DeRozan silences critics by continuing to expand his game

There's never a shortage of criticism when it comes to DeMar DeRozan.

This is made plainly evident when he is undersold on player rankings every summer. Fresh off last season's All-NBA campaign in which he finished fifth in scoring while leading an injury-riddled team to 51 wins, DeRozan was ranked below role players like Jae Crowder and Khris Middleton.

Related: DeRozan drops franchise-best 52 points in OT victory over Bucks

The focus is always on what DeRozan can't do, or at least what critics think he can't do. He is always painted as the heretic who stubbornly defies the mid-range crusade; he's inefficient, he can't shoot threes, he doesn't pass, he doesn't defend, and he doesn't come up clutch, or so they say.

Those critics can't see the bigger picture of a player constantly improving, even when he keeps proving them wrong.

"DeRozan is inefficient"

The most outdated critique of DeRozan is that he's a low-efficiency volume scorer relying only on mid-range jumpers.

DeRozan wears the criticism, even though his true-shooting percentage of 56 over the last three seasons is right in line with stars like DeMarcus Cousins (56), Paul George (57), and Damian Lillard (57).

He wears the criticism even though his Toronto Raptors have finished fifth, sixth, and fourth in offensive rating with DeRozan as their No. 1 option.

It comes down to an oversimplification of what DeRozan does. Contrary to reputation, his main weapon is actually driving to the basket, where he finishes at an elite level while drawing tons of contact. He's scoring 9.9 points per game off drives this season, good for third in the league ahead of LeBron James (8.7).

DeRozan not only has the athleticism to finish over and through defenders, but also combines deft footwork, subtle fakes, and the ability to execute crafty finishes with either hand. He's deadly in the post, especially when switched onto a smaller defender, and unstoppable in transition.

"DeRozan can't shoot"

There's always been a reluctance from DeRozan to shoot threes, and based on his career mark of 29 percent, that may be a good thing.

DeRozan always claimed he didn't need triples, since defenders couldn't stop him anyway. But after being urged to change as part of the Raptors' famed "culture reset," he diversified his offense and the results have been promising.

He has made 20-of-38 from deep over his last seven games, which coincided with the two highest-scoring outings (45 and 52 points) of his career.

DeRozan is confidently stepping into threes, something he never did previously, and he's now converting a respectable rate of 35 percent. It's still just a secondary option for him - he's trying only three per game - but it's a back-pocket weapon for easy points when defenders duck under screens.

"DeRozan doesn't pass"

Striking the right balance between being aggressive and creating for others is always tricky for scorers, and DeRozan did struggle early in his career.

But this criticism no longer applies, as he ranks in the 95th percentile for assist rate at his position, according to Cleaning the Glass. He's averaging a career-best five assists per game, but more importantly, his willingness to move the rock has given way to a total reinvention of the Raptors' offense.

DeRozan used to get tunnel vision when he attacked, which made him prone to double-teams, but that strategy no longer works against him. The Bucks tried to swarm him in Monday's game, and he promptly dropped eight assists by finding the roll man, working pick-and-pop, and spotting the open man when he drew two.

Part of DeRozan's newfound success can also be attributed to having more capable players around him. Swapping out inconsistent and unwilling shooters like Patrick Patterson and DeMarre Carroll for Serge Ibaka, C.J. Miles, and OG Anunoby has given DeRozan more targets upon which he can rely.

"DeRozan can't defend"

Like most scorers, playing defense isn't DeRozan's main priority, and it's entirely fair to knock him for his one-way focus.

He has a propensity to save his energy by sticking on screens, taking lazy fouls in transition, and he leaves his bigs out to dry by allowing too much penetration. Again, this is hardly a unique habit of elite scorers, but that's what separates good from great.

For what it's worth, DeRozan does rise to the occasion when so inclined. He absolutely locked down Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon to force overtime in Monday's game, while also twice stoning Giannis Antetokounmpo in the post.

"DeRozan isn't clutch"

Ask the Bucks about what DeRozan does in the clutch.

DeRozan dropped 15 points on Milwaukee over the last 10 minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime. When he wasn't drilling stepback jumpers or slashing to the rim at will, he tortured his opponents by drawing fouls on otherwise disciplined defenders.

As for their last meeting before Monday, DeRozan scored 32 points to eliminate Milwaukee from the playoffs, slamming the door right in his opponents' faces.

The Raptors haven't been great as a whole in tight games, but that's through no fault of their main man. DeRozan boasts a true-shooting percentage of 61.2 in clutch scenarios, which puts him right up there with the likes of Lillard (61.5) and James (62.9).