Casey on DeRozan's struggles: 'He has to be a facilitator'

The Toronto Raptors secured a crucial victory in Game 2 to knot their first-round series with the Indiana Pacers at one game apiece.

But one problem remains: two-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan continues to struggle. After averaging 23.5 points per game in the regular season, DeRozan has been held to a total of 24 points on 37 field goals.

In light of DeRozan's struggles, Raptors head coach Dwane Casey suggested he must refocus his game elsewhere.

"He has to be a facilitator," Casey said. "He can't just continue to keep forcing the issue and going in there and not getting the call and forcing that play. There are other things he can do: One is being a facilitator, and two is bringing it for us at the defensive end."

Tasked with beating an all-world defender in Paul George, who happens to be bigger, stronger, faster, and longer, DeRozan has struggled in just about every aspect of his game. He's hardly getting any clean looks, nor is he getting to the line, which qualifies as his greatest weapon.

On the heels of finishing with the third-most free-throw attempts in the regular season, DeRozan has tried just six freebies and tallied six assists against five turnovers in the postseason.

To make matters worse, DeRozan has also proved ineffectual on defense. George hung 33 points on DeRozan in Game 1, which forced Casey to change his starting lineup to shield DeRozan from the matchup in the rematch.

When those changes didn't stick, Casey made a bold decision to bench DeRozan in the fourth quarter of Game 2 to allow his second unit to seal the victory.

For his part, DeRozan remains unfazed. He admitted after Game 2 that he needed to make some adjustments, but he remained confident, cautioning reporters that it would be a "scary sight" once his game recovers.

Nevertheless, if DeRozan can't get it going, Casey has faith his other players can continue to lift his falling star.

"You would hope you could, but it would be more difficult. I have confidence in the other guys stepping up," he said.