DeMar DeRozan's Efficiency Can't Offset What Happens When He's on the Floor
DeRozan still scores with precision, but last season's net rating says Denver needs him as a scalpel off the bench, not a full-time starter.
DeRozan averaged 18.4 points on 49.7 percent shooting and an 86.8 percent free-throw rate across 77 games last season, with a true shooting mark of 59.4 percent. But his defensive rating of 122.3 against an offensive rating of 110.6 produced a net rating of minus-11.7, and he does not appear in any of Denver's three most-used lineups from a season ago.
The Shot Still Falls
At 37, with 17 years of experience, DeRozan logged 31.2 minutes a night across 77 games last season, scoring 18.4 points on 49.7 percent shooting from the field and 86.8 percent from the line. His true shooting percentage reached 59.4, and his usage sat at 22.2 percent — proof the scoring touch that built his career has not eroded. He is not on Denver's injury report.
The Other End Is the Problem
The same stretch produced a defensive rating of 122.3 against an offensive rating of 110.6, a net rating of minus-11.7 — the sharpest point of tension in his profile. His assist rate of 19.6 percent and rebound rate of 4.7 percent show a player who creates for himself more than he organizes others, which raises the stakes on every possession he spends on the other end.
Absent From Denver's Best Units
None of the three highest-rated five-man lineups Denver ran last season included DeRozan; those groups were built around Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Cameron Johnson and Spencer Jones instead. That absence does not erase 18.4 points a night, but it does suggest his minutes worked better as a separate current than as part of Denver's top machinery.
A Contract That Matches a Smaller Job
DeRozan carries a $2.4 million salary for 2026-27, a fraction of what Jokic ($59.0M), Murray ($50.1M) or Gordon ($33.7M) are paid, on a $221.1 million payroll that sits above the apron. Nugg Love has argued he raises Denver's offensive ceiling, and FOX31 Denver has floated him as a bench option — framings that fit a player whose bucket-getting remains real even as his net rating argues against full-time minutes alongside the starters.
What role will DeMar DeRozan play for the Nuggets this season?
His $2.4 million deal and reporting from outlets like FOX31 Denver pointing to bench minutes suggest a complementary scoring role rather than a full-time starting job.
How did DeMar DeRozan perform in 2025-26?
He averaged 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists over 77 games, shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 86.8 percent from the line, though his net rating on the floor was minus-11.7.
