With four NBA teams in California, it's not surprising there would be a few rivalries between the Golden State franchises. Naturally, proximity makes the Lakers and Clippers natural rivals. The same is true of the Warriors and the Kings, who are just down the road from each other.
That doesn't mean other rivalries don't exist. The Lakers and the Kings have a quite a bit of strife between them, which was exacerbated by a contentious Western Conference Finals between the two teams during the Kings' Mike Bibby era. It was a series for the ages.
Well, the Kings are going to keep that trend going as they close out the NBA preseason by heading to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers. It will be a tough test for the Kings as it's their first time taking on a slimmed down Luka Doncic who is ready to play his first full season in LA.
The Lakers and the Kings need to find a groove
One thing that these two rivals have in common is the need to find a rhythm fast. Outside of losing Jonas Valanciunas, the Kings didn't make a lot of big moves in the offseason. This leaves them in the same place they were last season, with an unbalanced roster that has been weakened by bad trades.
On top of that, this will be the first season with Zach LaVine on the team for a full season, knock on wood. Much like Doncic and the Lakers, the team dynamic is still evolving but in an environment that gives no quarter. Both teams will have to get into a groove really quickly or get left behind.
At least LaVine doesn't have to worry about an aging superstar who doesn't know when to stop.
The Kings head down to Los Angeles on Friday, October 17 to pay a visit to the Lakers in Crypto.com Arena in both teams' last preseason game. It will be an important bellwether for how the season might look for each party.