Three reasons why Sacramento Kings should be much improved

After a disappointing 46-36 season in which they finished ninth in the Western Conference and out of the playoffs, the Sacramento Kings have made significant steps to return to the postseason.

Here are three reasons why the Kings should be better in the 2024-25 season:

The addition of DeMar DeRozan

By far their biggest move is the acquisition of 35-year-old DeMar DeRozan (24 PPG last season). Although his three-point shooting is below par (33.3 percent last season), he is an upgrade over Harrison Barnes (12.2 PPG last season), whom the Kings dealt to San Antonio.

Although Barnes is a better floor spacer (38.7 percent from three last season), DeRozan can serve as an offensive hub (5.3 APG) and ease the workload of De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis during a grueling 82-game regular season. 

A 15-year veteran, DeRozan has proved to be durable, playing in 74 or more games each of the past three seasons. 

Last season, Sacramento lost nearly half its clutch games (20-19) — contests in which the score was within five points in the final five minutes — but DeRozan should flip some of those losses into wins. His addition could be the difference between missing and making the playoffs in a tight Western Conference.

In each of the past two seasons, the six-time All-Star has been a top-three candidate for the NBA Clutch Player of the Year Award. In 2023-24, DeRozan helped lift a mediocre Chicago Bulls team that had the 11th-worst record in the NBA to a top-six ranking in clutch games (27-17). 

Pairing DeRozan with 2023 Clutch Player of the Year De'Aaron Fox should cause headaches for opponents in crunch time.