In the eyes of the Chicago Bulls’ newest addition, the 2016 NBA champion Tristan Thompson, teammate DeMar DeRozan’s overall performance is fully deserving of an MVP award.

Thompson has no doubts about DeRozan’s MVP candidacy, stating that the star forward should receive the MVP recognition due to the hard work he constantly puts in despite the absence of other key players on the team.

“He’s the league MVP in my eyes,” Thompson told Julia Poe of Chicago Tribune about DeRozan. “Flat out. What he’s able to be doing with Zach out and with Zo and AC out … for him to be able to just hold the fort down and keep that ship right, that’s what an MVP does.”

As Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso were out with injuries this season, DeRozan guided the Bulls to the top seed in the super-competitive Eastern Conference.

DeRozan is now averaging 28.1 points per game, which ranks fourth in the league. As a result, in the Bulls’ final win before the All-Star break against the Sacramento Kings, the former San Antonio Spurs forward hit a 38-point performance, becoming the first player in NBA history to have 35+ points in 50 percent efficiency over a seven-game span.

To emphasize that incredible run, he missed the services of Ball and Caruso on seven occasions, with Lavine missing only three consecutive games.