Kawhi vs. DeMar: Head-to-head comparison ahead of DeRozan’s return

DeMar DeRozan talks about his time in the city of Toronto and what should be an emotional game against the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena.

The date DeMar DeRozan has circled on his calendar is finally here.

DeRozan returns to Scotiabank Arena Friday for the first time since being traded to the San Antonio Spurs in July in exchange for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. There figures to be plenty of emotion in the building as the franchise icon plays in front of the Toronto Raptors fans who embraced him for nine years. A video tribute, a standing ovation, an embrace with Kyle Lowry and plenty of goosebumps are all expected and well-deserved.

While DeRozan wasn’t shy to share his feelings, Leonard is treating Friday’s showdown as “another regular season game after the all-star break.”

DeRozan and Leonard are vastly different personalities, but they’re both fantastic scorers on the court. Here’s a head-to-head comparison of the two stars ahead of the can’t-miss matchup.

Kawhi Leonard DeMar DeRozan
Games played 43 54
Minutes per game 34.8 35.3
Points per game 27.0 21.4
Assists per game 3.3 6.1
Rebounds per game 7.7 6.1
Field-goal percentage 49.2 46.3
Three-point percentage 36.3 17.1
Free-throw percentage 86.4 82.2
Steals per game 1.9 1.0
Blocks per game 0.4 0.5
Turnovers per game 2.1 2.6
Net rating 5.5 -1.2

*All stats courtesy of NBA.com

Leonard has been everything the Raptors hoped for when they shook up their roster last summer. The three-time all-star is averaging career-highs in points and rebounds per game, and has helped steer the Raptors to a 43-16 record coming out of the all-star break.

Health was a big question mark when Toronto acquired his services, as the 2014 Finals MVP was limited to nine games last season. The Raptors have done a good job limiting Leonard’s workload, holding him out of back-to-back situations to keep him as fresh as possible.

The elephant in the room is that Leonard could leave Toronto in the summer, but Raptors president Masai Ujiri is confident the team can convince the 27-year-old to re-sign. A run to the NBA Finals will only help make the case.

For the first time since 2014-15, DeRozan did not make the all-star team. Even though he didn’t receive the honour, his first season with the Spurs has been a success. He’s helped San Antonio remain a playoff contender, and the team looks set to extend its impressive streak of consecutive post-season appearances to 22.

Individually, DeRozan has been able to play the game his way under Gregg Popovich. DeRozan is averaging better than 21 points per game, and only four per cent of his shot attempts have come from three-point range. In contrast, 71 per cent of his shots have been of the mid-range variety — a dying art in today’s NBA. His biggest strides have come as a facilitator as the 29-year-old is averaging a career-best 6.1 assists on the year.

DeRozan and the Spurs got the best of the Raptors when the two teams met in San Antonio last month. Leonard and the Raptors will look to get some revenge and spoil the homecoming Friday night.

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