San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich usually shuts down reporters with a shot of disdain when they make the mistake of casting assumptions.
But on this night in a dark hallway outside the visitors locker room at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Popovich nods when the word "introspective" is used to describe guard DeMar DeRozan.
"He is," Popovich said. "Yeah, you're right."
Understanding that provides at least a small glimpse into DeRozan's mindset as he returns to Toronto's Scotiabank Arena on Friday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) for the first time since the Raptors sent him, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick to San Antonio in a July trade for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.