DeRozan: Bertans ‘one of the best shooters I’ve ever played with’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Washington Wizards forward, and soon to be unrestricted free agent, Davis Bertans has always been a high level 3-point shooter. This year in Washington, Bertans was only 24 threes away from the franchise single-season record. He averaged 15.4 points while shooting 42.4 percent on 8.7 attempts from long range this year. Those numbers are the reason why he’ll be one of the most highly sought after free agents this offseason, however, that’s not the reason he’s been making headline recently.
On the latest episode of The Old Man and the Three podcast with JJ Reddick, Spurs forward DeMar DeRozan reflected on his first season with the San Antonio Spurs after being traded by the Toronto Raptors in the famous Kawhi Leonard deal. After 11 seasons in the NBA, DeRozan says there was something very special about Bertans.
“I got more comfortable handling the ball, I got more comfortable playmaking for guys,” DeRozan said. “My first year in San Antonio I played with a couple shooters — Bertans, one of the best shooters I’ve played with in my career.”
That statement from DeRozan is even more impressive when you consider Bertans only averaged six shot attempts per game while averaging just 8.0 points that season. DeRozan knew his long-range ability superseded the stat sheet.
The Hawks, Knicks and Suns are already expected to pursue Bertans this offseason, NBC Sports Washington has learned, with Atlanta shaping up to be particularly aggressive. The Hawks will have by far the most cap space this offseason of any team, according to Spotrac. The Suns will have the seventh-most and the Knicks the eighth-most. The Wizards are 12th on the list.
