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One of the most unstoppable things in the NBA is star power working together in unselfish ways to torch opposing defenses.
To hear Domantas Sabonis tell it, there’s going to be plenty of that for the Sacramento Kings during the upcoming season after they added DeMar DeRozan to a lineup that already included himself and De’Aaron Fox.
“The reason me and Fox work is because there are no egos,” Sabonis told Bleacher Report. “We both just want to win, he lets me rock and I let him rock. DeMar is even more of that. We’re just going to play off each other. If they want to put the best defender on DeMar instead of Fox that night, great. And vice versa. We’re just going to play. We’re all here for the right reasons and at the points of our careers where we just want to win.”
That attitude is far from surprising, as NBA insider Chris Haynes reported in July that Fox “played a pivotal role” in recruiting DeRozan to the Kings this offseason and is “ecstatic about partnering together on the court.”
Sacramento ultimately acquired DeRozan from the Chicago Bulls via a sign-and-trade and agreed to a three-year, $74 million deal. It was a massive move from a team looking to take the next step in the loaded Western Conference, as the six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection is a veteran leader and postseason-tested presence with 63 playoff games on his resume.
While DeRozan is 35 years old, he was still excellent last season with Chicago and averaged 24.0 points, 5.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals while shooting 48 percent from the field.
He was also a finalist for the NBA’s 2023-24 Clutch Player of the Year that Stephen Curry won, underscoring his ability to carry a team in the most important moments. Considering the Kings figure to have plenty of those important moments in a deep Western Conference, they are going to need someone to turn toward for baskets and leadership.
“He’s going to bring that vet presence and IQ,” Sabonis said of his new teammate. “I’ve worked with him a couple weeks this summer, and I’ve learned a lot through him. He’s been at the highest level and played with everyone. Just to pick his brain has really opened my eyes already. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen throughout the year and how my other teammates are going to feed off him.”
Opposing defenses collapsing on DeRozan also means better looks for Sabonis on the post and Fox on the perimeter. That is especially welcome news for the latter after he established himself as one of the better guards in the league.
The 2022-23 All-Star was arguably even better last season while averaging 26.6 points, 5.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds and a league-best 2.0 steals per game behind 36.9 percent shooting from deep. His three-point shooting took an important jump after he connected on just 29.7 percent in 2021-22 and 32.4 percent in his All-Star campaign.
All that star power as well as the return of key role players in Keegan Murray and a healthy Malik Monk means expectations are even higher in Sacramento after the team settled for a play-in tournament spot at 46-36 last season.
So how will Sacramento live up to those expectations?
“Our mentality,” Sabonis said. “Come out and take every game seriously. We felt that last year when we beat the best teams and lost to some of the worst teams in the standings. It put us in a situation where we had to play the play-in game. That eventually cost us the playoffs. By us having a vet presence like DeMar and other guys and us realizing what we did wrong last year. That’s the main thing, our mental focus.”
Even with improved mental focus, taking that next step in the Western Conference won’t be easy.
After all, the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans are all eyeing potentially deep playoff runs with only so many spots to go around.
But being included in that group is a welcome change for the Kings, who aren’t that far removed from a troubling streak.
The franchise missed the playoffs for 16 consecutive seasons from 2006-07 through 2021-22 and notably traded for Sabonis during that 16th year. While that move sent Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers, it is easy to see it as a win-win trade in hindsight given the overall success both squads have enjoyed.
Sabonis helped Sacramento break that playoff streak in 2022-23 when the team lost a back-and-forth seven-game thriller against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the first round, but the goal is advancing even further this time around.
“We all have to be on our A game,” Sabonis said. “There are a lot of expectations this year, especially after breaking the playoff streak. The fans want a lot, and they deserve it. They’re there for us. It’s basically us staying healthy, everyone being on their A game and really pushing each other to make those extra sacrifices. When the season winds down, you realize, ‘damn I could have done this, this and that.’ There’s no time to look back.”
The Kings may not have time to look back on the court during the upcoming season, but fans hoping to look back on the 2023-24 campaign before the Oct. 24 opener can do just that with the Wednesday release of the Netflix Series Starting 5.
The 10-part series provides a behind-the-scenes look at last season through Sabonis, LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards and captures what it means to go through an entire NBA campaign both on and off the court.
“Once you get a call from Netflix and being a part of this group of players is an honor,” Sabonis said of having the opportunity to work with the show. “I thought it would be amazing to put Sacramento and the organization on the map and literally show people an inside look at what goes on because it’s definitely a great organization.”
A major part of the show isn’t just basketball but providing a look at family life, which was important for the Kings star.
“It’s really cool, especially for fans,” he said. “I’m a fan of other sports around the world, and when you really get to see other peoples’ lives and how they do things is super interesting. You can also learn from them. Just letting people into our home, our off days, what we do on the road and all this stuff is going to be really cool for people to see and the fans to know how much effort and sacrifice we make that’s not seen.”
That behind-the-scenes sacrifice has helped Sabonis become a star in his own right beyond just the headline names of Fox and DeRozan.
The three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection can score down low, extend his offensive game beyond the arc (37.9 percent last season) and anchor the interior defense. He finished in 10th place in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season, which is all the more impressive because he is one of the league’s best big-man facilitators on the other side who averaged 19.4 points and 8.2 assists per game.
But part of his game that jumps out the most is how he controls the boards after leading the league in rebounding in each of the last two seasons.
“It just happens,” Sabonis said of besting the NBA in rebounding. “It all depends on the season, how many minutes you play, how many games you play, if you’re good on defense so teams miss more. The more games you win, the more rebounds there are. If you’re losing, there are no rebounds because the ball is going through the net. These are things you can’t control.”
If things go according to plan for the Kings this season, there won’t be much losing.
That means more rebounding and another opportunity for Sabonis to further cement himself as one of the game’s better players.
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