If you didn’t know any better, you’d probably think that DeMar DeRozan was just a slightly above-average NBA player — a player whose talent never really jumped off the page, someone you likely never saw leading the SportsCenter highlight reel or raising the Larry O’Brien Trophy. His quiet demeanor and understated style have overshadowed what has been a fascinating and excellent career.

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The historical perspective on DeRozan is a surprising one. He has silently climbed into the mix of the all-time ranks, and the numbers might shock you. DeRozan currently ranks 20th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 26,439 points — ahead of prolific Hall of Fame scorers Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Dwyane Wade, Charles Barkley, and Allen Iverson. He has amassed over 43,000 minutes in his career — good for 26th all-time. DeRozan has also collected more than 5,100 assists and 5,400 rebounds. His combined totals in points, rebounds, and assists place him firmly among the NBA’s statistical elite.

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DeRozan’s career raises an interesting question: how does a player climb into the NBA’s top 20 in scoring almost unnoticed?

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For starters, DeRozan spent his best years in Toronto — by NBA standards, a small market. Despite several playoff appearances, the Raptors never made serious progress in the postseason with DeRozan and didn’t win a title until 2019 — one year after he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are another small-market team, but a highly successful one; however, his time in San Antonio was marred by a rebuild. DeRozan seemingly missed the championship window both times with Toronto and San Antonio. He has spent the last five years with the Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings — both wretched franchises draped in basketball mediocrity.

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You may have heard that DeRozan is an assassin from the midrange and that he never really developed a long-range game like many of his league mates. Well, that’s undeniably true. By today’s standards, he is an average three-point shooter, and he doesn’t force the issue from beyond the arc either. Instead, he continues to do what he has always done: shoot the midrange jumper, get to the basket, and get to the free-throw line. His offensive game resembles a snapshot from a previous era — when the midrange jumper was valued and preferred.

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DeRozan also lacks a celebrated NBA playoff moment. There are no Kawhi Leonard–style game-winning shots, no Michael Jordan–Patrick Ewing posters, and no LeBron James chase-down blocks. He has never put a team on his back and willed it to a playoff series victory. In fact, he has notoriously struggled during the postseason, and his teams’ playoff runs have been few and far between — leading to a lack of coverage from the media and overall fan disappointment.

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Critics of title-less scorers like DeRozan argue that they are nothing more than unique stat compilers — the product of long, healthy careers that end with impressive positions in the all-time rankings, with Karl Malone and Carmelo Anthony often cited as the most notable examples. But that moniker has never really followed DeRozan. Not because he doesn’t check many of the stat-compiling boxes, but because most sports fans remain largely unaware of his quiet ascension into the NBA’s top 20 scoring list.

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DeRozan will likely end his career as one of the quietest superstars to ever play in the NBA. He is expected to pass Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O’Neal in points within the next year — firmly securing a place in the NBA’s historical hierarchy. For a player who has never been widely considered one of the league’s very best, it’s compelling that he has now positioned himself among the game’s all-time statistical greats.