SACRAMENTO – DeMar DeRozan has played on four different teams and now has been a part of 16 opening-night festivities in the NBA. For the six-time All-Star, it never gets old.
That’s why, even though the Kings lost in their season-opener, DeRozan still walked away from Golden 1 Center with a few heartfelt memories.
DeRozan was greeted with a loud ovation when he was introduced, and those cheers got louder when the newcomer grabbed a microphone to address the crowd in what has become an annual tradition for the Kings for their first and last home games of each season.
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To say that the fans made DeRozan feel welcome is an easy understatement.
“To still be playing in this league as long as I’ve been playing and still be appreciated, still wanted by the fans and still be able to perform at a high level, I don’t take (any) of these moments for granted at all, DeRozan said following Thursday’s 117-115 loss to the Timberwolves. “You only get a certain amount of time to play this game and we all want to be loved and appreciated for what we do on the court, so that was great.”
DeRozan easily was the Kings’ biggest offseason acquisition and arguably the best move that the front office has made since swinging a trade for Domantas Sabonis in 2022.
The 35-year-old guard has averaged 21.2 points per game throughout his 15-year NBA career and is coming off a spectacular 2023-24 year when he put up 24.5 points per game – the third-highest mark of DeRozan’s career – and was runner-up to two-time MVP Stephen Curry in the Clutch Player of the Year voting.
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DeRozan didn’t waste much time endearing himself to fans.
He made the Kings’ first basket of the season on a driving lay-up 34 seconds into his debut then easily split a pair of Wolves defenders on the way to an easy basket in the fourth quarter when DeRozan scored eight of his team-high 26 points.
DeRozan shot 7 of 18 overall from the floor and repeatedly got to the free-throw line, knocking down 12 of his 14 attempts from the stripe. He also grabbed eight rebounds and had two assists and a steal.
“We were rusty with a lot of things but the effort was there,” DeRozan said. “Once we get that rhythm with one another I think everything will fit in perfectly. Understanding where guys like the ball, get to their spots, everything. But for the most part I’m happy with how aggressive we were and how we competed. It just sucks that we didn’t get the victory.”
That was about the only big thing that the Kings had to complain about – not finishing. They could have shot better, no doubt, but they limited the turnovers after a somewhat sloppy start and did a great job of taking advantage of Minnesota’s mistakes.
Ironically, the one player who was supposed to suffer the most by DeRozan’s arrival in terms of minutes and shots was Keegan Murray, who dropped a cool 23 points and 11 rebounds.
The Kings’ offense didn’t look much different with DeRozan in the game, although the spacing seemed better. The end result was five Sacramento players in double figures, with three of them (DeRozan, Murray and Sabonis) scoring at least 23 points.
“We’re all playing our same way, then when he gets the ball he goes and gets a bucket.,” Sabonis said. “There was a moment there when we couldn’t score, he went to his mid-range game and scored a couple baskets for us.”
The game slipped away from the Kings in the fourth quarter but they still were in a position to win or force overtime at the end. With two seconds remaining, DeRozan tried to inbound the ball and overlooked a pair of teammates who appeared to have better angles and instead lobbed a pass across the court to Murray, whose off-balance desperation 3-point try at the buzzer hit the rim before falling away.
It was a play that the Kings practiced in the days leading up to the game but one that they only ran in a preseason game once before.
Brown noted afterward that DeRozan had a series of reads to make on the play and should have put more zip on the pass to Murray.
Despite that, DeRozan ended his night still feeling optimistic about what lies ahead for him and the Kings.
“They only hurt us when we hurt ourselves and gave them open shots,” DeRozan said, “ As long as we limit that moment, that stretch that we had in the third quarter, we pull out a victory. But like I said, it's a great learning experience.
“It’s amazing. How dynamic this team is is incredible. I got the utmost confidence in this group of guys.”