Watch DeRozan drop ‘gems’ against USC’s Watkins during offseason workout originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Once a Trojan, always a Trojan.

That’s certainly true for new Kings forward DeMar DeRozan, who played one season at USC before being named a six-time NBA All-Star.

Even 15 years later, DeRozan hasn’t forgotten where he came from. He was spotted back at his old stomping grounds on Thursday, sharing some pointers with USC’s rising sophomore guard JuJu Watkins during an offseason workout.

Kings assistant coach and former NBA player Doug Christie, a defensive specialist, was also present at the workout.

Watkins later reshared the video to her Instagram Story, writing, “We dropped gems!!!”

DeRozan, 35, started the season as a high-flying forward and has developed into one of the league’s most skilled middle scorers.

After stints with the Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs and most recently the Chicago Bulls, DeRozan joined the Kings this summer in a sign-and-trade deal.

And from established star to rising star, DeRozan shares his expertise with Watkins, who broke the record for most points scored by a freshman in Division I women’s college basketball history with 920 points in the 2023-24 season.

She also broke the USC record for most single-season scorers and the school record for most games with 30 points for a freshman.

Watkins’ game already shares many similarities with DeRozan’s. She’s a volume scorer with a true shooting percentage of 51.3. And with mentors like DeRozan, her journey will only get better.

Both DeRozan and Watkins are poised for a good season this season as they hope to continue representing USC well.

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