Winners and Losers from Sacramento Kings 2022 preseason

The Sacramento Kings 2022-23 roster is finalized after an exciting preseason that saw the team go 4-0. The four-game stretch left fans plenty to be excited about as we near the season opener. Things officially kick off when the Kings host the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday night at 9 PM ET.

Before that, we have time to look at the winners and losers from the Kings four-game preseason slate. Naturally, the fanbase and the team as a whole are honorable mentions as the team took care of business in every single game.

Since those wins and losses don’t mean much, a deeper dive is necessary in order to truly highlight the individual winners and losers. We’ll skip the players that have little to gain from preseason action outside of using it as a final tune-up before the regular season gets started.

That list includes the two leaders of this team that have their roles solidified. Both De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis are locked into their responsibilities for the Kings. No exhibition action could change what they are going to be asked to do.

Fox showed his familiar scoring knack but left a lot to be desired in terms of creating for teammates. Sabonis showed his creation skills but didn’t exactly light it up with his own scoring. For both players, it’s nothing to overanalyze. Wait for the season to get underway when evaluating the two stars.

Winner from Sacramento Kings preseason: Davion Mitchell

Davion Mitchell had a very solid rookie campaign at the absolute minimum. Not every draft pick is a swing at landing a franchise-altering talent, and Mitchell proved himself to be the kind of selection that can be a great pick even if he is never looked at as the star on his team.

After a solid rookie year where he mostly played as a backup guard off the bench (he did start 19 games), Mitchell seems to have taken a step forward in what he can bring to the team as the second unit’s point guard.

He is already going to play strong defense on the perimeter and give opposing guards a hard time on the court. This preseason, he looked much more comfortable leading the team on the offensive end of the floor.

Despite reaching double digits as a scorer only once in the four games, Mitchell was able to do exactly what he needs to do on that end of the court. He got others good looks and took care of the ball.

In no game did he turn the ball over more than one time. That helped him finish the preseason with 16 assists and just three total turnovers. That is exactly the kind of play the Kings need from him. Mike Brown has to be entering the regular season very confident in the point guard combo he has in De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell.