Thank you for sending in this week’s take, Elijah. There’s been some discourse about Sacramento Kings’ small forward DeMar DeRozan that started in the same place all NBA discourse does: Twitter. One user posted that he found it deeply concerning that DeRozan was on course to enter the top ten of all-time NBA scorers, surpassing Shaquille O’Neal on the way. DeRozan quickly snapped back, saying, “Fuck that mean? Who the hell is you to have an opinion on someone’s career. Clown!” The user responded, “I think it’s weird that your teams have been better with you off the court and you are probably going to end up with more career points than Shaq. That’s what I mean.” And they also provided a photo showing that multiple of DeRozan’s seasons had a negative plus-minus with him on the court. On paper, DeRozan would be a great addition to any team. He’s a career 20 points per game scorer and a five-time all-star, as well as an elite shooter from midrange. However, stats don’t tell the whole story. The fact of the matter is that DeRozan is a ball-dominant player who is only capable of midrange scoring. The midrange is not a dominant option in today’s game. especially as the only weapon in a player’s arsenal. While it’s true that players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander perform well in the midrange, he is also an effective three-point shooter and finisher, something DeRozan is not. DeRozan being so ball-dominant also prevents him from fitting into a lot of potential championship teams. There are ball-dominant players that can’t find success off the ball like Nikola Jokic, but he empowers his team through his passing ability. DeRozan simply doesn’t fit in today’s NBA.