5 Keys to Sacramento Kings ending their historically bad playoff drought
By Ryan Brennan
2. Keegan Murray needs to prove the doubters wrong
The Sacramento Kings have had terrible luck at the draft in previous years and it’s a large reason they’re in the position they’re in today. The Kings had two real options at No. 4 this offseason and went with Keegan Murray over Jaden Ivey.
Murray is a player that excels offensively and can provide buckets in bunches – and in a hurry. If that skill can translate to the NBA as a rookie, it’ll help propel this Kings’ team into playoff position.
He should have the space to operate with De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis garnering a lot of attention to opposing defenses.
3. Domantas Sabonis needs to emerge as a leader
Aside from the draft, the Kings also haven’t had much luck with free agency – they struggle to bring in big-name players. That’s why this team needs to rely on getting talent through trades and that’s exactly what they did with Domantas Sabonis in February.
In 15 games with the Kings last season, Sabonis averaged 18.9 points, 12.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 0.9 steals per game in 33.6 minutes per game – identical to his production in 46 games with the Indiana Pacers last year but slightly worse than his production a year ago.
If the Kings are going to make the playoffs, Sabonis needs to emerge as a leader on this team – along with De’Aaron Fox. They’re two of the highest-paid players on the team, as well as the most talented, so they need to be consistent, reliable, and efficient.