As the upcoming NBA season creeps closer and everyone debates where their squad will finish in the standings, now is a good time to look at season goals for the Sacramento Kings.
First Up: Record Improvement
The Sacramento Kings ended last season with a dismal 27-55 record, their worst 82-game record since the 2010-2011 season where they only won 24 games. Their main goal this year has to be to win games. With the team not having a 2019 first-round pick, there is zero incentive for Sacramento to tank.
This doesn’t mean they’ll be playoff contenders, but a meaningful improvement of at least five to ten wins has to be their aim. Without gains in the win column, it’s hard to envision a scenario in which General Manager Vlade Divac and Head Coach Dave Joerger are around past the 2019-2020 season.
Besides, should injuries or trades befall the Western Conference’s middle-tier teams, Sacramento could sneak into the playoffs as an 8-seed. Of course, this is not likely and would require a significant jump in contributions from the likes of De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Marvin Bagley III.
This leads to goal number two…
Get Bogdanovic, Hield, and Fox 30+ Minutes Per Game
This shouldn’t prove too difficult for coach Joerger as the trio averaged 27.9, 25.3, and 27.8 minutes a game last season, respectively. Getting all three of them over thirty minutes per game should be one of the bigger goals for the entire front office, as that could be the key to getting more wins.
While Hield spent most of last season coming off the bench, the spacing provided by both him and Bogdanovic would provide plenty of driving lanes for Fox to take advantage of.
Last season the trio of Bogdanovic, Hield, and Fox played an average of only 6.5 minutes per game, but lineups with those three shot an average of 40.8% from three. They still had a negative net rating, but it sat at just -1.0. Comparatively, their most used three-man lineup had a net rating of -3.5 and their most used five-man lineup had a net rating at -5.0.
Get Marvin Bagley and Harry Giles Playing Time Together
Marvin Bagley will get his minutes. He likely won’t see more than thirty, but an average over twenty-five is likely. Giles, on the other hand, is coming off a lost season as he recovered from a torn ACL. His minutes will depend solely on his health and ability to play long stretches without pain.
Should everything break positively for him, a season of over twenty minutes per game seems feasible. A majority of those minutes need to come alongside Bagley. Sacramento loves to play their big men early and often. Willie Cauley-Stein was in nearly all of their most-used lineup combinations, and the duo of WCS and Zach Randolph averaged sixteen minutes per game. Why not replicate that with Giles and Bagley?
Sacramento wants to have their own version of the twin towers with Fox, Hield, and Bogi surrounding them. The front office believes that’s the key to building their “super team”. Why wouldn’t you put it into action?
Giles has drawn some immense praise from his colleagues and it’d be an absolute waste to not get him going with the second overall pick early. In fact, a lineup featuring Giles, Bagley, Bogi, Hield, and Fox should be their most-used lineup after the All-star Break (health permitting).
Will it happen? Time will tell.
Closing Thoughts
This season’s success is predicated on the advanced development of the Kings’ young core. There is no other way to get around that than by playing the group together for a healthy stream of minutes all season long.
This season is likely a make or break for this front office. Hitting these goals could be the key to making everything go right. Something that would make Vlade Divac and company look like geniuses. If the wheels fall off early, however, some of them might find themselves job hunting this offseason.