The Sacramento Kings are a long way off from postseason contention. Despite adding DeMar DeRozan in the offseason, the team’s early-season struggles saw Mike Brown lose his job on the sidelines before the year ended.
DeRozan might feel like he’s had an unfortunate career so far. Leaving a dysfunctional team for a franchise that is openly considering shipping off its franchise guard for another potential rebuild is a bitter pill to swallow.
However, there’s nothing the 35-year-old can do but focus on things he can control. The kind of game he showcased during Sacramento’s double-OT thriller against Miami shows the way the Compton native can still work his way to an NBA Finals appearance, no matter how unlikely.
It’s also evident in his post-game presser that he’s thinking of nothing else but the game at this point of the season.
DeMar DeRozan talks about being the best clutch player he could be after the Kings’ thriller win vs. the Heat
DeRozan was easily the best player on the court after leading Sacramento to a nail-biting win, 118-123. His 30 points on 46% shooting was the deciding factor for a Sacramento team that’s been on a winning run after parting ways with Brown.
The media asked him about his late-game heroics and how he approaches such situations. His reply is something that would excite Sac-Town fans about their star forward’s mentality.
“You live for those moments.”
DeMar speaks about being built for the clutch moments 😤 pic.twitter.com/iUdRq3Kh2V
— NBA (@NBA) January 7, 2025
“I love it,” DeRozan said about taking over games during do-or-die situations. “[I’ve] been in so many of those situations throughout my career.”
He then shared what makes a good clutch player in his opinion:
“You thrive in it, you can’t be scared to fail. You live for those moments. For me, it’s a calm when [those clutch moments] come about.”
DeRozan also contributed to other areas of the game to push the Kings over the edge. He finished the night with three rebounds, four assists, and a block to net a +24 plus-minus score.
Malik Monk (23 points, five boards, six dimes, one block) and Domantas Sabonis (21 points, 18 rebounds, 11 assists, one steal, three blocks) also played crucial roles for Sacramento’s W.
DeRozan is still trying to find his footing in Sacramento
While DeMar DeRozan’s performance against Miami was nothing short of impressive, these kinds of nights were more of an exemption than the norm.
The Compton, CA native is struggling to put up similar numbers to his final season with the Chicago Bulls, averaging 20.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He’s roughly taking the same number of shots compared to last year, so the lack of scoring stems more from a lack of consistency on his end.
Kings fans will hope that such a game would allow the former USC standout to rediscover his form and push the Kings to an unlikely spot in the play-in tournament.
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