The Sacramento Kings dropped an expected loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, largely thanks to the efforts of superstars Luka Doncic and LeBron James. It highlights a major issue the Kings will have to contend with: they lack superstars of their own, and it will be hard to find any that fit.
Over the course of the franchise's existence, particularly in Los Angeles, the Lakers have been home to some of the greatest superstar players in the history of the league. That includes Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant.
For the past several years, one of the most successful teams in the history of the game has been led by one of the greatest athletes to ever play it, LeBron James. His run with the Lakers probably hasn't produced as many titles as he had hoped, but he at least picked up one.
Since James is 40 and in his 23rd season, his time in the NBA is coming to an end, basically any day at this point. Fortunately for LA, they caught a lucky break thanks to the negligence of former Mavericks' general manager Nico Harrison and traded for generational superstar Luka Doncic.
The Kings need a massive player like James or Doncic
A massive problem the Kings face is that they have quite literally none of that. During their 40-year history in Sacramento, they've had great players and solid teams. However, they have never had a superstar of the caliber of LeBron James or Luka Doncic to lead them. And that's a problem.
In last night's loss to the Lakers, Luka and LeBron combined for 58 points, eight rebounds, 12 assists, five steals, and one block. That last stat is the least impressive of them. If Austin Reaves is healthy, and he won't be for a month, those numbers jump even higher as he's a strong third option.
It's not that the Kings don't have big names. The problem is that two of their biggest players, DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook, are rapidly aging out of the league. The other two, Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine, are inconsistent on offense and non-existent on defense.
The Kings have a lot of good, young players on the team. But they need someone to rally around, a superstar leader that can take them to the next level. Unless the Kings manage to trade for that player somehow, getting him will prove to be a financial issue for the next few seasons.