Toronto Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan was all smiles at shootaround following the All-Star break.
Having gotten the help he asked for at the trade deadline, DeRozan compared the revamped Raptors with Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker on board to a car with a new coat of paint.
In particular, DeRozan was thrilled to have Tucker - a rugged defender who always gave him problems - on his side for once.
"The crazy thing is, people used to always ask me who was the three toughest player that guarded me the best. I always put P.J. in there first. It's funny when I seen the trade yesterday ... I'm glad I ain't have to deal with that," DeRozan said with a laugh.
Tucker made life miserable for DeRozan in their last outing. Toronto's leading scorer was held to 22 points on 6-of-17 shooting - including 0-of-4 in the fourth quarter - to help the lowly Phoenix Suns upset the Raptors on the road.
The Raptors will look to pair Tucker and Ibaka's defensive talents with their top-five offense for a more balanced team that can play both sides of the ball. Their trade deadline acquisitions definitely improved the roster - now it's on DeRozan and company to make good on this chance.
"It helps a lot, it helps a great deal, on paper it does. Now we need to translate it over to the court. That's going to be the next task for us," DeRozan said.