DeMar DeRozan

Sleep schedules across the globe likely found themselves needing adjustment upon the news of DeMar DeRozan’s arrival to the Sacramento Kings, a luxury move that offered both the NBA’s No. 1 and No. 2 clutch scorers over the last two seasons. Finding the late-night, late-game dramatics awaiting him, seemingly upon arrival in the purple-and-black, the six-time All-Star found that he, too, was capable of in-air adjustments of his own. Skillfully teetering the line between maintaining pace with Minnesota on the scoreboards, but leaving them in the dust on an elevated double-drag screen, DeRozan produces art against four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert through a masterful, around-the-rim reverse banker. Drawing the crowd’s awe, DeRozan’s reverse — a uniquely-competitive counter to a similarly-acrobatic finish from the Minnesota Timberwolves’ superstar one possession prior — cut Sacramento’s deficit to one in the final two-and-a-half minutes. Moonlighting between his status as “President of the Middy Committee” and active foul-drawer, the California-born star produced a statistical campaign that featured 26 points (including 12-of-14 from the charity stripe), eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal on October 24, 2024.