DeMar DeRozan suggests a 78-game minimum for NBA MVP qualification: ‘I’m old school,’ the Chicago Bulls forward says

SALT LAKE CITY — In the era of load management, conversation around the NBA has continued to skew toward reducing games. But Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan just wants to play more basketball.

“I love hooping, man,” DeRozan said. “I play every summer for free.”

Introduce a midseason tournament? DeRozan is all for it. Reduce the length of the season or playoff rounds? Don’t even think about it.

“I love the 82,” DeRozan said. “I’m old school.”

DeRozan never has been advocate for load management, playing more than 90% of possible games in his career. And while he never has criticized fellow stars who do choose to sit out games, DeRozan suggested during All-Star Weekend that there should be a minimum for a player to qualify for the MVP trophy: play at least 78 games.

That’s a thin margin — and one that even DeRozan has struggled to fulfill. He has missed four or fewer games in only five seasons of his 14-year career. But the suggestion reflects DeRozan’s long-standing ideal to always be available for his team.

DeRozan has achieved a high rate of participation through rigorous care of his body, which was fueled and guided by his longtime mentor, Kobe Bryant.

“There’s so much that goes into it,” DeRozan said. “I’ve been lucky enough to be as healthy as I’ve been. But for the most part, it’s just staying locked in and taking care of my body, trying to eat the right way, doing all the small things that you might not want to do.”

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The drive to stay on the court has been a mainstay of DeRozan’s career dating to high school. DeRozan said he was a young prep athlete when he discovered a video detailing the intensive training that Navy SEALs undergo.

Something clicked in DeRozan when he saw the video — a sense of resilience and mental fortitude that he hoped to instill in himself.

“The only way you can pass is you have to pass all these courses,” DeRozan said. “If you quit, you’ve got to go ring the bell. Somebody told me never be the person who’s going to ring the bell, and that’s always been my mentality.”

For DeRozan, that also means playing through pain — which the forward is currently facing as he attempts to play through a right thigh strain. DeRozan has been nursing the injury since mid-December and sat out the last two games before the All-Star break to receive treatment.

Despite the brief break, DeRozan has continued to emphasize his ideal of playing through discomfort whenever it’s manageable.

“Sometimes you’ve got to play through a lot of stuff that’s uncomfortable,” DeRozan said. “I’ve managed that more than anything throughout my career, being able to play through a lot of things and not let it affect my game.”