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The Kings' DeMar DeRozan has become royalty since a three-team, July sign-and-trade deal brought him to Sacramento to play with Coach Mike Brown's Kings. Now, DeRozan is preparing for the season with gym time alongside JuJu Watkins, the USC basketball superstar who could be the next mega-star in women's basketball.
DeRozan was spotted shooting hoops and giving pointers to Watkins in preparation for this fall's hoops season in video footage that is delighting hoops fans nationwide. DeRozan can be shown showing Watkins how to create space in front of a trainer as he moves the ball side to side before firing one of his trademark midrange jumpers. The eager student Watkins is seen watching DeRozan's every move as he launches one from beyond the free throw line, a sight Kings fans are likely to get incredibly used to this coming season.
DeMar DeRozan mentoring JuJu Watkins 🔥
(via @DeMar_DeRozan/ IG)
pic.twitter.com/LKlR5QZdqf— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 22, 2024
The Kings star DeRozan and the USC basketball star Watkins' training session happened as DeRozan's first matchup against his former team the Chicago Bulls was revealed. Meanwhile, an Isaiah Thomas workout with Sacramento was announced leading to much speculation.
The Kings' roster is now starting to take shape, and DeRozan is a big part of it as they get set for exhibition basketball season.
Kings' 2024 starting lineup's outlook
The Kings have a talented projected depth chart of players that is inspiring hope for a deep playoff run among the Sacramento faithful. The starting lineup is expected to include Damontas Sabonis at center followed by Keegan Murray at the power forward position and DeMar DeRozan at the small forward spot. Kevin Huerter is the projected starting two-guard followed by De'Aaron Fox at the point guard position.
Sabonis has been a terror on the boards in recent seasons and now he will have a chance to rebound shots from DeRozan, who shoots a relatively high percentage but still isn't quite the number one scoring option that many fans expected he would become.
Malik Monk is expected to bring fireworks to his role as the Kings' backup shooting guard, bringing great defense, scoring and passing to a team that functions best when it plays united on both offense and defense.
The first task for Brown will be to get DeRozan on the same page as Fox, Sabonis and the rest of the Kings' top players. If he can do that, DeRozan can settle into his usual role as a high quality scorer, defender, and all-around player, perhaps the one guy Brown's team needs to put itself over the top in the Pacific Division this season in Sac-town.
