DeMar DeRozan’s Frustration Boils Over as Kings’ Skid Hits 13 Games
DeMar DeRozan has built a career on poise. He’s the type of veteran who keeps his head down, leads by example, and rarely lets emotion get the best of him. But Monday night in Sacramento, even DeRozan couldn’t hide his frustration.
During the Kings’ loss to the New Orleans Pelicans - their 13th straight defeat - DeRozan had a rare outburst. In the third quarter, he slammed a water bottle to the floor in visible disgust, a moment that stood out precisely because it was so uncharacteristic.
So what pushed the 36-year-old All-Star to that point?
“A lot of stuff we do is self-inflicted,” DeRozan said after the game. “Us not being in the right spots, make it a chain reaction, them getting back in transition, getting easy shots, easy buckets. So [the water bottle incident] was just me wanting us to play the right way - win, lose or draw.”
It wasn’t just frustration with the scoreboard. It was frustration with the process - or lack thereof. The Kings weren’t just losing; they weren’t competing at the level DeRozan expects, especially from a group trying to build something meaningful.
Head coach Doug Christie, who’s no stranger to the emotional rollercoaster of NBA life, saw it firsthand. The former Kings guard turned coach made his way over to DeRozan on the bench to try and calm the storm.
“I went down and sat with him for a second just to talk to him,” Christie said. “His frustration is more about, first of all, ending a skid, and also after being so close that it could go either way in so many games - this is the first time in a minute where we had this kind of result where we weren’t really in a game.”
That’s the part that stings. Sacramento has been close in several of these recent losses.
But Monday night? It got away from them early, and there was no late push, no crunch-time drama.
Just a flat performance that left one of the league’s most respected veterans visibly fed up.
And that’s where the bigger picture comes into play.
DeRozan is deep into his career, with All-Star nods, playoff battles, and a reputation as one of the league’s most consistent scorers. But now, he's anchoring a team that’s clearly building for the future - not the present.
Christie acknowledged as much before the game, using a gardening metaphor to describe the Kings’ long-term vision.
“The garden does not grow overnight,” Christie said. “You’ve got to go and pick the weeds.
You’ve got to tend to the garden. You’ve got to water it.
You’ve got to care for it, and when there’s bugs and stuff, you’ve got to get those out, too.”
The metaphor paints a vivid picture of development - slow, sometimes messy, and requiring patience. But when you’re a 36-year-old chasing wins and not just growth, patience can wear thin.
Still, DeRozan isn’t a “bug” in this system. He’s more like the seasoned gardener trying to teach the younger hands how to tend the soil.
Rookies like Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud have started to find their rhythm playing alongside DeRozan. Clifford, in particular, is coming off a 30-point performance against Cleveland, showing flashes of the scoring potential that Sacramento hopes to cultivate.
But development takes time - and the NBA’s trade deadline waits for no one.
Sacramento reportedly explored trade options involving DeRozan before Monday’s game. Big names like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant, and James Harden were floating around the market, but ultimately, Kings GM Scott Perry stood pat. No deals were made.
So now, DeRozan remains in Sacramento, riding out a losing streak with a young core and no immediate lifeline in sight. His frustration isn’t about ego or stat lines - it’s about the desire to compete, to win, and to do things the right way.
That third-quarter moment - the water bottle, the glare, the tension - wasn’t just about one game. It was the weight of a season, maybe even a career, pressing down on a player who’s given everything to the game and wants to see that effort matched on the floor.
For now, DeRozan will keep leading, keep mentoring, and keep grinding. But make no mistake: Monday night showed just how heavy this rebuild is starting to feel for a veteran who’s not used to waiting for the garden to grow.