After such a successful, and what most would say, an over-achieving regular season for this Sacramento Kings team, we can look at what caused such a great year. First, we direct our attention to the first-ever unanimous coach of the year, Mike Brown, and what a fantastic job he did with this Kings squad.
Second, the purpose of this piece is what players made a noticeable difference. We can look at the two All-Stars on the team, De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, but most people, including me, would say they did what they were supposed to do. Sabonis has been playing at this high level for the past five years, and Fox has been playing at this level for the past three years and is finally getting the recognition he deserves as one of the top guards in the league.
Besides the two All-Stars, which players showed out for a Kings team that exceeded expectations, and really exceeded their own expectations as well?
1. Kevin Huerter
The sharpshooter in his 5th NBA season had a great impact on the winning of this team. In his first season wearing a Kings uniform, Huerter was able to have the best year of his career. Some people might overlook his great season because of his underperformance in the playoffs, but the spacing and shooting he provided to this team are undeniable.
Having career highs in points per game, three-point shooting percentage, and overall shooting percentage, Huerter was able to fill in the Buddy Hield role perfectly after he was included in the Sabonis trade. Big props to the front office for noticing they had to fill that sharpshooter role and doing it perfectly.
Huerter was one of about 30 players who were able to shoot above 40% from three-point range, as he did so for the first time in his career. He was also able to come in and not only miss just seven games but start all 75 games that he played in.