Is The DeMar DeRozan Trade Secretly Genius?

Is The DeMar DeRozan Trade Secretly Genius?

two seasons ago the Kings under new head coach Mike Brown took the league by storm with their high-powered offense they took parts of the Golden State motion some of Mike danton’s sons and a lot of what the Nuggets do with yic to create a pace and space system that led to one of the most efficient seasons in NBA history they were first at nearly 120 points every 100 possessions which carried them to nearly 50 wins and third in the West despite having a very weak defense and after a slow start to the 2024 season they picked up right where they left off in late November torching defenses with their speed movement and high volume three-point shooting that was until both Malik Monk and Kevin herder went down with injuries which forced the team to switch their approach they started to take away minutes from guys like Harrison Barnes and Chris dwarte instead giving them to high level point of attack Defenders like Keon Ellis and Davon Mitchell and that actually led to their best stretch of basketball during the last two months of the season they held opponents to just 111 points every 100 possessions good for fourth in the NBA and for the very first time showing that they aren’t just limited to offensive prowess if we take a look at the team’s defensive rating by month last season you can very clearly see when the shift happened going from one of the League’s worst offensive teams to one of the best at the flip of a switch the problem is that in these defense Centric lineups their offense is prone to being bottled up the spacing is significantly worse there’s less ball handling and as a result their movement heavy style of play isn’t able to create nearly as many advantages forcing a guy like dearen Fox to take a bevy of tough shots then without monk there wasn’t a real secondary shot Creator on the floor sabonis is a capable initi Ator and playmaker but who else can actually create their own shot with the ball Keegan Murray is pretty limited to attacking off the catch as a spot up shooter or in set action Barnes isn’t nearly efficient enough to serve as a legitimate option this right here is where Demar D rozan makes the biggest difference because not only is he a good shot creator with the ball in his hands he’s one of the very best here’s a look at last year scoring leaders if you add up all of the points they scored in isolation pick and roll and in the post Luca’s obviously an outlier in terms of volume while Shay’s efficiency was off the charts But after those two the closest guy in both regards was actually dear who did so in a significantly smaller role instead of efficiency if we adjust the chart to instead show the on Ball scoring numbers in relation to how much they actually have the ball he really stands Out Among the pack that’s that’s because he actually utilizes all three play types at volume against smaller matchups he’ll often play with his back to the basket where he’s agile has great footwork plays physical and most importantly can hit really tough shots while turning in any direction he can isolate from anywhere on the floor whether that’s from the free throw line out on the perimeter maybe in an open corner and even at his older age he’s still a threat to beat his man off the dribble so they have to respect his driving but he’s also an all-time mid-range shot Creator and shot maker which is where he does most of his damage he never sees a shot he doesn’t like inside the ark and this adds serious value especially when talking about the Kings no he’s not going to produce ridiculously high true shooting numbers like a joic or a Steph Curry but he provides a seriously High offensive floor and an ultimate release valve for when things get get tough like I said when the Kings aren’t able to create advantages with their movement or multiple actions they can get bottled up pretty easily and this is where having an elite isolationist changes everything last year they were one of the lowest volume isolation teams in the league so dear adds another layer to an already versatile offense he also helps with the defense Centric approach they started to lean into as he doesn’t need any sort of space whatsoever to operate I already mentioned the difficult shot making that’s obviously the biggest key because spacing doesn’t really affect it there’s also his ability to operate in tight spaces as a ball handler he’s comfortable probing with a live dribble as he hunts for the shot he wants without ever turning the ball over which not only allows for those lesser talented offensive lineups it also helps him create advantages as I said he’s a threat to get to the rim so when knifing his way through the paint like this the defense has to react and I don’t think he gets nearly enough credit as a passer sure he score first and would take the tough shot before making the tough pass but he has pretty good Vision can make a bunch of different deliveries and rarely ever makes errors so he is still creating good opportunities for the guys around him this calls into question what everyone else will be doing while he operates inside the ark particularly the other two stars one thing that I don’t think it’s talked about enough is