Sacramento Kings Last Season Performance
The Sacramento Kings entered last season with the longest NBA playoff appearance drought in league history with 15 seasons, tying the record with the Los Angeles Clippers. The last time the team qualified for the playoffs was in 2006.
As expected, they had another tumultuous season that led them to miss the playoffs once again. The Kings didn’t have high hopes of making it into the playoffs, and they indeed missed them, and they had fired their head coach early in the year before allowing Alvin Gentry to end the season as the interim head coach for them.
In February, they acquired Domantas Sabonis, who is a skilled, mobile center that has made two All-Star teams, and he will be the centerpiece of the team for next season. Sabonis is a very skilled passer and playmaker, and he is a good low-post scorer and rebounder that has been very productive over the years. He’ll need to improve his defense and doesn’t have a reliable three-point shot, but his ability to make plays in the paint will enable Sacramento to be competitive next year.
One area where Sabonis really helped the Kings instantly was on the glass. Without Sabonis, the Kings had a 74.9% Defensive Rebounding Rate, a mark that would put them as 3rd worst in the league. With Sabonis on the floor, that jumped up to 83.9%, which would have been the best rate in the league. The Kings haven’t had a rebounder like Sabonis since DeMarcus Cousins, and it’s something they desperately needed as they have consistently been among the league’s worst rebounding teams since trading Cousins.
Sabonis is an incredibly talented player, but by trading a young player like Haliburton for him, the Kings are betting it all on maximizing the potential between him and De’Aaron Fox, and they have to do it relatively soon, as Sabonis is set to be a free agent in a couple of seasons.
The Kings concluded their 2021-22 season following a 116-109 win over the powerhouse Phoenix Suns. With the win, the Kings just secured their 30th win of the season to finish the year with a 30-52 record, placing them 12th in the Western Conference standings. 2021-22 ended with that game, but you can make the argument that, for the Kings, it was over way before that match.
Sacramento Kings Off-Season Changes
The Kings absolutely improved as a team. We need to mention they’ve brought in Mike Brown to be their head coach. The King’s front office is hoping his attention to detail in designing and coaching defense will help cure a lot of what ails this King’s core. This was a very good off-season for the Kings.
Just because the Kings had a good offseason doesn’t mean it will translate to breaking that playoff drought. And considering the renewed depth of the Western Conference, I’m not sure how realistic that is. The good offseason of the Kings has to correct some of the ills of their roster construction of the past
Sacramento Kings Key Additions
Bringing in talents like Keegan Murray, Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk is a very successful offseason for them, especially when you look at how they acquired these three. Murray was a high draft pick, but that’s the kind of pick the Kings don’t typically hit on. They have struggled a lot with drafting over the last decade.
Huerter was added in a very opportunistic trade in which they swooped in to grab a high-quality guard. With Monk, you could argue it’s an overpay, but I don’t believe you can truly have a bad two-year deal. Plus, it won’t take much for Monk to justify just under $10 million per season.
Sacramento Kings Key Subtractions
On the subtraction end, the Cavaliers did not make any flashy moves or significant losses. They did end up losing Donte DiVincenzo after not seeing that much play during the 2021-22 season, which ended up hurting the team-player relationship. DiVincenzo will now be playing for the Golden State Warriors.
Sacramento Kings Head Coach Analysis
Brown, 52, has coached in the NBA as an assistant and head coach for 25 years. His coaching career began in 1997 with the Washington Wizards. After two seasons, Brown was hired by Gregg Popovich to be part of the San Antonio Spurs staff and was employed in San Antonio from 2000-03. Brown won his first championship as a coach with the Spurs in 2003.
After a brief stint with the Indiana Pacers as an assistant, Brown got his first head coaching gig in 2005 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After making it to the 2007 NBA Finals and losing to the Spurs, Brown stayed on until 2010 when he was fired after five seasons at the helm. He got another chance to coach with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011 but was fired after one season. Cleveland hired him again in 2013, but only lasted one season again
It’s safe to say that Brown has been around the block for a long time now. He brings plenty of experience to Sacramento, having coaching stops with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers and most recently serving as an assistant coach under Steve Kerr with the Warriors. Nonetheless, the 52-year-old is also bringing energy too
Brown is attempting to lay the foundation for a winning culture, and although bringing energy during practices is one way, several of his Kings players have praised his coaching style and how easy it is to approach him. “He’s willing to listen,” Domantas Sabonis said. “Some coaches, maybe you’re scared to go up to them. He’s very approachable, and he’s been around all the best in the league. The more I can pick his brain and I feel the better it will be for the team.“
Even if Brown has been criticized due to his philosophy when it comes to building a good offense, his defense acumen will certainly be good for this group. But even though his positive spirit and vast experience should help the Kings’ culture, that doesn’t change the fact that they still play in a Western Conference that is about to get even harder. Brown, of course, is well aware of this fact.
Sacramento Kings Betting Prediction for the 2022-23 Season
The Sportsbook has the Blazers at +50000 odds to win the 2023 NBA Championship and at +25000 to win the Western Conference. How you feel about the Kings next season probably has everything to do with how you feel about the Fox-Sabonis duo. If you believe they can lead a really good offense while minimizing defensive efficiencies enough, then you probably feel like a healthy Kings squad can break into the Play-In Tournament.
There are some good role players around them. Murray might be the real deal. Huerter and Monk have a lot to contribute. Mitchell and Holmes might be able to help Barnes bring a sustainable intensity to defense. But really, the Kings just making the Play-In Tournament and getting knocked out right away would be legitimate progress. That’s what Sacramento is hoping for.
Sacramento Kings Team Leaders
Sacramento Kings Team Ranked Stats
Sacramento Kings Team Summary
Sacramento Kings Team Injuries
Sacramento Kings Team Schedule/Results
Sacramento Kings Team Standings
Sacramento Kings Team Roster
Sacramento Kings FAQs
When was the last time the Sacramento Kings made the playoffs?
When the Kings last made the playoffs in the 2005-06 season, Sacramento was eliminated in the first round 4-2 by the San Antonio Spurs. That loss ended an eight-season streak of playoff appearances.
Do the Sacramento Kings have a chance of winning the Western Conference title?
Not really. Houston, Utah, OKC and San Antonio are all rebuilding, so the Kings should be able to finish ahead of them and be among 11 teams going for 10 spots. They aren’t a top-eight team going into the season, but ninth or 10th and edging out Portland for the Play-In spot is realistic.
Have the Sacramento Kings won an NBA championship?
Yes, though it was a long time ago. The franchise won an NBA championship in 1951 when it was known as the Rochester Royals of New York.
Why Are the Sacramento Kings part of the NBA?
The franchise began with the Rochester Seagrams (a semi-professional team) from Rochester, New York, that formed in 1923 and hosted a number of teams there over the next 20 years. They joined the National Basketball League in 1945 as the renamed Rochester Royals.
