“Wasting his prime for a play in exit”: NBA fans furious as DeMar DeRozan logs most minutes in league since 2020’ for underperforming franchise

At the age of 34, DeMar DeRozan emerged as the NBA's leader in minutes played, capping off the regular season with a remarkable 44-minute performance in the Bulls' tough 120-119 overtime defeat against New York Knicks.

DeRozan's total minutes tally for the season amounted to an impressive 2,988, marking the third-highest total of his illustrious career. His impressive numbers underscore his remarkable durability and work ethic. His total minutes played not only secured him the league's minutes leader title but also marked a significant milestone as the first player since LeBron James in 2018 to achieve this feat in his 30s.

NBA fans expressed their disappointment and disapproval of DeRozan's lack of success, despite being a hall-of-fame calibre player, amid the underperformance of his team, the Chicago Bulls. One fan notably said:

Another fan noted that the team didn't deserve him, playing the amount of minutes and his contributions not translating to wins.

Other fans demanded that the Bulls get him help.

@dgsire added that the team is not doing enough around him.

"give this man some help"

@hachimurawlrd demanded that Bulls let DeRozan go to a better situation.

"free deebo"

@LakingBall voiced that the Bulls' All-Star is wasting his time with the franchise.

"Wasting his time in Chicago"

Furthermore, DeRozan's minutes tally is the highest since Bradley Beal's 3,028 minutes in the 2018-19 season, placing him among an elite group of players who have ranked in the top 10 for minutes played after crossing the age of 30, a distinction achieved by only eight players over the past two decades.

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Chicago Bulls and DeMar DeRozan fall to the New York Knicks

Jalen Brunson's impressive performance of 40 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists propelled the New York Knicks to secure the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. This victory marks their second 50-win season in the past 24 seasons.

The Knicks (50-32) benefited from a Milwaukee Bucks loss to the Orlando Magic, which aided their climb to the second seed.

On the other hand, DeMar led the charge for the Bulls (39-43) with an impressive 30-point performance, accompanied by five rebounds and five assists. Nikola Vucevic also showcased a strong double-double with 29 points and 11 rebounds, while Coby White contributed 26 points to the Bulls' effort.