DeMar DeRozan Makes Spurs Debut After ‘Extremely Long Summer’

DeMar DeRozan says “it feels good” to close the chapter on an especially trying offseason.

DeRozan made his regular season debut Wednesday night for the San Antonio Spurs, finishing with a game-high 28 pionts in a 112-108 win against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves.

The All-Star guard has come to embrace the Spurs’ culture following his trade from Toronto this summer.

Per the AP:

“It was an extremely long summer for me, extremely long summer,” DeRozan said. “So, just to be in this moment, it feels good.”

DeRozan banked in the eventual game-winning shot in the final minute against [Jimmy] Butler, driving hard to the basket against the 6-foot-8 forward and then pulling up from 12 feet to give San Antonio a 110-108 lead with 32.4 seconds remaining. DeRozan sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with 7.8 seconds remaining after Minnesota’s Derrick Rose missed a runner in lane.

“Hey, I’ve been doing it for some years now,” the 29-year-old DeRozan said about the late heroics. “I just feel out the game, always try to be aggressive and at the end moments, I always want to be there. I’m not afraid to make mistakes, but with that I’m not afraid to try to go out there and win the game.”