DeMar DeRozan wants to be more of a complete player.
The Toronto Raptors guard was selected to his fourth NBA All-Star Game on Thursday, with the 2018 edition set to be his second time as a starter in the annual showcase.
This time around, DeRozan heads into the All-Star Game having added a new weapon to his already considerable arsenal. The 28-year-old has built a career on a lethal mid-range jumper and superb ability to drive to the net, but this season DeRozan has become more proficient from three-point range.
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A career 29 percent shooter from behind the arc, the Compton, Calif., native has been hitting three-pointers at a 35 percent clip this season, giving him another way to hurt opposing teams.
But where did the increased accuracy from three-point range come from all of a sudden? DeRozan says he always had the ability, but preferred to stick to what worked for him in years past.
"Last year I was kinda being defiant, so to speak, just proving that I could do it [and] make it happen doing the mid-range game," DeRozan said in an appearance on NBA on TNT on Thursday. "This summer I just wanted to expand my game and be more of a complete player. Show the world that I could do more than just score from the mid-range."
DeRozan admitted that there wasn't much motivation to stray from his mid-range game until before this season, especially given how well it had worked for him.
"I always felt like I was dominant in it and nobody could stop me from doing what I felt like I was great at," he said. "I grew up watching the old school. [I was] a fan of the old school players, the way they played, and it always stuck in my mind. That's something I try to master every time I'm out there on the court."
As a player who has spent his entire career with the Raptors, DeRozan has spoken out at times about how Toronto has flown under the radar in the United States despite being a powerhouse in the Atlantic Division over the past four years. It's an issue that has again become a topic of conversation this season as the Raptors win games at a franchise-record pace.
"We try to go out there every single night and leave a statement, and let people know that we're really serious," DeRozan said. "I don't know why we don't get it but we're working towards getting that respect, for sure."
With a more complete DeRozan leading the charge, perhaps this is the year the Raptors get their due.