Late game meltdown proves Sacramento offense not as good as it looks on paper

On paper, the Sacramento Kings look like they should have one of the most dynamic offenses in the association. Just look at their roster. Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, and Malik Monk are some of the best offensive players in the league. Then, you have talented scorers like Jonas Valanciunas, Trey Lyles, and Jake LaRavia coming off the bench. Heck, even Keon Ellis has shown the ability to get hot and hit seven threes when he's really feeling it.

In theory, the Kings should be in the top 5 in offensive rating. But instead, they have ranked a pedestrian 15th in offensive rating in the six games since LaVine started suiting up for the team (despite three of those games being against the second-worst defense in the NBA). Some of this is due to the growing pains that come with introducing new players to a new environment. But a lot of this is because the pieces don't fit as neatly as one would have hoped.

The Sacramento Kings were rough in the clutch

Earlier this season, we discussed how, despite having two of the best clutch players in the league, the Kings had a stagnant clutch offense. The reason for this is that DeMar DeRozan and De'Aaron Fox would merely take turns mismatch-hunting and fading into isolation midrange jumpers.

When they were feeling it, this was a serviceable approach. But even a midrange king like DeRozan only shoots in the high 40s from the midrange for his career. So, over half the time, that shot is not going in, and when that happens, the Kings offense goes flat.

This was supposed to change when LaVine – a better shooter than Fox – joined the fray. Unfortunately, despite being a better spacer, he also has a tendency to be a ball-stopper at times. As a result, the team posted a 105.0 offensive rating (a worse offensive rating than the Washington Wizards) in the clutch parts of yesterday's overtime loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

This is the same problem the Chicago Bulls ran into when they employed DeRozan and LaVine. That is why they fell apart so drastically when Lonzo Ball went down. They need great passers to help them avoid their worst habits.

The Kings have great passers in Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis (92nd and 85th percentile in Passer Rating, respectively). However, it seems like they aren't giving them enough usage in the clutch. In the last six games, DeRozan istaking five field goals per game during clutch situations (four clutch games in that span). Meanwhile, Monk is only averaging 2.2, and Sabonis is at just 1.8 attempts per game (per NBA.com).

If the Kings want to unlock their full offensive potential, they need to re-work their clutch offense, which likely means turning away from your clutch king and putting the ball in the hands of your best distributors.