DeMar DeRozan reflects on overwhelming debut season with Kings

Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan saw his debut season with the Kings end on Wednesday night. The Kings lost 120-106 to the Dallas Mavericks in the play-in tournament, and after the game, DeRozan shared his thoughts on the next steps in his career.

DeMar DeRozan reflected on his career's timeline and the urgency to make the most of his remaining years in the league:

"I'm going into my 17th season, that's the reality of it," DeRozan said. "For me, you don't have many opportunities left to give yourself a chance to compete in the playoffs. That's all you kind of want at this stage of your career."

"Just get a chance to get in there and see what happens. It's probably the most I've been through in my 16-year career. The season we had was a lot. It’s too hard to fathom right now," DeRozan added.

In the loss against the Mavericks, DeRozan recorded 33 points, seven rebounds and two assists. He ended his debut season with 22.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.

He joined the Kings to play alongside experienced coach Mike Brown and De'Aaron Fox. However, Coach Brown was fired and Fox left to join the San Antonio Spurs, leaving DeRozan in a difficult spot.

Now that the season has ended for the Kings, DeRozan is seemingly expecting tough decisions to be made in the organization. Shortly after the Kings' exit on Wednesday, the Kings parted ways with general manager Monte McNair, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

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DeMar DeRozan makes history in Play-In Tournament exit

DeMar DeRozan has been the most consistent performer for the Sacramento Kings. The exit of Aaron Fox to the Spurs pushed him to become the team's primary offensive threat.

Following the loss and the end to his season, DeRozan made history. He became one of six players in league history to average 20+ points per game in 12+ consecutive years, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki.

The last time DeRozan failed to average 20+ points was the 2012/13 season with the Toronto Raptors. He averaged 18.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game that season.