air Canada Centre and another 10,000 watching outside, just to be near it.

Now, entering his sixth NBA season, 25-year-old DeRozan has arrived. If it wasnt obvious before, reminders came in last years all-star nod; via his 23.9 points a game in the playoffs; from how he combined with Kyle Lowry to create one the most electric backcourts in the NBA; or through DeRozans selection to Team USA this summer for the FIBA World Cup. Lowry re-signed in Toronto to keep the duo together; the other three starters remain, too; and sixth man Greivis Vasquez declared his undying love for the city and its franchise to remain a part of it.

I was here for the tough times and I think that put more hunger in me, DeRozan said, chatting this week in a corner of the Raptors practice facility. Thats what its always been for me. I was never in a perfect situation where everything was peaches and cream. I like to work from the dirt and make something out of it.

When Dwane Casey became head coach of the Raptors in 2011, he was inheriting a team that had gone 22-60 the year before, but he felt he had a special piece of the puzzle in DeRozan.

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DeRozan sheds losing seasons, shows an underdogs hunger