How Sabonis expects DeRozan to unlock new layer to Kings’ offense originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Domantas Sabonis is thrilled to be Kings teammates with DeMar DeRozan.
Sacramento’s acquisition of the six-time NBA All-Star not only will make life easier scoring-wise for Sabonis and fellow star De’Aaron Fox, but it also gives the Kings an exciting, proven triple threat.
Sabonis already has put in some work with DeRozan and is enjoying building chemistry with him on and off the floor. The big man discussed his eagerness to be around the electric wing with reporters on Sunday.
“[I’m] happy he’s here,” Sabonis said (h/t FOX 40’s Sean Cunningham). “Getting to spend that week with him in LA, getting to know him more, I’m really excited … It was really cool. We spent a week together just trying to build that chemistry and getting some good work in.”
DeRozan is a certified bucket-getter. Over his 15 NBA seasons, he has averaged 21.2 points, making 46.9 percent of his 18,007 field goal attempts.
Sabonis, who is coming off a campaign in which he averaged 19.4 points, is glad to have another scorer on the floor; especially as a player who also averaged 8.2 assists last season and constantly uses dribble handoffs.
“I think it’s going to be good for us,” Sabonis added. “It’s going to make us think differently on the court, move differently. Really read each other because we’re used to playing one style.
“But he does something at a Hall of Fame level that we’re going to have to play around and that’s just going to make it so much harder for teams to guard us because we can basically score from everywhere.”
Sabonis touched on DeRozan’s focus on mid-range shooting. “Hall of Fame” caliber is a good description of the wing’s scoring ability from inside the perimeter.
There are concerns, though, that DeRozan’s play style can clog the Kings’ offensive sets and cause havoc. But Sabonis isn’t worried about that, as he is putting more belief into Sacramento’s collective professionalism and ability to overcome obstacles.
Plus, DeRozan isn’t a rookie. He knows what he is doing on the hardwood.
“He’s a very smart player, been in the league forever,” Sabonis said of DeRozan. “[He] has done so much. I’m excited to learn from him and pick his brain, and I hope everyone else is. And everyone just gets better overall.”
At 35, DeRozan instantly became Sacramento’s elder.
Many also feared the three-year contract he signed was risky and that the Kings might regret the deal if DeRozan glaringly lost a step.
Again, Sabonis isn’t worried. Instead, he is impressed with how well DeRozan looks at this stage in his career.
“Working with him, how hard he works and how he takes his workouts seriously at that age, you definitely can’t tell he’s older,” Sabonis said.
It is almost go-time for Sacramento, who just missed the NBA playoffs after fizzling out in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
DeRozan, on the other hand, has played in 63 postseason games. He is a good match for a Kings franchise itching to become a fixture in the NBA playoffs.
Sabois clearly can’t wait to play with DeRozan. The wing truly is a plug-and-play talent, which makes his onboarding process that much more manageable.
“I think he just makes my life way easier,” Sabonis concluded. “I just got to continue doing my job and having him on the court is just going to give me a lot more options. Same thing for him.”
DeRozan, a California native, is “home” with the Kings.
He can expand on his local legacy by helping Sacramento go farther than it ever has.