One of newest members of the Sacramento Kings is already feeling very confident about his new team ahead of the 2024-25 season. DeMar DeRozan, the biggest offseason addition for the Kings, dropped quite the prediction about how far Sacramento would go on the NBA playoffs.
DeRozan was asked what his boldest take was for this upcoming season during an appearance on ESPN's “First Take.”
“Kings, Western Conference Finals,” DeRozan confidently replied.
That is quite the take from DeRozan, who is joining a Kings team that was bounced in the No. 8 seed game of the play-in tournament last season. While DeRozan can not be faulted for believing in himself or his new teammates, it would be shocking if the Kings are able to advance that far in the playoffs.
Sacramento Kings' Outlook for the 2024-25 season
The Kings had a very underrated offseason. Despite having to give up Harrison Barnes, who had been one of the Kings' most consistent contributors since joining the team during the 2018-19 season, for DeRozan in the sign-and-trade with the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls, DeRozan is a clear upgrade.
Entering his age-35 season, DeRozan has showed no signs of slowing down and is still one of the best scorers in the NBA. Last season, DeRozan led the entire league in minutes, averaging 37.8, and had 24.0 points, 5.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 33.3% from three on 2.8 attempts from behind the arc per game.
While DeRozan, a slasher who can dominate from the mid-range, is somewhat of a throwback because he does not rely on three point shooting, he is still an incredibly effective scorer. DeRozan, point guard De'Aaron Fox and forward Domantas Sabonis will form one of the best trios in the league and should be able to keep up with any team on the offensive end.
A potential concern for the DeRozan-Fox-Sabonis trio is that none of them are volume three point shooters. At least early in the season, it will be critical for the three Kings stars to figure out how to play together and effectively space the floor.
However, the biggest question mark for the Kings comes on defense. While Fox is a capable point of attack defender, most of the team's defensive responsibilities will fall on the shoulders of third-year forward Keegan Murray.
This is the most talented and star-powered Kings team in a long time. If there was ever an opportunity to make a deep playoff run in Sacramento, it would be this year.
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