DeMar DeRozan prepares for a homecoming in the Chicago Bulls play-in game: ‘I will never be a villain in Toronto’

DeMar DeRozan knows exactly what to expect when he boards the flight for Wednesday’s play-in game against the Toronto Raptors.

It took five years for DeRozan to draw a postseason game against his former team. As the Chicago Bulls open the single-elimination play-in tournament at Scotiabank Arena, DeRozan feels prepared for everything the homecoming could bring.

“The irony of it, just the whole thing — it’s always a full-circle moment going back,” DeRozan said. “It’s going to be interesting.”

After the Raptors drafted him with the No. 9 pick in 2009, DeRozan grew into an elite NBA player over nine seasons in Toronto.

And while other players have complained about living in Canada, DeRozan embraced the city and its fans throughout his years in Toronto.

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“That was home for me,” DeRozan said. “That was everything for me. The way they embraced me and everything, even if I tried to, there’s nothing I could ever possibly say that is wrong with Canada besides getting double taxed.”

DeRozan’s history in Toronto gives him a unique position in preparing his Bulls teammates for the environment surrounding Wednesday’s game.

He expects it to provide a new challenge for his younger teammates who have experienced only last year’s first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks.

“I say a joke about it here and there, just how crazy it’s going to be,” DeRozan said. “The atmosphere will feel like it’s an Eastern Conference finals game in a play-in game. Driving to the arena, walking through the arena, you’re definitely going to feel it. That’s the beauty of that place and those fans, and any competitor will want to be part of that for sure.”

Wednesday’s game features plenty of familiarity for DeRozan but also comes with challenges.

The Raptors have been keenly effective in shutting down DeRozan this season, smothering him with double teams and traps that diminish his typical scoring ability. In three meetings this season, the Raptors held DeRozan to a total of 26 shots from the field and an average of 14 points — well below his season averages of 17.6 field-goal attempts and 24.5 points.

“That’s Nick Nurse,” DeRozan said of the Raptors coach.

The Bulls need the most from DeRozan to advance out of the play-in tournament, but Toronto’s entire approach is predicated on taking him out of his comfort zone. DeRozan said he’s prepared for that challenge — and feels like he understands how to break out of it.

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“I’m going to deal with it,” he said. “I know how to deal with it now. But playing against Nick and playing against those guys, they try to do everything in their power to make sure I don’t beat them.

“I’m aware of it for sure. For my sake, I definitely have my own theory around it for what I’m going to do.”

If DeRozan fulfills that promise and leads the Bulls to victory Wednesday, he would knock the team for whom he developed into an All-Star out of the NBA postseason.

But even if he frustrates his former team at the moment, DeRozan isn’t worried about Wednesday’s game changing his legacy there.

“I will never be a villain in Toronto,” DeRozan said.