Ever since he decided to come here this offseason, DeMar DeRozan has been a fan favorite for fans of the Sacramento Kings. The sixteen-year veteran has continued the same metronomic scoring he has been known for throughout his career, averaging over 20 PPG (21.9 PPG) for the 12th straight season.
Unfortunately, based on this metric, DeRozan's brand of scoring hasn't been all it is cracked up to be.
DeMar DeRozan takes a lot of tough shots
The invaluable website BBall Index has a metric called "Overall Shot Quality." According to their website, this metric "measures how difficult a player’s shot attempts are. It accounts for shot location, type, defense, and movement."
Anyway, as of February 19, DeRozan has the second-worst shot quality of a player in the NBA. The only player with a lower score in this area is Brandon Ingram (a very similar player to DeRozan), who was just traded by the New Orleans Pelicans because they didn't want to re-sign him to a big contract.
The bottom 10 in Overall Shot Quality
— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) February 19, 2025
1. Brandon Ingram
2. DeMar DeRozan
3. Anfernee Simons
4. Jordan Clarkson
5. Cade Cunningham
6. Khris Middleton
7. LaMelo Ball
8. Jaren Jackson Jr.
9. Joel Embiid
10. Cam Thomas
These players take the toughest shots
It is impressive that, despite his tough shot diet, DeRozan is still in the 61st percentile in true shooting (58.3%). It's a testament to his immense skill as a scorer.
However, at the end of the day, the name of the game isn't to hit as many tough shots as possible. It is to hit as many shots as possible. In general, you have a better chance of hitting shots if they are easier. So, it is better to be someone who gains access to a lot of easy shots than it is to be someone who takes (and makes) a lot of contested jumpers (hence why some people believe the Kings can't win with DeRozan).
The best example of this is Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Bryant was the more skilled player, and he hit a lot of memorable shots. However, because O'Neal could use his physicality to create high-value shots in the paint, he was always the more efficient scorer during their primes. For instance, in 2002-03, O'Neal's true shooting percentage (60.2%) was over five percentage points higher than Bryant's (55%).
To be fair to DeRozan, his shot quality isn't always this low. Usually, he can compensate for his propensity to hoist midrange shots by sprinkling in escapades toward the rim. However, this year, that part of his game has seemed to have completely left him, as he has gone from being in the 55th percentile in rim attempts to the 20th percentile this year.
As a result, despite touting what some may consider elite offensive personnel, the Kings have only posted an offensive rating that ranks in the 79th percentile leaguewide in DeRozan's minutes (per Cleaning the Glass).