It's Time To Take The Sacramento Kings (and their beam) Seriously

Sacramento is one of the best basketball cities in the NBA. It’s just that they haven’t had anything to cheer for over 16 seasons. The Kings have been laughably bad since their brief stretch of dominance in the early 2000s. Heading into this season, I wanted to root for the Kings. Even if they traded Tyrese Haliburton, I didn’t care. Playoff basketball needed to come to this city.

After a slow start, the Kings have been playing some of the best basketball in the league. New head coach Mike Brown has unlocked this team. After years in the doldrums, Sacramento finally has a chance to get to the postseason.

7th 10th (Offensive) Heaven

The Sacramento Kings are 8-2 in their last ten games. They’ve won six straight games for the first time since January 2005. Yes, it’s been that long. Powered by the almighty victory beam, the Kings have been surging after an ugly 0-4 start.

So, what’s been the name of the game for the Kings during this run? Offense. Sacramento’s defense remains porous. They can’t stop anybody, although they are marginally better than they were in previous seasons. In the meantime, Sacramento’s offense has decided to go bananas.

Over this ten game stretch, here’s how good Sacramento’s offense has been;

125.0 points per game (1st)
51.1% FG (1st)
39.2% 3-PT (1st)
121.7 Offensive Rating (1st)
28.7 assists (2nd)

Sacramento has been playing a fast, run-and-gun style offense. Powered by the likes of Fox and Sabonis, Sacramento can beat you in a lot of ways. Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk have really freed up this offense.

Sacramento’s offense will be a juggernaut all season long. They’re too deep and they have too many weapons. The question is, can they keep this pace up? Obviously, we’re not expecting this output for an entire season. But, can the Kings be a winning team with this formula?

Maybe. Sacramento’s makeup for the past few seasons has been this very formula. Score a lot of points, but give up nearly as many as you score. If the offense slows down, then good-bye winning. It’s a slippery slope, but I ask again;

Can The Kings Win With This Formula?

Defense 101

Why can’t the Kings play defense? Mike Brown is one of the best defensive coaches in the league. If he can’t turn this ship around, who can? Well, the Kings don’t have the best personnel to be a defensive-oriented team. Outside of Davion Mitchell, Sacramento is a team devoid of defenders.

On this six game winning streak, the Kings have the 5th worst defense in the NBA. Opposing teams are shooting a scorching 51% from the field during this span. Sacramento has made more of an effort to limit their opponents 3-PT attempts. However, this has come at the cost of Sacramento’s paint defense, which is one of the worst in the league.

The Kings simply don’t have any rim protection. Domantas Sabonis is physical, but isn’t athletic enough down there. The result? Over the past ten games, opposing teams have been shooting 65% from within 8 feet of the basket. Only the Spurs have been worse in that span.

And that’s what worries me about this Kings team. They don’t have the personnel to become a good defensive team. There’s only so much Mike Brown can do with this defense. No matter what zones, traps, or schemes he throws out there, nothing is working.

I don’t think the Kings will ever be good defensively. It’s hard for them to be. That’s why this team isn’t that different from the Luke Walton era teams. The ones who left so much to be desired and couldn’t defend if their lives depended on it.

Here’s some of their lowlights against the Pistons last night;