Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
The Toronto Raptors kicked off their first practice of 2015 with a welcome addition to the fray. DeMar DeRozan went through his first full session since sustaining a torn left adductor longus tendon in a loss against the Dallas Mavericks on November 28th.
“Today was my first day really out there practicing, being out there with the guys doing everything,” DeRozan said. “Today felt good.”
While there isn’t a firm date for his return, his recovery has been going well and returning to practice means that DeRozan is nearing the light at the end of the tunnel. It has been a long month for the fifth-year guard. In addition to dealing with the first serious injury of his career, DeRozan has had to learn patience while he remains on the sideline. He's kept a cool demeanour, acted as sideline reporter after a recent victory, and slipped on his videographer’s hat to film some scenes for Open Gym during the Raptors' current road trip, but the time off has been difficult.
“It may seem like I'm patient, but I’m about to go crazy [while] watching the games,” DeRozan said. “Even just being at home, not being able to do my normal routine that I’d be doing if I was playing. It’s tough. It’s not an easy thing at all”
DeRozan has elected to watch most of the games from the locker room, rather than the bench, so that he can receive additional treatment from the training staff. Toronto is 11-5 since his injury, a fact that has helped him focus on his recovery instead of dwelling on his inability to contribute while he is sidelined.
“We could be losing and I’d be trying to fight to hurry and get back because I’d feel like my team needs me,” DeRozan said. “That hasn’t been the case at all since I’ve been out. It makes it that much easier for me to go to sleep at night and get my rest and do all my rehab and make sure I get back to 100 per cent.”
Although they closed out 2014 with an overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers , the Raptors posted a 58-27 record for the calendar year and have been on top of the Eastern Conference standings for a franchise-record 60 days coming into Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors.
Prior to losing to the Blazers, the Raptors netted road victories against the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets thanks to Kyle Lowry’s continued brilliance as well as contributions from a deep and balanced roster. DeRozan has been extremely proud of how the team has weathered adversity without him.
“I always knew we were a resilient team,” DeRozan said. “We’re a hell of a resilient team. We can fight through anything and overcome anything. To see it when my teammates come [into the locker room] after the game and they tell me, ‘Man, we can’t wait till you get back,’ to me it looks like they’ve just been holding it down… It’s definitely amazing.”
DeRozan's return to the lineup -- whenever it may be -- will be a boost to a Raptors team that is currently ranked second in the league in offensive efficiency, scoring 111.7 points per 100 possessions. While it can be a challenge to integrate a player back into an offensive system after a layoff, DeRozan has been diligently watching film to identify instances in which the team could benefit from his skill set.
As eager as he is to get back on the court, he wants to do it the right way so both he and the team are benefiting from his return.
“The team’s got a great thing going on so I don't want to feel like I have to rush back,” DeRozan said. “When I get back, I want to make sure I’m even better than what I was before I got hurt.”