The Sacramento Kings have gotten off to an absolutely brutal start this season with a record of three wins and seven losses. While they have a lot of issues to correct, some of this isn't their fault. The NBA handed them a savage schedule from day one of the season through the end of 2025.
Let's be clear in that no one is suggesting that the Kings are not the architects of their own basketball purgatory. There are a lot of great players on the team, and they are all giving 110% to win. The problem is the internal imbalance which leaves the roster lacking on defense and playmaking.
It's also hard to totally blame the current front office. They inherited this mess and are trying to make the most of it. Unfortunately, they are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to salaries. Sacramento has a lot of big money contracts and are limited in the moves it can make.
While the front office is trying to make adjustments whenever possible and the team is fighting hard, it's important to remember that it will be a couple of seasons before any major roster changes are likely to be made. That doesn't mean the NBA has to make things harder than they need to be.
The Kings have a terrible schedule
If you look at the Kings' schedule up to December 31, they are regularly taking on all the big guns in the league. In roughly three weeks, they are scheduled to face the OKC Thunder three times, which is nuts. The Kings have already faced them twice and will do it one more time in November.
On top of that, Sacramento is taking on the Nuggets and the Timberwolves three times before the end of the year, as well as the Rockets and Lakers twice each. That doesn't even count solo stands against the Spurs, Pistons, and Bulls. It's an insane schedule to start off the season with.
This is making it hard for the Kings to get any momentum going. They beat the Jazz, then face the Lakers. They take down the Bucks, then take on the Nuggets. They defeat the Warriors, then get utterly stomped by the Thunder. It's not exactly a favorable schedule for Sacramento.
In the New Year, it gets a bit better as the Kings have more games against teams like the Pelicans, Nets, and Hornets. Still, Sacramento needs to string a couple of wins together to find its rhythm, which is hard to do when they're constantly taking on the league's heavyweights.