DeRozan: I won't run out of gas, 'I'm like a Tesla'

DeMar DeRozan's scorched-earth start to the 2016-17 season has not only seen him score at a league-best rate, it's seen him take on the biggest workload of his career.

Through four games, the Toronto Raptors shooting guard is averaging 25.3 field-goal attempts and 9.8 free-throw attempts. His career highs are 17.8 and 8.4, respectively. He's using an astronomical 38.3 percent of Raptors possessions. His career-high usage rate is 29.8.

After one torrid stretch during his 40-point outing in the Raptors' season-opening win, an exhausted DeRozan remembered thinking: "I need to find a gas station." But after carrying his hot streak through the second week of the season, the 27-year-old no longer feels like he's running on empty. He feels, instead, that he's been upgraded to a different class of vehicle - one that doesn't even require fuel.

"I'm like a Tesla," DeRozan said Friday, according to The Athletic's Eric Koreen. "Go home, charge up."

In leading the Raptors to a 3-1 start, DeRozan has crossed the 30-point threshold each game, and has already hit the 40-point plateau twice, after failing to reach it in any game last season. All this while hitting just one 3-pointer.

DeRozan has also been among the NBA's most resilient players since he entered the league, missing just five games per season on average and playing more total minutes than all but three players since 2010. Though his off-the-charts mid-range shooting efficiency is bound to come back down to earth, a charging station should always be within range.