DeMar DeRozan’s Fit with the Sacramento Kings – By the Numbers

July 6, 2024

It’s official, DeMar DeRozan is a Sacramento King! The 6-time All-Star and 3-time All-NBA player joins the Kings in one of if not the biggest free agent signings in franchise history. Many point to his age, 34, but DeRozan was an All-Star in the 2022-23 season and made All-NBA 2nd team in the 2021-22 season. He’s coming off a season in which he averaged 24 Points, 5.3 Assists, and 4.3 Rebounds.

Mid-Range Kings

When talking about DeRozan, especially by the numbers, the only place to start is with his mid-range game. He led the league last season with 6.9 mid-range field goal attempts per game, and made them at a 43.0% clip. That led to a total of 235 made mid-range buckets.

The Kings, as a TEAM, made 289 mid-range field goals last season, 6th fewest in the league. De’Aaron Fox led the team with 82 FGs in the area, but did so on 37.1% shooting. Keegan was 2nd with 54, closely followed by Monk at 46.

I know the mid-range shot is not favored in today’s NBA, but having a player of DeRozan’s caliber opens up so much in the space and gives the Kings a three level attack that defenders will have to plan for. Other than Fox, teams didn’t have to worry about the Kings in the mid-range, and could sag off to protect the paint, which is what made facing the Pelicans so difficult.

Self Shot Creation

When Malik Monk went down with his injury, it became clear that the Kings needed another player who could go out and get a bucket on their own. It’s hard to ask for better in DeMar DeRozan.

Last season, 65.2% of DeRozan’s FGs were Unassisted. That would rank behind only Fox on the Kings last year, who was at 67.5%. Because I love you all, I did the math for you. DeRozan had 424 total Unassisted FGs last season, while Fox was at 486. The second highest number on the Kings was Domantas Sabonis with 239, and Monk 3rd with 165. No other player hit triple digits.

The math confirms the eye test, DeRozan is a certified bucket getter. He gives the Kings another high level scorer that they needed last season. I can’t wait to see how he works off of Sabonis. I anticipate that he’ll get easy buckets from the Domas, but love that he has the ability to create shots on his own.

Clutch Scoring

As the self shot creation numbers suggest, DeRozan is one of the most clutch players in the league. In the last two seasons, he’s totaled 341 Clutch Points, most in the NBA. 2nd on the list? De’Aaron Fox with 316. The two form a fearsome duo in clutch time and should give opponents fits.

It gives Mike Brown and the Kings multiple options when drawing up plays late in games, or even the ability to not even call plays and let the hot hand cook.

Defense

I’m sure many people will be quick to point out how DeRozan doesn’t help the Kings on defense, but that’s not all they needed this offseason. The Kings finished the season with the 14th ranked defense and 13th ranked offense. They need help on both ends.

The beauty of bringing in DeRozan is that you aren’t bringing him in to be the defensive stopper. The assignment of guarding the opposing team’s best forward will likely fall to Keegan Murray, who proved he could be a plus defender last season.

In similar fashion to the pairing of Fox and Keon Ellis, it allows the Kings to stagger their lineups and matchups accordingly. I think DeRozan is a capable enough defender to at least hold his own and play team defense. With what he brings on offense, that should be more than enough to help improve the team.

In the end, DeMar DeRozan is an extremely talented player that fills gaps in the Kings roster from last season. He may not be the ideal fit, but having talent matters in this league. I’ll take a 6-time All-Star any day of the week, and can’t wait to see how this all shakes out.