However short, DeMar DeRozan made quite the impact on the Spurs during his three seasons in San Antonio.
DeRozan, who was traded to San Antonio in the 2018 offseason, made a number of developments with the Spurs that have been evident during his first season as a member of the Chicago Bulls. One day after DeRozan was named a starter in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, he returned to San Antonio for the first time as a member of the Bulls.
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As expected, DeRozan was given a warm welcome when his name was announced during pregame introductions. Before introducing the Spurs' starters, the lights went down at AT&T Center, where a tribute video to DeRozan aired on the jumbotron.
As real as they come. 🙏
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 29, 2022
Welcome back to San Antonio, @DeMar_DeRozan! #SpursFamily pic.twitter.com/W9F6vI0Rtc
In addition to featuring some of DeRozan's best highlights with the Spurs overlayed with praise from legendary head coach Gregg Popovich, the 71-second video serves as a reminder that DeRozan's impact is much bigger than basketball, sharing footage of his work as a mental health advocate while speaking to the youth of the San Antonio community.
Popovich's praise of DeRozan continued prior to the game, calling him "one of my favourite guys of all time."
"One of my favorite guys of all time," Popovich on DeRozan... #porvida #nba75 #BULLSNATION pic.twitter.com/A5moJ8rZc8
— JeffGSpursKENS5 (@JeffGSpursZone) January 29, 2022
Over the course of three seasons, DeRozan appeared in 206 regular season games with the Spurs, posting averages of 21.6 points, 6.2 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game. During DeRozan's tenure, the Spurs fell one win shy of advancing to the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs and came up short during the 2021 NBA Play-In Tournament.
NOH: The evolution of DeRozan — why his value is no longer in doubt
DeRozan's growth as a passer and increased comfort as a small-ball power forward happened in San Antonio and, in turn, has led to his All-Star resurgence in Chicago, where he is averaging 26.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game this season.
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