3 Biggest disappointments of the Sacramento Kings’ season to this point

No NBA team is perfect, and imperfection has defined the Kings’ 2023-24 season. The roster still has holes, especially defensively, players have been going through shooting slumps, and the offense just hasn’t been clicking like it did last season. 

There are good things, like Keegan Murray’s improvement, Malik Monk’s growth as a playmaker, and some nice wins over some of the top teams in the league. It is not as magical as last season, however, and one reason for that is just that we got our hopes up and formed high expectations. 

Not all of these expectations materialized, and the Kings are now a Play-In team. So, let’s look at the three biggest disappointments of the season so far.

3. Dropping out of playoff territory 

There will always be growing pains with young teams that just made their first playoff run, and the Kings are experiencing that. Record-wise, their season doesn’t look much different than the last. Unfortunately, it is not translating to the same success, though.

This season, a 30-23 record is only good for a Play-In spot because the West has gotten better while the Kings barely changed their roster. The Timberwolves, Thunder, and Pelicans were all Play-In teams last season. Now, the first two are leading the conference and the Pelicans are in sixth place. 

The Mavericks didn’t make the postseason at all and now look much improved. Likewise, the Suns and Clippers got better as well. The Western Conference playoff race is a bloodbath, and the Kings have taken some serious hits. 

It makes sense that they are not a top-three team anymore but it is still disappointing to see from a team that showed so much promise.