Last season, the Sacramento Kings made history. They finally snapped the longest playoff drought in league history and put together the highest-scoring offense the NBA has ever seen. While their playoff run was short and ended after a thrilling seven-game series against the Golden State Warriors, it was still a massive success.
Now it is up to the Kings to prove that last season was no fluke. Here are five reasons why they will be able to do that.
Reason #5: Keegan Murray’s development
As a rookie, Keegan Murray averaged 12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists and quickly established himself as a vital part of the Kings’ offense. His scoring efficiency was unusual for a rookie, and he shattered the record for most threes made in a rookie season that Donovan Mitchell set in 2017-18.
Among all rookies, Murray had the sixth-highest scoring average behind Paolo Banchero, Bennedict Mathurin, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Williams, and Jabari Smith Jr. Out of this group, Murray by far had the least freedom on the court and the slimmest margin of error, as he was the only one to start on a playoff team.
A player’s first trip to the playoffs is always tough, especially when it comes during their rookie season, but Murray prevailed. Now, he is all set up for a sophomore breakout. He had an amazing Summer League stint, he spent a lot of time working with De’Aaron Fox this summer, and he is surrounded by a great coaching staff and other veteran players.
There is no reason why he shouldn’t take a leap in his second season, and his growth is as crucial to the Kings in the long-term as for their immediate future. The Kings won’t surprise anyone anymore in the way they did last year. Teams will try to take them down now, so they might need some extra firepower, and Murray’s growth would help immensely.
Most of his struggles last season were typical rookie issues, especially on defense. At times, he missed rotations, fouled, or fell asleep on the help side, but there is absolutely no reason why that should not improve.
Another possible knock on his game is the lack of self-creation. 97.6 percent of his three-point attempts and 70.9 percent of his two-point field goal attempts were assisted. If that changes, it could take the Kings’ offense to yet another level by giving Coach Mike Brown an additional go-to scoring option.
Murray already showed that he is capable of this in Summer League, and there is no reason why it shouldn’t carry over to the regular season. While he is still surrounded by veterans, he now has their respect and an established role on the roster. No one will blame him if he calls his own number in the right situations.
Reason #4: De’Aaron Fox will continue to improve
Last summer, De’Aaron Fox started to work relentlessly on his three-point shot and free throws, and the work has already paid off. Compared to the 2021-22 season, his three-point percentage went from 29.7 percent to 32.4 percent with an uptick in volume, and his free throw percentage went from 75 percent to 78 percent.
Likewise, his scoring went up to 25 points a game, and he shot a career-high 51.2 percent on field goals. Fox thrives in the new offense with Sabonis, who takes over a lot of playmaking responsibilities, and the idea of long-term success is a motivation to always keep working.
Besides his shooting, Fox also worked on his defense. While he still has plenty of room for improvement here, it was obvious how hard he worked to stick with opponents, get steals or blocks, and collect loose balls.
Coach Brown is a big part of that. He holds everyone accountable, especially his stars, and Fox has been very receptive. It is easy for a star to take time off on the defensive end, but if the Kings want to have continued success, Fox alongside the rest of the team will have to keep working.
Fox is already putting up All-Star numbers, but he could still be a more complete player. If last season is any indication, he will continue to improve on both ends of the floor, and it will make the Kings better as well. Right now, Sacramento basketball goes as far as Fox takes it.
Reason #3: The addition of Sasha Vezenkov
In July, the Kings signed the reigning EuroLeague MVP to a three-year $20 million deal, and it could turn out to be a real steal. Last season, he averaged 17 points on 54.6 percent shooting from the field and 39.8 percent from behind the arc, 7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists.
While his numbers might not be that good in his first NBA season, Vezenkov should still be able to have an immediate impact. At 28, he is mature enough to fit right in and he plays to the Kings’ strengths. The two most important things he will bring are shooting and bench production.
During the last regular season, the Kings’ bench ranked 9th in scoring and soared to first place in the playoffs. Over seven games, the bench averaged 40.3 points. A large part of that was Malik Monk, their go-to scorer off the bench.
Adding another offensive weapon to the bench could make the team even more lethal on the scoring end. Plus, if one of them has a bad night or is injured, the other can pick up the slack and ensure that there is good production coming from the bench every game. A better bench will also make it easier to withstand injuries. The Kings were incredibly healthy last season, but they might not be so lucky again.
Vezenkov’s shooting should allow him to function well in pretty much all lineups. He moves well without the ball, meaning that he should be a good fit next to Sabonis who is an amazing distributor out of the paint as well as next to Fox and Monk, who both like to attack the basket. If Coach Brown plays Vezenkov with Keegan Murray or Kevin Huerter, the Kings’ floor spacing would be elite and allow room for the top scorers to work their magic.
Last but not least, Vezenkov adds a new surprise element that defenses will have to figure out first. Considering that Western Conference contenders will now go after the Kings, a little surprise off the bench could give them an edge.
Reason #2: Continuity
Over the summer, the Kings re-signed Harrison Barnes (3 years, $54 million), Domantas Sabonis (5 years, $217 million), and Trey Lyles (2 years, $16 million). All three were major pieces in last season’s playoff run, and these new contracts allow the team to keep their main rotation intact.
The Kings are returning all nine players who averaged the most minutes during the regular season: De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, Davion Mitchell, Trey Lyles, and Kessler Edwards. This group minus Edwards also formed the main playoff rotation. By bringing all these players back, the Kings are allowing the team to pick up right where it left off.
Last season, the Kings built the number-one offense in the league with little familiarity. Now, the main guys all know how to play with each other, and even Chris Duarte, one of the new offseason additions, already has a relationship with Sabonis from their days in Indiana.
For the most part, Coach Brown knows his personnel, which was not the case last season. Ideally, there will be less experimenting with lineups early in the season, and the Kings can start their playoff quest on the right note.
This is also the perfect opportunity to build the foundation for a future of long-term success. Thanks to the new contracts, the Sabonis, Fox, Barnes, Murray, and Huerter are all under contract through the 2025-26 season. If the Kings offer Monk another contract once he hits free agency next summer, they could have their top six players competing together for several seasons.
Reason #1: Motivation to keep winning
No one likes to lose. It’s as simple as that. For years, the Kings were at the bottom of the NBA and that is not a nice place to be. Now that the team has gotten a taste of winning, they won’t want to lose it after just one season.
There is pride in being a part of the squad that pulled a franchise out of the kind of hole the Kings had been in since 2006. Every single player on this team will want to prove that 2023 was no fluke and that energy is important. Putting together a successful season in a conference that is as stacked as the West is tough. You need the right mindset, and the Kings should have just that.
Fox, for example, was a top draft pick in 2017 and is now finally living up to all the expectations that come with that. He established himself as a great scorer, made his first All-Star appearance, and led his team to the playoffs.
Likewise, Sabonis never found much success with the Pacers and was usually more of a second thought when it came to the best centers in the league. Both want to compete at the highest level and prove that their All-Star seasons and the team’s success were no fluke.
That energy will carry over to the rest of the team and they are not alone. Harrison Barnes won a title with the Warriors in 2015 but had to endure a lot of losses since he joined the Kings in 2018. He would probably love to spend as much time as possible on the big stage before his career draws to a close.
On top of that, as mentioned before, Malik Monk’s free agency is coming up. If the Kings keep winning, and he is still a big part of it, he will see a nice pay raise coming his way.