The Sacramento Kings have one of the worst-run organizations in the NBA. All the clashes behind the scenes and the struggles involving various ownership groups have taken their toll over the years.
What Went Wrong Last Season?
Almost everything. The Kings were in a very tough spot for the simple reason that their best player was and is also a player who simply does not yet know how to play good defense, especially against the pick-and-roll. It’s not a secret in the NBA that DeMarcus Cousins is extremely talented, yet he doesn’t react the way he can or should on defense. He becomes a liability for that reason, and if the Kings’ best player is a liability, the team is going to suffer as well. Cousins averaged just under 23 points and 12 rebounds for the team, which are outstanding numbers, and Sacramento certainly benefited from everything Cousins did for the Kings on offense. Yet, being really good at just one half of the larger sport of basketball won’t get it done.
Sacramento was 27th in blocked shots last season. That shouldn’t happen with someone of Cousins’ ability on the court. The Kings were 26th in personal fouls, another indictment of their defense. Their offense was 23rd in terms of turnovers. The team was 22nd in steals, and it was also 30th in assists, a reflection of the fact that Cousins and teammate Rudy Gay, the two best offensive players on the roster, are both one-on-one guys who can hog the ball. Sacramento was 27th in three-point shooting percentage, 26th in three-point attempts, and 28th in three-point shots made. This was a team riddled with flaws, and even small improvements this coming season will still leave this team in a position where it has much to work on. This is a slow process of improvement you’re seeing in Sacramento.
Offseason Changes
The Kings picked up Darren Collison from the Los Angeles Clippers, trying to shore up the point guard spot, which is really thin at the moment and is going to be a huge concern in the coming season. Royce White didn’t last long after being picked up midway through the season. The team also lost Patrick Patterson, John Salmons, Jimmer Fredette, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Aaron Gray, and Travis Outlaw, plus some other castoffs. In the draft, the Kings selected Nik Stauskas of Michigan with the No. 8 pick, and they then went for a project-type big man with Sim Bhullar of New Mexico State.
Projected Finish
The Kings are on the wrong side of the fence in the Western Conference as far as non-playoff teams are concerned. Phoenix was a good non-playoff team and Minnesota was a decent non-playoff team. On the other hand, Denver, New Orleans, Sacramento, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Utah were not good teams among the non-playoff set in the West. It would be a really good season for Sacramento if it could go from being a bad non-playoff team to a good one. However, that’s just not likely with all the defensive flaws this team has.
Pick: 14th in the Western Conference
