Kings Preview: Can DeMar DeRozan Addition Lift Sacramento To New Heights?

October 13, 2024

Kings Preview

A look at the Sacramento Kings entering the 2024-25 season …

Record: 46-36 (beat the Warriors in the first play-in game, lost to the Pelicans in the second)
New Faces: DeMar DeRozan, Jalen McDaniels, Devin Carter, Jordan McLaughlin, Orlando Robinson
Key Losses: Harrison Barnes, Chris Duarte, Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, Kessler Edwards

Overview

The Kings shook off 16 years of misery with a high-flying offense that left opponents gasping, but that was in a Western Conference full of injuries and uncertainty. Last season? Different story.

The West got its stars back — LeBron, AD, Curry, you name it. Upstarts like Oklahoma City and Houston started flexing their muscles.

Suddenly, 10 teams improved, seven of them winning more than the Kings’ 48 games. The offensive juggernaut that had lit up scoreboards struggled to keep pace, and Sacramento found itself swept aside, despite De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis playing at an All-Star level.

Enter DeMar DeRozan. The Kings kicked the tires on some big names — Markkanen, Kuzma, Ingram — but landed on a 35-year-old DeRozan, who’s still one of the best at getting buckets. He’s durable, consistent, and dangerous, but he’s not a 3-point shooter.

That means the Kings are swapping Harrison Barnes’ lower usage and perimeter shooting for DeRozan’s more deliberate, mid-range-heavy style. It might boost their free-throw rate, but will it mess with the team’s rhythm?

Then there’s the defense. DeRozan and Sabonis together aren’t exactly the ’86 Celtics on that end. A lot is riding on Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis to step up, especially with Kevin Huerter still recovering from surgery.

Mike Brown turned the Kings into an above-average defensive team last season, but that’s no easy task in a conference full of heavy hitters.

Best-case scenario? The offense clicks, with DeRozan, Fox, Sabonis, and Malik Monk sharing the load. Murray and Ellis lock down the perimeter, and Sacramento finally cracks 50 wins.

But if things go south — if DeRozan’s fit feels clunky or the defense falls apart — the Kings could easily find themselves back in play-in purgatory, with fans wondering if the beam will ever shine as brightly again.