Paycom Center, powered by an electric crowd, had been shut off for the night.
Fans had already cleared out of the arena about 45 minutes after OKC’s 107-101 win over Sacramento on Oct. 28. And even the visitors’ locker room was nearly empty, as Kings players were eager to hit the road and leave their narrow defeat in the rearview mirror.
Except for DeMar DeRozan, who sat alone in the back-right corner of the room. The 36-year-old pro was putting on his Fear of God Essentials sweatsuit set and crispy Nike Air Force 1s so he could join his teammates on the bus, which was having its last call in a few minutes.
But DeRozan made time when asked if he could answer some questions about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. OKC’s Canadian-born superstar spent his pre-teen years watching the Toronto Raptors, which is around when DeRozan started playing for them.
Nowadays, Gilgeous-Alexander and DeRozan share the floor in the NBA.
And they’ll face off again when OKC visits Sacramento at 9 p.m. Friday for the start of NBA Cup group play.
“To see him representing Canada to the level that he is, it’s amazing,” DeRozan told The Oklahoman of Gilgeous-Alexander. “He’s the MVP. A champion. One of the faces of the NBA. … He’s just got the skillset and the toolbox to be able to create any type of shot, and he’s got the confidence to go along with it.”
Gilgeous-Alexander’s formative years as a basketball player were shaped by all-time greats.
He was inspired by the swagger and authenticity of Allen Iverson, so much so that he replicated the superstar’s look with braids and a headband on the court. He was also inspired by the killer mindset and play style of Kobe Bryant, whose game can be seen in flashes when Gilgeous-Alexander suits up.
But Gilgeous-Alexander channeled their greatness through a TV screen inside his childhood home in Hamilton, Ontario. To see high-level hoops in person, he’d make the 40-some mile trip to Toronto.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who was born in 1998, remembers watching guys such as Morris Peterson, TJ Ford and José Calderón in the mid-2000s. Legends in the land of maple leaves who were considered solid players by the rest of the basketball world.
But when DeRozan joined Toronto as the ninth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, he was clearly different. The hyper-athletic forward could’ve probably touched the top of the CN Tower with a running start. DeRozan had been dunking since the sixth grade just like Vince Carter, a Raptors legend who was before Gilgeous-Alexander’s time.
DeRozan went on to earn four All-Star appearances throughout his nine seasons with Toronto from 2009-18. And he still leads the franchise in points (13,296) and games played (675), among many other categories.
“For me, he was like the first superstar in Toronto,” Gilgeous-Alexander told The Oklahoman of DeRozan. “The city loved him, and he loved the city. He was like a high flyer. And I was too young to experience Vince (Carter), so he was the first high flyer that I’d seen. He was tough.”
Even the most gravity-defying athletes have to come down to Earth eventually, which is why DeRozan has developed an elite mid-range game over the years.
The 6-foot-6 forward only needs a sliver of space to navigate congested lanes and get to his spots. And he needs even less breathing room to elevate over his defender for a bucket.
DeRozan led the NBA in mid-range shot attempts per game in six of the last 10 full seasons. He averaged 7.6 tries on 43.8% shooting during that decade-long stretch. It’s an impressive level of efficiency considering not only the volume but the difficulty of shots for DeRozan, who’s often asked to operate on a time crunch.
“My mantra to our guys is making sure the ball is touching one side to the other,” said Kings head coach Doug Christie, who coincidentally played for the Raptors as well. “Player movement. Ball movement. The ability to share the basketball. And then when you get to that point where there’s a grenade, and that’s eight seconds or less, (DeRozan) is a professional grenade handler.”
Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the few players who can disarm a defense just as well.
DeRozan is leading the NBA in mid-range shot attempts per game again this season. The poster child of consistency is unsurprisingly averaging eight tries on 43.8% shooting. But Gilgeous-Alexander ranks second with 6.1 attempts per game, and he’s shooting 45.5%.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s go-to move is to tightrope the baseline. And even the most physical defender can’t throw off his balance, as he stops on a dime before elevating for a bucket.
Gilgeous-Alexander says he didn’t necessarily take inspiration from watching DeRozan’s mid-range game as a kid. Still, he sees the similarities.
“It’s all basically the same,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You get to a spot you like, you shoot a shot you like and then you have counters with it. (DeRozan) does a really good job of getting to his spots. A lot of times, it feels like you’ve just got to be there and hope he misses.”
DeRozan didn’t do a lot of that during Sacramento’s loss to OKC on Oct. 28.
With 11:15 left in the game, DeRozan caught a grenade along the baseline. And despite facing the suffocating defense of Lu Dort, who was wrapped tighter around him than his compression leg sleeves, DeRozan quickly elevated and drilled the 16-footer.
That silenced the entire stadium, which was eager to explode if OKC got a stop. But the only player on the Thunder’s bench who reacted was Gilgeous-Alexander, who recoiled in his seat after seeing the sensational shot.
Tough, as he would put it.
Of course, Gilgeous-Alexander had to hit an even tougher shot. He sank a stepback 3-pointer over none other than DeRozan with 15.5 seconds remaining, which gave OKC a six-point lead and secured its victory.
As soon as the final buzzer sounded, Gilgeous-Alexander walked over to DeRozan and dapped him up. The interaction was brief, with only a handful of words exchanged in passing.
But Gilgeous-Alexander made time to show respect, which is all DeRozan could ask for.
“It’s always an honor when you get recognized in any type of way by the generation under you,” DeRozan said. “And I’m pretty sure he’s gonna do the same for somebody who’s watching him now. That’s the cool thing about sports.”
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
Thunder at Kings
TIPOFF: 9 p.m. Friday at Sacramento, California (FanDuel Sports Network)
