Houston Rockets star James Harden is just happy for his close friend DeMar DeRozan, who has had a difficult past few months after getting traded to the San Antonio Spurs.
When DeRozan was traded to the Spurs by the Toronto Raptors over the summer in the Kawhi Leonard deal, DeRozan was reportedly devastated by the move and it took the four-time All-Star quite some time to get over the trade.
Per multiple reports, Raptors president Masai Ujiri told DeRozan in Las Vegas during summer league that he wasn’t going to trade him. With that said, DeRozan was very upset by the trade and is still not backing off his claim that he was betrayed by the team.
However, months have passed now and DeRozan looks happy in San Antonio. The Spurs host the Rockets Saturday night, and Harden says DeRozan — who is his childhood friend — is in a good place with the Spurs.
“I’m just happy that he’s happy,” Harden said of DeRozan, via Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “He’s in a really good place right now. I think [Gregg Popovich] Pop helps with that, somebody that understands a player of his caliber and will give him the freedom to go out there and do what he wants. He’s more a low-key guy so this is a perfect situation for him.
“This is year 10 for both of us. Every single year he’s gotten better. He’s always been talented. The way he thinks the game now is great to see, great to watch.”
In 10 games this season, DeRozan is averaging 26.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists while shooting 50.7 percent from the field, 25.0 percent from beyond the arc and 90.2 percent from the free-throw line. The Spurs are 6-4 on the season.
Harden and the Rockets, meanwhile, are off to a poor start. Harden is putting up 26.6 points and 7.7 assists, but Houston is just 4-6 on the year and has the fourth-worst offense in the NBA.
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