DeRozan-Fox pairing gives Kings NBA’s top two fourth-quarter scorers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Scoring in the fourth quarter should be a lighter ask for the Kings next season.
With the addition of DeMar DeRozan, who joined Sacramento on Saturday via a sign-and-trade deal with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, the Kings now house the NBA’s top two fourth-quarter scorers in DeRozan and star guard De’Aaron Fox.
The six-time NBA All-Star forward DeRozan, who joined Mike Brown’s side on a reported three-year, $76 million contract, led the league in fourth-quarter points with 550 last season in 79 games played with the Bulls.
Winner of the first NBA Clutch Player of the Year award, Fox, on several occasions, earned the Kings valuable wins with standout fourth-quarter performances, including a 23-point fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns last season.
After losing in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament last season and missing the playoffs, the Kings pulled off one of the most significant offseason signings in franchise history in DeRozan, who came second in last season’s NBA Clutch Player of the Year Award voting behind Golden State’s Steph Curry.
Having not missed more than 11 games in a season since 2012 and averaging 20.1 points per game in each of his last 11 NBA seasons, the Kings add an undeniably durable and proven offensive threat in DeRozan.
As it stands, Sacramento’s offensive core, centered around DeRozan, Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk and Keegan Murray, appears as high-powered as ever before.
But if any lesson was learned last year, it’s that Brown and Co., for the sake of the Kings’ chances of a long, successful season, will want less cathartic fourth quarters.