At last, the Sacramento Kings appear more like their former selves.
High scoring, quick speed, excellent three-point shooting, and lots of ball movement. That was the hallmark of the Kings’ historically outstanding offensive from the previous campaign, which helped them return to the postseason. The starting lineup, which included Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, and Harrison Barnes, was a well-oiled machine with enormous attacking potential.
The 2023–24 season wasn’t exactly the same in many ways. Fox looked like an MVP candidate early in the season, but the Kings collapsed while he was sidelined due to an ankle injury. He appeared worn out or injured in the beginning of the year, frequently settling for threes instead of reaching the rim.
Early in the season, Murray had offensive difficulties as he adapted to his increased defensive duties and the demands placed on him to be more than a catch-and-shoot threat. Huerter and Barnes found it difficult to make an impact, therefore on many occasions the stat sheet was surprisingly barren.
fresh inclusions Sasha Vezenkov, Chris Duarte, and JaVale McGee—all expected to be significant role players—struggled to fulfill that expectation. For a large portion of the season, nothing seemed to be going as well as it should have on either end of the court, and the Kings had a poor start to 2024.
They were eliminated from the postseason picture for a spell due to a four-game losing skid that included blowout losses to the 76ers sans Joel Embiid, devastating overtime losses to Damian Lillard and the Bucks, blowout losses to the Suns, and losses to the Pacers without their two best players.
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It also created quite a fuss about the trade deadline. The Kings’ intentions to make some moves were clear long before that, but the team’s recent struggles caused many fans to call for big changes in the starting lineup.
Thankfully, the Kings responded to their losing run with a return to form similar to that of the previous campaign. They defeated the Hawks, Warriors, and Mavericks in three straight games.
In particular, Barnes has been outstanding, packing the stat sheets with scores that are out of this world. The seasoned player rarely receives many touches or plays called for him. The Kings are playing smart if he is making as many quality shots as he has lately.
They have been shooting well, playing quickly, attacking the paint, and moving the ball during these last three games. With the exception of Huerter’s eight points against the Hawks, all three starters scored in double figures, and the Kings are finally starting to look like themselves. Fox and Huerter look like themselves again.
This shift has undoubtedly been mostly attributed to players making their shots and having good looks, but defense has also played a role in the last two games. We don’t often get to commend the Kings’ defense, but lately they’ve been playing well, causing mistakes and getting stops.
Since stops, thefts, and deflections allow the Kings to go out and run and play the game at their own speed, good defense invariably results in improved offense. Murray has been leading the charge, gathering blocks and doing his best to protect Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry.
They are not performing flawlessly, of course; every team has its shortcomings. Although the Kings continue to struggle with fourth-quarter performance and missed free throws, it is encouraging to see them eventually resemble the club that won the league title the previous year. All they have to do now is continue it for the remainder of the season.
