DeRozan s career is very self-disciplined and never drinks, just to extend his career

On June 15, Demar DeRozan's career was like a carefully crafted epic, with each stroke engraved with traces of self-discipline and persistence. The Compton, California-born shooting guard, uses his sixteen-year professional attitude to illustrate what a true "superstar background" is - although his light is often overlooked by the league's spotlight. In the summer of 2025, when 36-year-old DeRozan defeated his opponent with an iconic mid-range shot on the finals stage, the entire basketball world suddenly woke up: this man who had never been contaminated with alcohol and regarded his body as a temple, had long forged a greatness beyond the times in silence.

**1. Self-discipline is like asceticism: the survival rule from the streets of Compton to the NBA palace**

DeRozan's self-discipline gene is deeply embedded in childhood memory. In Compton, who is full of gang violence and drug dealings, he has witnessed too many talented street players falling from indulgence. "I will never let any liquid ruin my reaction speed." In an interview with Sports Illustrated in 2016, he said, gently stroked the COMPTON tattoo on his left knee, which symbolizes his hometown. This nearly paranoid restraint runs throughout his career—even at the 2018 Raptors’ championship celebration, he just raised a bottle of champagne-like drink marked “alcoholless.” According to research by sports medicine expert David Sherman, NBA players have an average annual recovery delay of 11.3 days, while DeRozan has maintained the league's fewest muscle soft tissue damage record (only 3 times) for 16 consecutive years, which is a significant correlation with his zero alcohol intake.

**2. Underestimated "middle distance artist": the value that cannot be measured by data**

In the 2010s when the three-point frenzy swept the league, DeRozan's classical playing style was regarded as "the countercurrent of the times." But history gave him a fair judgment in 2025: When the "Magic Ball Theory" team frequently failed in the playoffs, DeRozan's textbook middle-distance singles became the key to cracking modern defense. As of the 2025 Finals, his shooting percentage in his career reached 51.2% at critical moments (within 5 points in the last 5 minutes), surpassing Curry (49.7%) and Durant (50.1%) during the same period. Spurs coach Popovich once lamented: "Demar proved that basketball is not a math problem. His back-end singles that were marked as 'inefficient' by analysts are actually blunt swords that destroy the defensive psychology."

**3. The transformation of the silent leader: From the shadow of depression to the locker room totem**

The experience of self-exposing depression in 2018 has actually allowed DeRozan to complete the spiritual evolution. Patrick Williams, a young Bulls player, recalled: "When the training hall lights were on at 4 o'clock in the morning, you could always see Demar practicing shooting, just like the fisherman who refused to give in to the loss in "The Old Man and the Sea". This leadership style, which leads by example, has given birth to a unique "DeRozan effect" - the number of voluntary players in the offseason increased by 237% in the past three years, and the team's body fat rate dropped to second in the league. Research by psychology professor Lisa Crawford pointed out that DeRozan actually reshapes the definition of masculinity in the NBA by talking about psychological vulnerability publicly: "He made young players understand that strength comes from imperfect acceptance."

**4. Gift from time: The miracle of reverse growth after the age of 35**

When stars of the same age declined due to injury, DeRozan delivered an answer sheet that averaged 26.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in the 2024-25 season, becoming the first guard in NBA history to score 25+ points after the age of 35 for three consecutive years. Suns team doctor Adam Lewis analyzed his physical examination report and found that DeRozan's muscle age is equivalent to that of a 28-year-old athlete, and his joint wear is comparable to that of a rookie season. "His Achilles tendon collagen fibers are arranged like a 20-year-old," Lewis said, pointing to the MRI image. "This is obviously related to the persistence of avoiding alcohol throughout his life and 90 minutes of cold water bath every day." Looking back in 2025, DeRozan's career is just like the emergency stop jump shot he is best at - drawing a more beautiful upward trajectory when everyone thinks it is about to fall. The shooting guard who was once questioned about "not adapting to the small ball era" finally proved the eternal truth of basketball with a longer peak period than any three-point shooter: greatness never depends on following the trend, but on whether he can protect his original basketball belief with a steely will. When the new generation of players began to imitate his "zero alcohol training method", DeRozan had already made the 1,000th shot from the training hall, and the sound of sweat dripping seemed to be telling an under-telling truth: the most underrated superstar of this era may be the one who knows the best of negotiating with time.