3 Issues the Kings need to address for their next road trip

The last couple of games did not go as planned for the Sacramento Kings, and they are now in Play-In territory rather than the playoffs. 

On one of their longer road trips of the season so far, the Kings lost three games in dramatic fashion—a blowout loss to the 76ers without Joel Embiid, an overtime loss to a Damian Lillard buzzer-beater, and a blown 20-point lead in Phoenix—and then added a loss at home to a short-handed Pacers team. 

The record looks bad, but there were some bright spots as well. Kevin Huerter, for example, found his shot, and Keegan Murray had big games everywhere except for Milwaukee. Mike Brown also mentioned that the offense looked more like Kings basketball again, and in the first forty minutes in Phoenix, they played the best defense since he got there. 

Tonight, the Kings will face the Hawks at home after three days of rest and then embark on a seven-game road trip, starting with a Rivals Week matchup against the Warriors. 

That’s a long trip, and the results will impact the Kings’ standing in the Western Conference. So, let’s look at three issues the Kings need to work through to have a successful road trip. 

3. Free-Throw Shooting

The Kings are dead last in free-throw shooting percentage, shooting only 72.5 percent. De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis average by far the most free-throw attempts for the Kings but only shoot 71.7 and 66.8 percent respectively from the line. 

Malik Monk, Harrison Barnes, and Keegan Murray all shoot over 80 percent but also all average less than three attempts per game, not impacting the team’s shooting much. This terrible free-throw shooting already cost them the win in Milwaukee, and you desperately don’t want that to happen again if you’re the Kings. 

Whether the solution is shooting hundreds of free throws in practice or being more focused on the line, something has to change.