the shooting leap that fox took last season I feel like everyone recognizes that he leaned into the pull-up three more as a weapon for when he has the ball but he also took a very noticeable jump off the catch it starts with volume he went from a guy who consistently took one maybe two a game to last year attempting over three and that directly correlated with an increase in accuracy shooting over 39% which on his volume is a really really healthy mark his willingness to catch and shoot demands respect from the defense he’s not a guy who’s going to be left open or helped off of if the defense can avoid it then he pairs that with some really explosive slashing off the catch a strong in between game of his own so while Demar has the ball his best teammate actually is a big time threat just simply spotting up as for the rest of the guys well Keon Ellis has hit over 42% of his catch and shoot three since entering the league a remarkably High number Keegan Murray’s hit nearly 40% on serious volume with a high degree of difficulty that’s two other starters right there who really can’t be left open Off the Bench they still have Kevin herder for the time being I think it goes without saying how lethal of a shooter he can be their Sixth Man Malik monk has made 39% of his catch and shoot threes over the last three seasons an even more impressive 43% wi wide open and much like Fox he’s an incredibly explosive slasher off the catch so yet another guy the defense has to pay constant attention to so whenever D rozan has the ball in his hands he’ll probably have the best spacing he’s ever had in his career at all times there will be at least three highlevel spot-up guys on the floor with him he didn’t have that in Toronto San Antonio certainly not in Chicago which I think makes his inside the-art creation all the more more valuable really the only non-shooter he’ll be sharing a lot of time with is sabonis and I can see why people think that fit is a bit clunky because he really only scores in the paint what I will say about that is he does have some presence in the dunker spot not just as a finisher but on the offensive glass or the Kings could incorporate some more weak side action by using him as an off ball screener so there are definitely ways to make it work with two non- three-point Shooters there is one thing haven’t really talked about in dear’s game that should be the key in unlocking some Synergy with sabonis though and that’s his ability to operate in the pick and roll if there are always three other off ball threats that means the middle of the floor should be cleared for some Twan game and this is where both of these guys Excel sabonis is arguably the best screener in the league and he demands attention as a roller while dear’s ability to get into the defense and carve out highquality shots for himself is really tough to defend without putting two on the ball so all things considered I think he brings a much needed on ball presence to this offense last year the kings were 27th in the amount of shots they got at The Rim per possession I think Demar slashing can help improve that they were also just 21st in free throw attempts per possession he’s one of the highest volume free throw guys in the league getting to the line just under eight times a game he’s incredibly durable and capable of of playing a ton of minutes like the nearly 3,000 he led the league with which takes some much needed pressure off of guys like Fox Monk and sabonis to deliver offense every single time down the floor for 82 games and then there’s all of the late game heroics like I keep saying when the game tightens up someone who can create in that environment and make tough shot after tough shot can give you the much needed lift for a team that consistently finds themselves in close games in a blood bath of a conference that can be the difference between securing a playoff spot and falling out of the playin but they aren’t just going to start running all of their offense through dear they still have a lead ball handler in fox and a proven system in place with the speed and motion around sabonis so where exactly does he land in all of that let’s start with the obvious while Fox can comfortably shift into the role of a spot up to elevate dear’s on ball game that isn’t a mutual benefit dear is not a three-point shooter even in the corner he’s hit just 36% over his career most of which are wide open that’s not nearly enough to demand respect from the defense and I think it’s fair to have some concerns he’ll likely be replacing the minutes of Harrison Barnes who’s been a pretty consistent presence as a 38 to 39% three-point shooter and a legitimate floor spacer at the four so when it comes to Fox’s own isolation or pick and roll game that’s one less shooter for him to spray it out to however I do think people overreact when they label Demar a complete negative spacer because you’ll never see a team just abandoning him on the perimeter that’s because they’re worried about what he might do off the catch he’s a capable slasher is always quick to move the ball and if he takes just a step or two inside the ark all of a sudden he’s got a 50% pull-up jumper so at the very least he deserves some respect what I’m more intrigued by is his fit within