So much for bringing along rookie shooting guard DeMar DeRozan slowly as he has been in the Raptors’ starting lineup since day #1. DeRozan has played in 50 games (all starts) for the Raptors this season and he is averaging 21.2 minutes, 8.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He is also shooting 47.7% from the floor this season as he does not seem intimidated by his surroundings. Look for the Raptors to take the training wheels off of DeRozan next year.

The Raptors are taking it slow with shooting guard DeMar DeRozan as they are watching his minutes despite starting him. DeRozan has played in 36 games (all starts) for the Raptors this season and he is averaging 20.0 minutes, 7.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. DeRozan will likely be a player the Raptors build around in the future but they don’t want to overwhelm him as a rookie while giving him enough experience to learn on the job.

The high flying rookie DeMar DeRozan has been using his athleticism to make some plays for the Toronto Raptors this year.  DeRozan gets limited minutes, but he sure does make the most of them.  He has the ability to make an impact as soon as he steps on the floor and there aren’t too many players (if any) that can match his athleticism.  DeRozan is my favorite to win the NBA Dunk Contest at All-Star weekend, but see where he ranks amongst the other top rookies in my list of the Top Rookies in the NBA so far.

The Raptors are protecting rookie shooting guard DeMar DeRozan this season as they are watching his minutes so that he doesn’t get overwhelmed. He has played in 10 games (all starts) this season and he is averaging 17.8 minutes, 5.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. The 20-year old DeRozan has a bright future but the Raptors are going to handle him with kid gloves this season.

The Toronto Raptors don’t have much playing time available for rookies. Guard Roko Ukic has played in 9 games for the Raptors this season and he is averaging 10.0 minutes, 2.1 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Don’t look for him to get much playing time this season as the Raptors appear set at guard. F/C Nathan Jawai has not got a chance to play yet this season and chances are he won’t play much as the Raptors have a lot of depth in front of him.