Can you think of anyone in their right mind that would publicly say they could beat LeBron James in this year?s dunk contest?
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Well, meet Toronto?s DeMar DeRozan.
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DeRozan, a rookie out of the University of Southern California, told RealGM that he could win the dunk contest this year even if LeBron was his main competitor.
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?Yeah I can win it,? said DeRozan. ?I don?t care if Jordan was in it.?
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The 6?7? high-flying act sure isn?t short of confidence.? And that confidence should only grow as the 20-year old gets more experience under his belt.

?We?re only 19 games in,? DeRozan said prior to Toronto?s loss Wednesday night in Atlanta.??I haven?t played half an NBA season yet. I?m just trying to learn and get better every time I get out there.?
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Despite starting in all 20 of Toronto?s games, DeRozan seems to be a rookie less talked about - probably because of the instant successes of Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans.?After seeing him against the Hawks, however, I wouldn?t expect him to go too unnoticed for much longer.
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DeRozan was the Raptors? lone bright spot in the 146-115 beat down by Atlanta.?He logged a career high 30 minutes and netted 21 points - also a career high.
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The rookie went right by Mike Bibby with one step on numerous occasions and even drew a couple double teams.? Bibby was absolutely helpless.?Thankfully for him, however, Atlanta is so long in the frontcourt with Josh Smith and Al Horford that Bibby gets bailed out a lot of the times.
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What I like most about DeRozan?s game is that he doesn?t settle for jump shots.?His strength is attacking the basket and that?s what he focuses on. He shot 12 free throws against the Hawks and converted nine of them. He also did not commit a turnover in the game, an impressive feat when considering his style of play.
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Although Toronto allowed a staggering 146 points, DeRozan?s defense was actually pretty solid.?He matched up against Joe Johnson for most of the game and when he was on him, Johnson was relatively quiet.
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Defense is something that DeRozan takes pride in.?He understands that in order to be the best player he can be, he needs to learn how to defend the top guards in the league.
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?I?m working on just my overall game,? he said. ?I need to make myself a complete player.?It was a privilege to be drafted in the top 10, especially to a team like Toronto.? I just want to help the organization the best I can.?
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As the season progresses, look for DeRozan to get more and more playing time under Jay Triano whom DeRozan is making a good impact on.
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?He?s gotten better every time,? Triano said. ?He?s starting to understand the NBA game.?We?re giving him enough minutes early in games where he goes and attacks the basket.?He?s a great kid.?He comes in early and works.?He stays late and works. He?s got a great future just because of his attitude.?
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Yeah, that, and he has enough ups to challenge the game?s greatest players in the most electrifying competition.
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Maybe LeBron won?t back out of February?s festivities now that a rookie has called him out.
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--Brian Reynolds is a contributing writer for RealGM and a recent graduate of Emory University. He can be reached at Brian.Matthew.Reynolds@gmail.com. ?Follow him on Twitter at BReynolds404.

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