their scheme as a mover the Bulls didn’t have much motion going on but every now and then they’d incorporate some Chicago action or have Vu initiate dribble handoffs and Demar shown to be very capable of playing on the Fly this creates the same sort of advantages that the pick and roll does he’s attacking the middle of the floor with sabonis as a screener multiple Shooters around him and he’s a quick enough decision maker to maximize these sorts of opportunities whenever sabonis is initiating from up top the paint is usually open so by getting dear moving off of screens or having him fill out space above the break it negates the impact of his lack of three-point shooting and simulates a five out then allowing guys like Fox and monk to do what they do best which is of course getting downhill in that same line of thinking an underrated quality that dear possesses is his ability to control Tempo his halfcourt game is so methodical that he often slow the game down and for a team in Sacramento that can sometimes feel like they only have one gear once again it gives them just a little bit more versatility so on the offensive side of things it feels like this is being brushed over as a marginal move when it could actually turn out to be a GameChanger dear’s a direct Improvement to arguably their two biggest flaws consistent Rim pressure and getting to the free throw line he’s an elite on ball score for giving them a release valve for when their Pace space and movement style of offense isn’t creating the types of advantages that they want he’s good for 80 games playing 40 minutes if that’s what the team needs he can produce great offensive results when guys like fox sabonis or monk are getting some rest which gives them a lot more lineup flexibility and if your one concern is that he isn’t a good outside shooter I think that there are more than a few workarounds for that after having the number one offense in 2023 they ranked just 14th in 2024 and with this new addition I’d expect them to get right back into that top 10 maybe even pushing top five or seven territory as for the defense well that could be a different story dear’s a very weak on ball Defender and the Bulls were able to make it work by using him like a four he’d often start behind the play as a Lowman then he’d operate as a sort of free safety tagging rolls helping around the basket and don’t get me wrong he wasn’t some GameChanger in this role he just wasn’t as drastic of a negative as he might have been picking up Wings in space so in order to squeeze as much value as you can out of him I think you have to be able to use him in this way and luckily for the Kings that’s exactly the type of roster they’ve crafted Keon Ellis emerged as a truly awesome defensive guard I mean we all saw what he did against Steph in that playing game Keegan Murray also took a big leap last year solidifying himself as a strong defensive Wing who can play multiple positions get around screens then you have Fox who doesn’t get nearly enough credit for what he’s capable of doing on the ball it starts with his lateral quickness and length but also his ferocious hands consistantly picking the pocket of anyone who tries to take him off the dribble the one thing that I will say can cause some major problems is that fox and Ellis are both pretty exclusively effective against guards due to a lack of strength Keegan switchable so he’ll always take the best Wing or forward assignments but I think about a team like Boston or to keep it in the same conference maybe Denver or New Orleans where Demar probably will be forced to defend more on the ball and they can run into some issues that’s pretty matchup specific though and against most teams he can play that power forward type of of Ru no I’m not expecting the Kings to be some Defensive Juggernaut but I don’t think they got much worse and actually with another year under the belts of their young guys I wouldn’t be surprised if they got a little better I understand that this is probably a very optimistic point of view on the move as a whole and a lot of stuff has to go right cohesively in order for what I’m saying to come true on both ends of the floor in my opinion though there’s a very real Pathway to the Kings being one of the better teams in the west next year they won 46 games last season 48 the year before and yet again I think there’ll be a 50- win threat if not finally breaking that threshold Demar came at a cheap price he fixes some of their biggest weaknesses while bringing some New Dimensions to the offense and without a complete sacrifice of their defense that to me makes it a really awesome signing if you enjoyed this breakdown make sure to drop a like subscribe and turn my post notifications on to be first on more content if you’re interested in my more in-depth research make sure to check out my website and social media profiles you can find those links in the description feel free to let me know down in the comments what you think of the Kings as always I hope you all have a great day and I’ll catch you guys in the next one

After 2 “near 50 win seasons”, the Kings just added another layer to their attack with DeMar DeRozan… but does he fit next to Fox and Sabonis?

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