Raptors' DeRozan upset about ranking on SI's Top 100 Players
Being the leading scorer on a playoff team that got to within two games of the NBA Finals wasn't enough to warrant DeMar DeRozan some love from Sports Illustrated.
When he found out he was only ranked 46th on SI's annual Top 100 NBA Players list, the Toronto Raptors All-Star took to Twitter to voice his disapproval over what he must believe is a sign of a disrespect:
The explanation for DeRozan's low ranking cites his horrid defensive play (Synergy Sports had him ranked in the 21st percentile as a defender), his lack of range as a shooting guard (connecting on just 33.8 percent of 3-point attempts in 2015-16), and the fact he's Toronto's second-biggest star behind Kyle Lowry as reasons for his ranking, as penned by SI's Ben Golliver.
Notable names ranked ahead of the 27-year-old include Andre Iguodala (44), Steven Adams (40), Khris Middleton (39), and Dwight Howard (34).
DeRozan averaged career highs in points (23.5), player efficiency rating (21.5), and win shares (2.4) last season as the Raptors won a franchise-best 56 regular-season games and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals on the heels of their first-ever seven-game playoff series wins.
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