SACRAMENTO KINGS: 44.5 WINS – OVER
Key Additions
- Chris Duarte (trade)
- Nerlens Noel (free agency)
- Sasha Vezenkov (free agency – Europe)
- JaVale McGee (free agency)
Key Subtractions
- Richaun Holmes
Rotation
- Guards
- De’Aaron Fox, Davion Mitchell, Malik Monk
- Wings
- Kevin Huerter, Chris Duarte
- Forwards
- Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, Sasha Vezenkov
- Bigs
- Domantas Sabonis, Trey Lyles, Alex Len
Random thoughts, opinions, comments, declarations, queries, editorials, etc.
It wasn’t a fluke. Mike Brown brought the Warriors offense over from Golden State, used Sabonis as a Jokic-lite fulcrum, and the Kings O became the best in the league. They hit on 2 big trades. The first was trading Tyrese Haliburton for Domas Sabonis, criticized throughout the league, but turned out to be one of the rare deals that help both teams equally. The second transaction was giving a 1st rounder to the Hawks for Kevin Huerter, who averaged 15ppg along with 40% from 3.
I recall several years ago, when Vivek Ranadive decided to fire Michael Malone, he stated that he wanted the Kings offense to “look more like jazz than a marching band.” In other words, faster, more free-flowing, unexpected, unpredictable, etc. He wanted it to look like Golden State’s, in truth, and not the DeMarcus Cousins-Tyreke Evans ISO Ball snooze fest. Well, now he has his offense, with the fastest player in the league end-to-end in all-star De’Aaron Fox, a battering ram with passing chops in Sabonis, and both of them surrounded by shooting all over the court. And finally, a respected veteran head coach in Coach of the Year, Mike Brown. They’re not a fluke. They’re not going away. Go Kings!
Last Year – Interesting Stats
- 119.4 offensive rating – 1st in the NBA
- 120.7 points per game – 1st in the NBA
- 2nd in FG%
- 3rd in Assists per game
- Domas averaged 11.9 FGA per game, his lowest since becoming a starter.
- Domas averaged 19.1ppg, along with 7.3 AST and 12.3 REB
- Domas shot 61.5% from the field
Keys to Success
They grab a serviceable 3&D wing off the buyout market like Reggie Bullock, De’Aaron’s 3pta go down but his FTA go up, Sabonis begins to hit the 12-15 ft jumper consistently, Murray takes a step
Potential Obstacles
De’Aaron continues to try to be a volume 3pt shooter, Huerter’s poor playoff performance carries into the regular season, Monk & Huerter butt heads for the starting SG spot, Sabonis’ physical style of play catches up with him via nagging injuries,
Hot takes
- The Kings blow away their over under and reach the 50 game plateau
- They once again finish in the top 5 in ppg and offensive rating
- Malik Monk puts up two 50 point games this season
- Malik Monk finishes top 3 in 6th Man of the Year voting
- The Beam becomes a cowbell-level annoyance
STANDINGS PREDICTION: 1ST IN THE WEST
