1. The losses to bad teams
All season long, the Kings have struggled against bad teams and already took some bad losses. By bad I obviously mean bad by NBA standards. Everyone in the NBA can play and no one should be taken lightly, but the Kings should not lose to teams with 15 or fewer wins.
This applies to the Trail Blazers, the Hornets, and the Pistons. All three teams have beaten the Kings this season. Add the twelfth-place Rockets to the mix, and it’s a real problem.
Not taking care of business against the teams you’re supposed to beat hurts your team. If the Kings hadn’t lost all those games, we wouldn’t be debating whether they still have a chance of going to the playoffs. Losses are always disappointing, but much more so when they come to teams you know you can beat.
All the mentioned teams have potential but at this point, the Kings should be the better team. Being the better team usually leads to wins, but the Kings have been very disappointing against young, rebuilding teams this season.
It is even more disappointing if you consider that these losses might keep the Kings from going to the playoffs. They are not at the point where they absolutely have to win, but playoff experience is important for this team, and every game counts.