After four games in the 2025-2026 season, the Sacramento Kings have one win and three losses. While there are a lot of issues to look at, rebounds stand out in particular. The Kings were middle of the pack last season, but are almost at the bottom of the league this season, and that's a problem.
It's easy to look at the Kings and think they're one of the best rebounding teams in the league. That's mostly due to Domantas Sabonis, who has led the NBA in rebounds for three straight seasons. In the Kings' recent matchup with OKC, the double-double machine pulled down 18 rebounds.
During the 2024-2025 season, the Kings collected an average of 44.2 total rebounds per game. That breaks down into averages of 11 offensive rebounds per game and 33.2 defensive rebounds per game. In turn, that made Sacramento the 16th in the league at rebounding. Not too shabby.
Unfortunately, the 2025-2026 season has not been as kind. Despite Sabonis continuing to clean the glass and collect rebounds, the team has declined dramatically season over season when it comes to rebounds. They are only averaging 39 per game, dropping them to 28th in the league.
The Kings need to hit the boards
While it doesn't seem like a difference of five rebounds is much, it's actually very telling. This means the Kings are getting fewer second chances on the offensive end of the court. It also means that they're giving other teams more second chances on defense. Neither is a good thing.
It also speaks to the hustle factor. Rebounding requires everyone to ball out and chase down every potential opportunity. That doesn't seem to be happening with the same intensity as last season. And that is going to be a huge problem as the season continues if there isn't improvement.
Having Russell Westbrook on the roster should make a difference. He's known for his hustle, intensity, and almost tunnel-visioned focus on collecting rebounds. Westbrook is picking up steam since joining the Kings. Hopefully, his play will be infectious and push the rest of the team.
That's important because rebounding is a group effort. Sabonis will keep pulling double-doubles, and Russell will keep chasing every ball, but that average isn't going to improve unless the whole team picks up the pace. If they want to turn the season around, the Kings need to crash the glass. Period.