A lot of times, the NBA is based on gambling. Teams gamble on players when they draft them, when they trade for them, and when they sign them, hoping that they can meet expectations.
The Kings gambled on Domantas Sabonis when they shipped out Tyrese Haliburton to get him. It worked. In the 2022 NBA Draft, they gambled on Keegan Murray. Many believed it to be a four-player draft with Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Jr., and Jaden Ivey at the top.
The Kings selected Keegan Murray fourth, however, and the gamble worked out well for them. Murray has been great for the Kings, fulfilling and exceeding expectations all over the court.
That is not always the case, however. So, let’s look at three Kings who aren’t living up to expectations thus far.
3. JaVale McGee
For a 35-year-old, JaVale McGee is not playing badly, and he has had some nice games as a King. At the same time, he is also not quite living up to expectations, however.
Mike Brown knows McGee from their days with the Warriors and understands the veteran leadership and championship experience he brings. That is valuable, but when the Kings signed him over the summer, they were hoping for more.
The Kings needed size and rim protection, an upgrade over Alex Len. So far, he has not been that. Instead, he is not even averaging 10 minutes per game, and Mike Brown often opts to go with Trey Lyles instead.
2. Davion Mitchell
The Kings got Davion Mitchell in 2021 with a lottery pick. Not all lottery picks come to the NBA prepared for the spotlight, but by their third season, they are expected to have a certain impact.
Mitchell, however, seems to be moving backward. Since his rookie season, his production and minutes have gone down every year, reaching an all-time low by now. I doubt anyone expected Mitchell to be a high-level scorer, but the hope was that he would grow into a solid defensive-minded backup guard.
With Coach Brown putting an emphasis on defense in training camp, the expectation was that Mitchell would be one of the leaders of that movement and have an impact. Instead, he has barely played all month, collecting DNPs and often only seeing the court in garbage time.
Many fans were already disappointed with Mitchell’s play last season. Few probably had on their bingo card for this season that two-way player Keon Ellis would surpass Mitchell in the rotation and take his spot, though.
Right now, it doesn’t look like Mitchell will take that spot back, and he might end up being a salary filler if the Kings find a trade to push them to the next level.
1. Chris Duarte
The Kings picked up Chris Duarte from the Pacers, where he played with Sabonis, over the summer in a low-risk move. Indiana seemed to be ready to move on from him, and the Kings hoped that Duarte could turn into a solid 3-and-D option off the bench.
Especially after his preseason play, hopes for valuable minutes from him seemed warranted. Long story short, it didn’t work out. Duarte even started five games, but he shot poorly from three, averaging only 29 percent on two attempts per game, and picked up too many fouls on defense.
The expectation was that he could help turn around the Kings’ defense and provide good energy off the bench. In reality, he has barely played all of December and seems to be out of the rotation for good. Brown is usually going with Keon Ellis, Malik Monk, Sasha Vezenkov, and Trey Lyles off the bench instead.
Things like this happen. There weren’t a lot of big trade targets available for the Kings over the summer, and they wanted to see what they had before making any major moves first. Getting Duarte was a good idea, but he is not living up to expectations and could be on the move again soon.