Kings 2024-25 Season Preview: DeMar DeRozan

What should we expect from the Sacramento Kings' newest star?

Apr 1, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) looks to pass the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The excitement of the Sacramento Kings is building thanks largely to the addition of six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan. As the key acquisition of the offseason, all eyes will be on DeRozan to see how he fits in the Kings offense, and how the Kings offense fits around him.

The first thing everyone thinks of with DeMar is his mid-range shooting. He led the league with 6.9 mid-range field goal attempts per game while the Kings as a whole team attempted just 8.8 per contest, 25th in the league.

The Kings' attempts in the area are sure to go up, but by how much? It’s a number I’ll be keeping a close eye on with the addition of the mid-range maestro. 

DeRozan is one of the most consistent scorers in the NBA. He averaged 24.0 points per game last season and has averaged over 20 points per game for 11 straight seasons. Entering his age 35 season he’s shown no signs of slowing down.

DeMar DeRozan over his last 6 games:

29.7 PPG
5.5 RPG
5.0 APG
56% FG
90% FT

And he dropped 46 last night 🔥

pic.twitter.com/QrDp7e7AcD

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 14, 2024

The stability he brings to the court should help a Kings team that struggled with consistency last season. Sacramento had 11 wins of 20 or more points, but also eight losses of 20 or more.

The duo of him and De’Aaron Fox in the fourth quarter gives the Kings two of the best closers in basketball and forces defenders to focus on the two rather than putting all focus on Fox.

The other key stat that stands out for DeRozan is not only getting to the line at an elite rate but also shooting 85.3 percent at the line. His 7.7 free throw attempts per game ranked fourth in the league last season and will do wonders to help the worst free throw-shooting team from last year.

The Kings were last in the league with a 74.5 percent clip from the line. Between that and only getting 20.9 attempts per game (20th most), the Kings finished 27th with 15.5 made free throws per game.

What the Kings did excel in was passing the ball. They were second in the league with 305.6 passes per game and were seventh with 28.3 assists. DeRozan has improved his passing throughout his career and averaged 5.3 assists per game last season.

Unreal pass from DeMar DeRozan. pic.twitter.com/PGpdCz8nJP

— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) November 14, 2023

With scorers in Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, Malik Monk, and how the Kings move the ball, DeRozan will have ample opportunities to average high assist numbers again this season.

DeMar comes into Sacramento with extremely high expectations as the biggest free agent signing in Sacramento history. We’ve speculated what it will look like and are thankfully days away from seeing what it will look like in person.

Previous 2024-25 Season Previews:

De'Aaron Fox

Domantas Sabonis

Malik Monk

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