Kings' DeMar DeRozan: Taking steps in right direction

DeRozan (back), who has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Hawks, has been cleared for individual on-court workouts, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.

While DeRozan will be sidelined for a third straight game Monday, the Kings are labeling him as day-to-day, and a return to action in Sacramento's next contest Friday versus the Clippers could be a possibility if all goes well over the next few days. Given that he's been sidelined for about a week with lower-back tightness, DeRozan shouldn't require a lengthy ramp-up period and likely won't have many restrictions with his minutes once he's cleared to play again.