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The Kings continued their hot streak on Sunday night when they hosted a bad Washington Wizards team riding a nine game losing streak. The Kings made quick work of the Wizards, handing them a tenth straight loss by a final of 123-100.

Sacramento improved to 9-2 under interim head coach Doug Christie and 22-20 on the season. They have now strung together six consecutive home wins to climb back to 14-14 at Golden 1 Center. They haven’t lost on their home court since Christie took over the team on December 27.

Not every victory is going to be perfect. The Kings allowed the Wizards to stick around a little longer than you would have hoped, but the team is clearly building momentum. They have one more home game on the current stand with Golden State rolling through Sacramento on Wednesday. Following that game, they will be tested with a six game road trip starting with a back-to-back on Thursday in Denver. 

A win is a win and the Kings are getting used to that feeling again. They have moved into a tie with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and continue to impress under Christie. 

Just be chillin’

Kings fans took a collective sigh of relief when it was announced that Keon Ellis was available for Sunday’s game. The third-year guard rolled his right ankle in the win over the Houston Rockets on Thursday and missed much of the second half.

Not only did Ellis play in the win over the Washington Wizards, but he caught fire from long range, hitting 6-for-8 from deep on his way to 18 points.

“I really just be chillin’, for real,” Ellis said following the win. “I just be chillin’ and when I’m out on the court, I’m just playing basketball, trying to make the right plays and I think the joy just comes from within.”

Ellis is a true diamond in the rough find for the Kings. Undrafted out of Alabama during the 2023 NBA Draft, the defensive specialist is shooting 44.6 percent from three, which is tied for seventh best in the entire NBA. 

“Keon has things that you don’t teach -- instincts and timing and different things on defense,” interim head coach Doug Christie said following the game. “He’s found his way and found his shot and shooting, it comes and goes, but he continues to hone it, he continues to work on it and we/I try to just give him the confidence to shoot the basketball. If you’re open, we trust you, we watch you do your work.”

Since Christie took over the team eleven games ago, Ellis is flourishing. He’s seen a major uptick in minutes, although that is in part due to a combined six games missed from starters De’Aaron Fox, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk.

Under Christie, Ellis is averaging 11.3 points on 50.9% shooting from three in 25.5 minutes per game. He’s also giving the Kings three rebounds and 1.9 steals per game over that stretch, while providing elite perimeter defense. 

It’s not all positive in Sacramento. The Kings are on a run, moving two games over .500 on the season and they’ve climbed back to .500 at home with six straight wins at Golden 1 Center. On the downside, Kevin Huerter’s struggles have continued.

Over his last 16 games, Huerter’s minutes have dropped to 18.6 per night and he’s averaging just 6.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists during this stretch. Huerter is also shooting 37.5 percent from the field in those games and 26.5 percent from 3-point range.

“Kevin is important for us and Kevin is going to make shots, it’s as simple as that,” Christie said of Huerter. “He’s going to get opportunity and when he does, it’s going to fall and when it falls it’s going to help us in ways that we probably can’t even see right now.”

Christie has shown faith in the 26-year-old shooter, even as his shot continues to be off the mark. To add to the stress of the situation, Huerter, and his two-year, $34.8 million contract is mentioned in most trade rumors surrounding the Kings. 

When the Kings broke out during the 2022-23 season and posted 48 wins, Huerter was the team’s third leading scorer. He’s struggled to find consistency since then, but there is still a quality NBA player hiding and it is on Christie and the coaching staff to try and help pull him out of his slump. 

Have you ever overslept for a job interview and showed up late without combing your hair or brushing your teeth? Have you ever showed up for a class and not realized that it was your day to give a speech in front of the class? Have you ever got a date with the cutest girl at school only to fail your drivers test like Corey Haim in License to Drive?

Welcome to Kyle Kuzma’s world.

Kuzma has been attached to the Sacramento Kings since before the 2017 NBA Draft when the Kings passed on the former Utah State star not once, not twice, but three times. The word on the street in Sacramento was that Kuzma had dominated a workout that included North Carolina star Justin Jackson, but it wasn’t enough to sway the Kings to select him No. 5, 15 or 20.

During the 2021 offseason, the Kings had a deal all but done with the Lakers that would have sent Buddy Hield to LA for Kuzma and Montrez Harrell. The Wizards snuck in at the last moment and offered up Russell Westbrook, and Kuz and Harrell went to Washington.

Over the last few seasons, rumors of a potential Kings and Wizards swap have popped up almost every summer and trade deadline. And during the summer of 2023, Sacramento chased Kuzma hard in free agency before he re-signed with the Wizards on a new four-year, $90 million contract.

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Now 29 years old and stuck on a 6-35 Wizards squad, Kuzma had an opportunity on Sunday night to make his case to the Kings one last time. He even walked over to Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé before tip off and shook hands. 

With so much potentially riding on the game, Kuzma went out on the floor and looked every bit the part of a player phoning it in on a horrible team. 

In theory, the 6-foot-9 combo forward is everything the Kings are looking for. He can score, space the floor, rebound and get out on the break. But his performance on Sunday night showed everyone in Sacramento why you don’t trade for a player who chose to stay on the worst team in the NBA.

With all eyes on both Kuzma and Jonas Valanciunas, two players who are known to be available leading up to the February 6 trade deadline, Kuzma posted 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes of action. Those numbers aren’t great, but when you factor in that he shot 3-for-15 from the field, 1-of-7 from 3-point range and turned the ball over four times, this was about as bad of an interview as you could possibly have.

According to a league source, Kuzma’s inefficiency as a player gave members of the Kings’ front office pause in the past. His lackluster performance clearly didn’t help that cause. 

On the flip side, Valanciunas went out on the court and put on a show. The 6-foot-11 center out of Lithuania is a close friend of Domantas Sabonis, but you would not have known it in this game. Valanciunas scored 23 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out three assists in 23 minutes of action. 

“He’s tough, he’s really tough,“ Sabonis said of Valanciunas. “He’s a great player, but he’s been like a big brother to me, a mentor since I got in the league and even way back before the league.“

If the Kings are looking for an upgrade at the backup center spot, Valanciunas and his three-year, $30 million contract is available and can be had for a reasonable price according to multiple reports.

It’s hard to see Valanciunas and Sabonis being able to share the court for more than a few minutes per game, so maybe the Kings aren’t interested in a $10 million per year reserve, but he brings the size and toughness Sacramento needs on the frontline.

As for Kuzma, it’s a tough sell. Washing the stink that comes with playing for a Wizards team that is 21-102 over the last two seasons might take a fire hose. On Sunday night, he looked like he was part of the problem, not part of the solution. 

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