DeMar's bonkers debut proves he's not delusional about Conference Finals aspirations

The Western Conference (per usual) is filled with heavy hitters. You have the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Dallas Mavericks, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and, of course, the last West team to win the NBA title, the Denver Nuggets.

With so many strong contenders, hardly anyone is talking about the Sacramento Kings as a serious threat to do anything other than (maybe) win a playoff series. That is why when marquee offseason addition DeMar DeRozan shared his goals for the team in 2024-25, it raised some eyebrows.

If you don't know what we're talking about (or are just too lazy to watch the tweet above – no judgment!), DeRozan predicted that the Kings will be in the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2002.

Many people probably scrolled to that tweet, saw DeRozan's take, chuckled, and then went about their day fantasizing over a Thunder/Mavericks reunion in the West Finals. But those folks may have to eat their words, at least if the first preseason game is any indication.

DeRozan's Strong Preseason Debut

Listen, I am the first person to tell you that the preseason is not intended to be used for projecting team success in that season. My favorite example of this is the 2008 Detroit Lions, who went a perfect 4-0 in the preseason only to go an imperfect 0-16 in the regular season.

But while the preseason doesn't tell you how good a team will be, it does give you insight into how a team's pieces may fit together. And given that DeRozan is the newest member of the crew, Kings' preseason games will tell us if he matches the rest of the group's chemical balance.

If game numero uno of the preseason is a harbinger of things to come, DeRozan is going to fit right in. Not only did he score 15 points, but DeRozan was a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor. And despite losing by ten (it's preseason, who cares), the Kings were a +8 in DeRozan's 15 minutes of action.

The best part is that if you look at the tape, DeRozan displayed great chemistry with the Kings' star big man, Domantas Sabonis.

Again, you shouldn't try to analyze a team's outlook for an entire season based on one preseason game, especially one that they lost. But if DeRozan, a clearcut top 50-60 player in this league, can continue to synergize like this with this roster, the Kings are a much more dangerous team than most people believe them to be.

Heck, they may be so dangerous that DeRozan's words will be proven to be right.