Kings continue to search for an identity after 8-8 start to season

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Two seasons ago, the Sacramento Kings were a gritty, resilient team. After losing the first four games of the year, they only dropped three games in a row twice the rest of the season. They relied heavily on offense, played porous defense, but they were fun and refused to back down.

Despite bringing back virtually the same team from the 2022-23 campaign, last season’s Kings squad lost part of the identity they had established the year before. They were a much better defensive squad, but the season was defined more by bad losses to teams like the Pistons, Hornets, Trail Blazers and Wizards, than it was the 46 wins they posted. 

Through 16 games, the latest version of the Kings are searching for that elusive identity. They are 8-8 on the season, which in the wild Western Conference, isn’t nearly good enough. 

Sacramento walks into Sunday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets in 12th place in the West. Their longest losing streak is just two games, but their longest win streak is only three. They have struggled to gain momentum at any point during the season, although it’s very early.

The advanced numbers would indicate that the Kings are closer to being a good team than a bad one. Sacramento currently ranks 10th in offensive rating at 114.1 and their defensive rating of 112.1 is 14th overall. 

During a media session last week, head coach Mike Brown mentioned that the team had played their first 15 games in just 26 days. The previous season it took 31 days to get to the 15 game mark and it took 33 days to get to the 15 game mark during the 2022-23 season.

The NBA Cup is likely the culprit for the compacted early season schedule, but every team in the league is facing something similar. After an 0-2 start to group play and a -20 point differential, the Kings’ chances of moving on in Cup play are close to zero.

Sacramento had the disadvantage of walking into the season with two major rotational pieces in Trey Lyles and Kevin Huerter missing all of preseason. They have also had games lost due to injury for Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis, but every team in the league has bumps and bruises.

I often like to quote the late Paul Westphal and say that “there are reasons and there are excuses.” There are reasons the Kings sit at 8-8, but we can’t make excuses. Every team in the league is facing the same issues and Sacramento hasn’t risen above the noise and produced. 

Friday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers was a microcosm of the entire season. The team finally had three days to rest up and recover. They had two days of practice and those practices included Sabonis and DeRozan. 

When the Kings stepped on the court, they looked like a collection of 10 players who had never played a minute together. There was no continuity. They couldn’t hit shots. Again, there was no identity to rely on outside of inconsistency. 

It’s too early to point fingers with any authority. The entire team forgot how to shoot 3-pointers for a two week period. Specific players have been wildly inconsistent, including Keegan Murray, Kevin Huerter, Trey Lyles and Keon Ellis. The assist numbers are a concern, as is the 3-point defense.

The Kings have the look of a team that needs more time to simmer in the pot, but at what point is that still a reasonable response. The team hasn’t fallen out of the race, even if the early season record is a concern. Every step forward comes with an equal step backward, which is exactly why Sacramento is a .500 club.

Monk still on the mend

As mentioned above, the Kings regained the services of both DeRozan and Sabonis for Friday’s loss to the Clippers. DeRozan scored 16 points, but he shot 6-for-19 from the field, missed all five of his 3-point attempts and he hit just 4-of-8 from the free throw line. 

Sabonis was a monster in LA. He scored 24 points to go with 15 rebounds and four assists, but he also turned the ball over six times. The turnover issue is a recurring theme. In his last five games, Sabonis has 27 total turnovers and just 26 assists. 

It wasn’t seamless, but the Kings need DeRozan and Sabonis healthy and back on the court to build continuity. The team also needs star sixth man Malik Monk, who has missed six straight games due to an ankle sprain. 

Monk was listed as out for Sunday’s game when the injury report came out on Saturday. On Sunday morning he was upgraded to doubtful and then upgraded again to questionable, before Mike Brown said he would miss the game. He was cleared earlier in the week to resume basketball activities. He should be re-evaluated soon and barring a setback, it would be surprising if Monk wasn’t back on the court, as early as Monday’s game against OKC.  

The Kings are just 2-4 without Monk on the court, although DeRozan missed three of those games and Sabonis missed two. Monk is averaging 12.6 points and 2.8 assists in 25 minutes per game so far this season. His numbers are down slightly, but he is an incredibly important piece to the Kings’ puzzle. His energy off the bench is sorely missed.  

Busy week

The Kings play Sunday against the Nets, but that is just the start of a crazy week. They return to Golden 1 Center on Monday night to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on the second night of a back-to-back. Following that contest, they hit the road with stops in Minnesota on Wednesday and Portland on Friday before returning home on Sunday to take on Victor Wembanyama, Harrison Barnes and the San Antonio Spurs.