After bringing in a new general manager (Scott Perry) and making a decision on who their official coach will be (Doug Christie), the Sacramento Kings look to enter a new era of basketball.
Last offseason, the Kings did their version of an "all-in" move, executing a sign-and-trade to bring DeMar DeRozan to Sacramento. As you are all painfully aware, the 2024-25 NBA season was a sweeping disappointment for the organization, as they were eliminated in the NBA Play-In Tournament for the second straight year.
However, it seems like this new regime has already learned from the old guard, and, as a result, they are taking an entirely new approach heading into 2025-26.
The Kings are using the Pistons' model for success
One year after winning just 14 games, the Detroit Pistons rattled off 44 victories and came within two wins of a playoff series victory against the New York Knicks. Their turnaround is the sixth-best in NBA history.
But this isn't exactly what the Pistons set out to do. Rather, it was a byproduct of the sustainable foundation Detroit built in the prior offseason. Heading into the season, general manager Trajan Langdon preached the value of process and patience.
“I don’t think the goal for us is wins and losses,” Langdon told those in attendance at media day. “We want to win as many games as possible, but it’s putting a group together that puts together a Detroit Pistons identity.”
Langdon made it known that the Pistons weren't trying to take any shortcuts anymore. He wanted to build a strong foundation, and because of this approach, the wins started to pile up naturally.
That is what makes this soundbite from a press conference featuring Perry and Christie so promising for the Kings. During their time, Perry sounded a lot like Langdon did prior to the start of this season.
“I think this year is really about establishing an identity…and a foundation of what it means to be a Sacramento Kings basketball player," Perry told Kings' media.
For a Kings fanbase that has grown accustomed to their organization cutting corners in the hopes of fast success (usually to no avail), this is a refreshing perspective to hear. It offers hope that a new day is really coming in Sacramento. One that is filled with winning and a lot of beam lighting (hopefully).