SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) 鈥� As he mapped out plans for training camp, Kings coach Mike Brown settled on a theme 鈥� mountain climbing 鈥� and invited Ed Viesturs to speak to his team before practices begin.
Viesturs is known for summiting the world鈥檚 14 highest peaks without the aid of supplemental oxygen.
鈥淥ur theme over here is climbing together,鈥� Brown said Monday on the eve of training camp. 鈥淎s you climb higher, from the summer work to preseason to the regular season to the playoffs, as you climb higher the struggle gets harder.鈥�
The Kings have made strides up the NBA mountain since to replace Luke Walton in 2022.
They ended the longest playoff drought in league history during Brown鈥檚 first season and have won 40 or more games in consecutive seasons for the first time in nearly two decades.
The Kings took another big step in the offseason when they acquired six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan as part of a three-team trade.
DeRozan will be a focal point of a Sacramento offense that has ranked among the top 10 in scoring each of the past two seasons.
Just don鈥檛 expect to see him scaling nearby mountains any time soon.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 climb a mountain but that鈥檚 why we have metaphors and all that,鈥� DeRozan joked. 鈥淭omorrow is us climbing that mountain. I鈥檓 looking forward to it.鈥�
Expectations are definitely high for the Kings after a busy offseason when they traded for DeRozan, re-signed Malik Monk and . Carter underwent shoulder surgery and isn鈥檛 expected to be cleared to play until January.
Kings general manager Monte McNair is excited about the possibilities.
鈥淎nytime you add a six-time All-Star to what you already have, expectations go up,鈥� McNair said. 鈥淚 think we have a chance to be one of the best offenses in the league. It鈥檚 going to be harder for teams to guard us, especially down the stretch of games.鈥�
While DeRozan is expected to have a significant impact on both ends of the floor, Brown plans to keep his system mostly the same.
鈥淗e鈥檒l fit in fine, with a few adjustments from us to make sure we try to put him in spots that will enhance or showcase his abilities,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a firm believer in belief. You got a guy like DeMar walking through that door, it adds to the belief of everybody.
鈥淲e just have to be cautious that we don鈥檛 change too much or add too much because we already have a way that we like to play. We feel that DeMar can complement that way very easy with a few tweaks.鈥�
DeRozan, who was outspoken in his desire to join the Kings, is open to whatever role Brown has laid out for him.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e seen it over the last couple of years what the team is able to do, the level that they brought it at,鈥� DeRozan said. 鈥淥utside of injuries last year, they (were) a top team. The sky鈥檚 the limit. That was one thing that was an appealing thing to me to even want to come here, is me knowing how incredible this team already was, how well-coached they were. As a competitor, you want to be a part of that.鈥�
Other than trying to find a house in the area, it hasn鈥檛 taken DeRoza much to get acclimated to his new surroundings. He and center Domantas Sabonis got together to work out privately for a few weeks in Southern California, and DeRozan was at the center stage for much of Media Day.
鈥淗e plays at his pace but it鈥檚 effective,鈥� Sabonis said. 鈥淚 feel like we鈥檙e all going to learn a lot just by being around him. We鈥檙e a scoring offense and he can score at every level. He鈥檚 just going to fit in easy.鈥�
Kings point guard De鈥橝aron Fox said DeRozan鈥檚 presence on the floor will likely open things up for his teammates.
鈥淗e gives us a whole (new) dynamic,鈥� Fox said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 one of the best guys in the league. He gets guys open shots.鈥�
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AP NBA:
Michael Wagaman, The Associated Press
