Why DeRozan believes ‘sky’s the limit’ for Kings in stacked West

Why DeRozan believes ‘sky’s the limit’ for Kings in stacked West originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – It has been a busy summer for DeMar DeRozan.

On top of joining a new team, he ventured on a cross-country book tour to promote “Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm” – a remarkable memoir chronicling his struggle with depression and mental health.

Still, there was time to support his new Kings teammate Domantas Sabonis at the premiere of Netflix’s “Starting 5” series. And dinner with young Kings forward and mentee Keegan Murray. And workouts with rising USC women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins.

One thing he hasn’t had time for, however, is settling into his new home in Sacramento. But to him, that’s the easy part.

And now he’s ready for the real fun to begin.

“Yeah, it’s kind of overwhelming. I can’t wait to get home today [and] get rest because I’m just looking forward to starting camp tomorrow,” DeRozan said Monday at Kings Media Day. “I can’t wait to get around the fans. I’m kind of feeling the energy a little bit more.

“But first and foremost, I’m looking forward to just getting out there on the court with these guys.”

DeRozan already got a headstart with Sabonis, as the two met up in Los Angeles during the offseason for a few workouts.

Adjusting to new teammates and a new system can take time, but it was all the non-basketball things that meant much more to DeRozan.

And from the get-go, the two Kings leaders were on the same page.

“I think it was special off the court,” DeRozan said of his meetup with Sabonis this summer. “The communication we had, being on the same page right away, talking about having the same feeling, understanding how we could help one another, but also helping other guys. What was missing from the previous year? What was needed? How we could fill this void? It was just crazy how quick we were problem solving things on the go.

“Obviously working out on the court, that was the easy part. That was fun. But the communication that came from it made me even more excited. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

And for the first time Monday, DeRozan, Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox all were in the same building at the same time wearing the same jersey.

A new trio has formed in Sacramento – and it’s excited to compete with the best in the West.

DeRozan, a 15-year NBA vet, has played the majority of his career in the Eastern Conference. His first nine years in Toronto were followed by three seasons in the West with the San Antonio Spurs. He played his most recent three seasons in Chicago and now returns to a stacked Western Conference where the competition exhilarates him.

“To me, you want that as a competitor,” DeRozan said. “You want to be placed in the toughest competition, it brings the best out of you. I’m looking forward to that. These guys are extremely talented. They want to win from top to bottom. From the fan base to everybody.

“When you see something like that, you want to be a part of that. And for me, I’m looking forward to bringing it every single night.”

DeRozan added that he believes the West became even more loaded this season, stating a path to the NBA playoffs is fair game for 14 of the 15 teams – a bigger reason he believes “you can’t take no nights off.” That was a hard lesson learned last season for the Kings, who took far too many nights off against shorthanded squads, teams under .500 and, more often than not, the free-throw line.

But the six-time NBA All-Star and his veteran presence could be exactly what this young and inexperienced team needs if its goal of “climbing together” is meant to be more than just a new philosophy.

And that leadership role is not just something DeRozan will fill as a 35-year-old vet, it’s something he welcomes.

“That’s always been my job,” he said. “Try to lead by example. Sometimes, I’m not the most talkative at times. But I’m the one that every single day, you know what you’re going to get from me in every single way. And that’s the lead by example. And with that, leaving it all out there on the line, competing at the highest level – I’m a dog when it comes to that.

“I just want to win.”

But how can this team, with DeRozan, with its other offseason additions and losses, win?

Two seasons ago, the Kings thrived off a fast-paced, historically dynamic offense. Last season, the emphasis was defense and physicality.

This year, with the addition of DeRozan, the focus must be back to offense (still with steady defensive progress). Kings coach Mike Brown and his staff will have to figure out how DeRozan plugs into the offensive scheme with Fox, Sabonis, Murray and either Keon Ellis or Malik Monk.

“I mean, you’ve seen it over the last couple years with what this team was able to do,” DeRozan said of Sacramento’s offense. “The level that they brought it at, outside of injuries last year, it was a top team.

“Sky’s the limit. That was one thing that was appealing for me to even want to come here. It’s me knowing how incredible this team already was and how well-coached they already were. And adding the guys that are coming in. Man, as a competitor, you want to be a part of that.”

And for those worried about there being too many mouths to feed on the Kings with only one spoon, DeRozan explained why that shouldn’t be viewed as a bad thing.

“When I hear people say things like that, it just shows me how much they don’t know basketball,” he said. “You’ve seen Boston just win it with all the talent that they have and they made it work. You got to have talent in this league. It’s more than just one guy could go out there and do it, two guys could go out there and do it. You need a collective effort of guys that’s able to go out there and compete on a nightly basis.

“And you just can’t always just rely on two guys to be the savior of that. It’s a team effort. And you look at this team and you have that talent from top to bottom — on the bench, starting, whatever it may be. So, you need that. You need that now, if you really want to win at a high level.”

Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast