NBA rivals say addition of DeMar DeRozan could make Kings 'really dangerous'

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kings star DeMar DeRozan is living up to the hype after coming to Sacramento over the summer in a surprise sign-and-trade deal.

The six-time All-Star brings a unique skill set as a master of the midrange game with a time-tested ability to get to the free-throw line, adding a new dynamic to an offense that was already among the NBA’s best.

“DeMar DeRozan is one of them players, man,” Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton said. “He can really slow the game down on you. You could be going up and down like a normal NBA game is, and then he can hit you with a few good postups and fadeaways.

“Those are big buckets and high-percentage buckets that can really change the game and really slows the pace down. DeMar DeRozan on that team is really dangerous. Just having him in the West, seeing him in the West, is kind of crazy to me still.”

DeRozan displayed those skills in a 111-98 victory over the Blazers on Monday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. He did it again in a 113-96 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, helping the Kings (2-2) win on the second night of a back-to-back to open a four-game road trip.

DeRozan recorded his fourth consecutive 20-point game to start the season in the win over Utah. Only Chris Webber (7) and Oscar Robertson (6) have had longer 20-point streaks to begin their tenures with the franchise.

DeRozan is averaging 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 55.2% from the field and 83.9% from the free-throw line. He is 14th in the NBA in free-throw attempts (7.8) after ranking fifth with 7.7 attempts last season for the Chicago Bulls.

“He gets to that free-throw line, that’s for sure,” Kings forward Trey Lyles said. “He’s always been able to close out games. ... You know what he’s going to do, but you still can’t stop him, and I think adding that to our team is just going to help us that much more.”

Free-throw shooting was a big problem for the Kings last season. They ranked 21st in free-throw attempts (20.9) and 30th in free-throw percentage (.745) while winning 46 games to finish ninth in the Western Conference.

Sacramento beat the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the play-in tournament before losing to the New Orleans Pelicans, missing the playoffs a year after securing the No. 3 seed to end a 16-year playoff drought. The team’s analytics department crunched the numbers and determined the Kings would have earned an automatic bid to the playoffs as a top-six seed if they had been an average free-throw shooting.

The addition of DeRozan has helped the Kings turn a huge weakness into a strength.

They made 28 of 35 (.800) free throws against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 22 of 25 (.880) against the Los Angeles Lakers and 23 of 25 (.920) against the Blazers. Through the first three games of the season, they were No. 1 in the NBA in free-throw percentage (.859) and No. 6 in free-throw attempts (28.3) with DeRozan making 24 of 28 (.857).

“DeMar has always been a good free-throw shooter,” Kings guard Kevin Huerter said. “Having him be one of the guys that gets there consistently over the course of the game helps with that.”

The Kings led the league in scoring (120.7 ppg) and posted what was then the highest offensive rating (119.4) in NBA history in 2022-23 with a lineup featuring De’Aaron Fox, Huerter, Keegan Murray, Harrison Barnes and Domantas Sabonis. They currently rank sixth in offensive rating (115.6) and eighth in scoring (116.5 ppg) with the potential to climb higher as they learn to optimize their offense around Fox, DeRozan and Sabonis.

Jazz coach Will Hardy, who worked with DeRozan as an assistant under Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs, knew the Kings had added another dimension when they acquired DeRozan in a three-team sign-and-trade deal.

“I know for me, it was like, ‘Oh, no,’ ” Hardy said. “That’s a whole different thing to have to prepare for. Fox, Sabonis (and) the up-tempo style was already enough of a problem to gameplan for and prep your team for.

“... I think (DeRozan is) a weapon for them. It’s like pitching in baseball. You can’t throw a fastball every pitch. I think having that change of pace with DeMar, a change in style, is going to be beneficial for them as they go throughout the season.”