On November 28th, Raptors All-Star DeMar DeRozan went down with a torn adductor longus tendon in his groin. The rehab has gone well for DeRozan, as he is expected to make his return to the lineup Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets. After he went down, the Raptors continued their winning ways, going 11-6.
For the Raptors, this is obviously a good sign, as he could have been very helpful when the Raptors were against some elite competition. His return will not affect the rotation but for a guy like Landry Fields, expect him to lose his most of his minutes.
On the bright side, this is DeRozan's first major injury of his career, as the injury bug has never really hit him. For DeMar, he can't wait to get back on the floor.
“It may seem like I’m patient, but I go crazy watching the games or being at home and not able to do my normal routine that I’d be doing if I was playing,” DeRozan said on Thursday in advance of the Raptors’ game against the Warriors in Oakland on Friday. “So it’s tough. It’s not an easy thing at all.”
In his absence, players have stepped up their game. Kyle Lowry's scoring has gone up, and his defense has been good every night, as he is putting his body on the line. Landry Fields, who was out of the rotation, was put in the starting lineup, which still kept the bench unit together.
For Dwane Casey, the thing that might be a problem is balancing the scoring of DeMar along with increasing players' roles. During this process, he has been doing drills and recently started to participate in team practice.
This season DeRozan has averaged 19.4 points and 4.2 rebounds. He was last seen on the court at home against Dallas. With him returning the Raptors could possibly reclaim the first seed in the East. It might take a while for him to get his rhythm back but with his work ethic, expect DeMar DeRozan to get his rhythm sooner rather than later.