DeRozan's debut is a bit of a show.
In the preseason, the Kings lost 112-122 at home to the Warriors.
It was the Kings' first preseason game of the season, and although the game was lost, the team's new signing, DeRozan, played a pretty good game, playing 15 minutes, shooting 6-of-6, 1-of-1 three-pointers, 2-of-2 free throws, and scoring 15 points on 100% shooting.
By no exaggeration, as far as his debut is concerned, Azan was really perfect, and every goal he scored was full of highlights.
Less than a minute into the first quarter, DeRozan and Keegan Murray blocked without the ball, and then exchanged hands with Sabonis Jr. to receive the ball, facing Dream Green, and threw a long-distance mid-range shot that was one step inside the three-point line;
Less than a minute later, it was still DeRozan and Sabonis Jr. who cooperated, the former took the ball, the latter blocked and dismantled, and another shot from the free throw line facing Looney;
This is not over, after another two minutes, DeRozan and Sabonis Jr. cooperated, Xiao Sa handed over again, DeRozan singled out Looney after taking the ball, and scored the third shot;
Then at the end of the first quarter, there were only 6 seconds left in the King's offensive round, DeRozan received the ball, and then turned around to shoot against Li Kaier's sticky defense, and hit the fourth shot.
Then came the second quarter, not long after the start of the game, Ryan, DeRozan, and Fox cooperated, Fox made a no-ball block for DeRozan, and then DeRozan received the ball and hit a strong layup;
The last shot was interesting, also at the beginning of the second quarter, Fox broke through, and DeRozan received the ball in a big open corner at the bottom corner, but the Warriors Dream Green and Podemsky did not step forward, so DeRozan dribbled the ball to find rhythm, and then hit it.
To sum it up, 6 field goals, 4 shots, 1 layup, 1 three-pointer - very DeRozan.
DeRozan's shortcomings as a player, everyone knows that the three points are not accurate, and the shots are few, and he was scolded by countless fans for this when he was with the Spurs.
However, this does not mean that DeRozan will not shoot three points, around New Year's Day in 2022, DeRozan once staged back-to-back New Year's Eve whistle three-point kills, and both shots were in the case of falling behind, which is quite classic.
It's just that DeRozan prefers to shoot from mid-range compared to three-pointers, which is also his better position, and this preseason game is proof that as long as you give DeRozan a one-on-one chance, he can use his skills to shoot the ball, even against former DPOY Green, or by Lee Kyle.
Moreover, DeRozan and Xiao Sa may be unexpectedly matched, although the latter is not as good as Jokic can pass, but his ability to respond is also top-notch, especially his hand-to-hand ability - Vucevic But as long as he can point to Xiao Sa's hand, DeRozan will not play so hard in the Bulls.
For the Kings, signing DeRozan this summer is really good at the moment.
Last season, although DeRozan did not make the All-Star, his strength was definitely an All-Star level, playing in a total of 79 games, averaging 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, shooting 48.0% from the field and 58.3% from the field.
DeRozan is one of the few mid-range grandmasters in the roster, shooting 141-of-279 from the field and 50.5 percent from the field at 10-14 feet last season, while DeRozan was 122-of-292 from the field at 15-19 feet, shooting 41.8 percent.
In addition to his super high mid-range and hard solving ability, DeRozan's passing cannot be ignored, he has worked out good passes under Popovich, and has a strong ability to control turnovers, averaging 5.3 assists and 1.7 turnovers per game last season, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.12, which is higher than many point guards.
A player of this level, the king only took three years and 74 million to sign him, and he definitely earned it - of course, DeRozan is 35 years old and will inevitably decline in the future, but his third-year contract is only partially guaranteed by 10 million, what more bike?
After the game, Kings star Fox said of DeRozan: "You can bring in such a talented and selfless player, you will enjoy playing with him, he can score difficult goals, it is very interesting to play with him." ”
And joining the Kings at this age, DeRozan naturally came with a goal, he was asked in the offseason about a bold guess of the team's new season, and DeRozan's answer was: "The Kings made the Western Conference finals." ”
It sounds a little difficult, after all, there are strong teams such as the Mavericks, Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Thunder, but the Kings are also a team that should not be underestimated, and Fox, Sabonis Jr., and DeRozan on the offensive end are definitely enough for any team to eat.
Personally, I think DeRozan may score 18 to 22 points in the new season, and his hand-to-hand hand-to-hand with Sabonis Jr. will cause headaches for many teams, as for where the Kings will go, there should be no problem in the playoffs, but it is still a little difficult to go further, unless they can bring in some defensive resources in the middle of the season.
At the end of the day, it may depend on Fox, and if Fox has a three-team performance in 2023, the Kings have every hope of rushing to 50 wins and a Western Conference final. One last question: Do you think the Kings can go in the new season based on the current lineup and Western pattern?