De’Aaron Fox calls playing with DeMar DeRozan ‘a joy’

While it was only the first half of an overall meaningless exhibition game, there was a different vibe to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.

For several reasons, a capacity crowd packed into Golden 1 Center to watch the Kings’ preseason matchup against the Golden State Warriors. Sure, it was the first basketball game that these fans had seen in nearly six months, and yes, Stephen Curry can impact the box office well in his own regard.

But for fans in Sacramento, all eyes were on one player from the moment that he stepped on the floor for pregame workouts: DeMar DeRozan.

DeRozan, a six-time NBA All-Star and soon-to-be top-20 scorer in NBA history, joined the Kings by way of sign-and-trade in free agency this summer–much to the shock of the basketball world. It’s not very often that you see a free agent of DeRozan’s caliber choose to play in Sacramento, but the star forward chose to buy into a Kings core that includes De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, and Malik Monk.

In his first appearance in front of fans at Golden 1 Center on Wednesday, 17,000-plus viewed a preview of what is to come this season in DeRozan’s first season as a member of the Beam Team.

More on DeMar DeRozan & the Kings’ preseason opener

DeRozan, one of the best volume scorers in the NBA over the past decade, quickly put his mid-range jumper on display early by knocking down his first attempt of the night–off of a patented dribble-hand-off from Domantas Sabonis, of course.

The six-time All-Star poured in ten points on four-of-four shooting over eight minutes of action in the first quarter to quickly assert himself in a Sacramento offense that handed out 11 assists during the first period.

‘Deebo’ wouldn’t stop there either, finishing his abbreviated night with 15 points on a perfect six-of-six shooting from the field over 15 minutes while displaying his well-known mid-range prowess.

Kings head coach Mike Brown made it clear before Wednesday’s action tipped off that the starting unit would only play during the first half against Golden State. Still, those in attendance walked away with a solid first impression of DeRozan in purple and black–De’Aaron Fox included.

“He got to his spots, and like we said before, teams are trying to go under on him, and that just allows him to get to a spot even that much easier,” Fox said of his newest teammate’s first showing in a Kings uniform. “And then having a guy like Domas who can hit him if he curls, hit him if he goes back door, just trying to make the game easier for him.”

Sacramento’s offense looked comfortable early, shooting 58 percent from the field while handing out 15 assists during the first half before Brown pulled his starters at the break. Although it was just a 15-minute stint, Fox only had positive things to say about his first experience with DeRozan.

“Bringing in that type of talent, especially guys who are extremely unselfish, you enjoy playing together, and obviously, he makes tough shots as well,” Fox said of playing with DeRozan. “But I think it’s definitely a joy playing together and we know what we need to do. We know what we really need to focus on, and offense isn’t that problem.”

Of course, one-half of a preseason game doesn’t mean that Sacramento will be playing games into late April or May.

Plenty of work is left to be done for Brown’s new-look roster, but you can’t help but feel as if the Kings’ core of Fox-Sabonis-DeRozan-Murray-Monk will create issues for opposing defenses this season.

DeRozan’s ability to self-create and act as a distributor (5.3 assists per game last season) makes his fit in Sacramento’s high-movement offense seamless on paper, especially when you factor in his mid-range ability. Upon signing with the Kings, many around the game questioned how DeRozan’s addition would impact Sacramento’s spacing, but those concerns have seemed overblown thus far in training camp and preseason.

We still don’t know how the long-term fit will look for DeRozon in this offense, but it’s safe to say that last night’s preseason opener was as ideal of a start as anyone could have hoped for from the Kings’ perspective.

Beautiful Strong Twirl set from the Kings with Domas as the hub.

DeRozan getting hugged on the perimeter lol. Spacing, though! pic.twitter.com/gy0zwpiuHL

— Skyler (KFR) (@SacFilmRoom) October 10, 2024

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

Did somebody ask for another Kings vs. Warriors showdown?

Sacramento and Golden State will meet for another preseason matchup on Friday night at Chase Center to continue working towards the start of the regular season.

Be sure to catch all of the action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PDT on The Drive Guys before action tips off at 7:00 PM PDT from downtown San Francisco.

Sacramento Kings 2024-25 Schedule

Preseason

• Friday, October 11th – @ Golden State Warriors – 7 pm PDT
• Sunday, October 13th – vs. Portland Trail Blazers – 3 pm PDT
• Tuesday, October 15th – @ Utah Jazz – 6 pm PDT
• Thursday, October 17th – @ Los Angeles Clippers – 7 pm PDT

Regular Season

• Thursday, October 24th – vs. Minnesota Timberwolves – 7 pm PDT
• Saturday, October 26th – @ Los Angeles Lakers – 7:30 pm PDT
• Monday, October 28th – vs. Portland Trail Blazers – 7 pm PDT
• Tuesday, October 29th – @ Utah Jazz – 6 pm PDT
• Friday, November 1st – @ Atlanta Hawks – 4 pm PDT

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