Tracy McGrady: DeRozan belongs in MVP conversation

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DeMar DeRozan is 32 years old. Fifty-four appearances into his 13th NBA season, he's logged just over 34,000 minutes between regular-season and playoff action.

And it could easily be argued the five-time All-Star has never been better.

Averaging 27.9 points, he ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring. Add in his 5.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 51.5 percent shooting, and he's one of four players in the NBA averaging 27-5-5 while making more than half of their field-goal attempts (along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Kevin Durant).

That's all without mentioning the novel-length list of late-game heroics — his 431 fourth-quarter points lead the league by a chasm — he's authored, or the fact that he's led the Chicago Bulls' resurgence to the top of the Eastern Conference, where they sit in a tie with Miami at 37-21 with one game until the All-Star break.

It's a resume which has DeRozan right in the thick of the MVP conversation in the eyes of many, including TNT analyst, and Hall-of-Fame shooting guard, Tracy McGrady.

"(He) should be in the MVP conversation," McGrady said of DeRozan on a Tuesday night broadcast.

McGrady then eyed Shaquille O'Neal across the table, accusing the Hall-of-Fame big man of disagreeing. Shaq contended that, while he doesn't view DeRozan as the No. 1 or 2 candidate, he's a lock for the top five.

Dwyane Wade elaborated further on his appreciation for the season DeRozan is putting together for the Bulls.

"I love that DeMar DeRozan did not change his game. He only improved it," Wade said. "Think about a guy — I don't know how old DeMar is, but I'm sure he's in his 30s now — and to me it seems like he's improved on what he was already very, very good at.

"He went to San Antonio and everybody forgot about him, even though he was playing at an All-Star level (during his three seasons with the Spurs), and now what he's doing is just, man, it's just next level."

McGrady closed his comments by drilling the nail on the head.

"I love what I see from DeMar. I mean, that midrange is deadly. He's Mr. Consistent," he said. "I knew this (the Bulls) would be a good fit for him."

Indeed, DeRozan is shooting 50.3 percent from the midrange on a league-high 9.3 attempts per game. That percentage bumps to 54.3 in fourth quarters.

He's also scored at least 35 points in six straight games — while not shooting under 50 percent in any of them — at least 30 points in his last seven, and at least 20 in his last 17. On 31.7 percent usage, which has ballooned in recent weeks with the Bulls facing a slew of key injuries, he's decimal points away from the best true shooting percentage of his decorated career, and has shot 50 percent or better in 30 of his 54 appearances.

So while Joel Embiid, Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić all deserve their spot in the discussion, don't forget to bring up DeRozan's game when breaking down MVP candidacies as well.

RELATED: DeRozan ties Wilt Chamberlain's NBA scoring record

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