Moving back and forth between sixth and eighth place in the West, the Kings are currently in basketball hell. Dallas, Phoenix, and Sacramento are all battling for the final playoff spot, meaning that the Play-In Tournament will most likely feature the Warriors, the Lakers, and any two of those three teams.
That might be the deadliest Play-In Tournament we have seen yet and the Kings want no part of it. Yesterday’s game against the Mavericks was a huge chance for the Kings to position themselves as the better team and get one step closer to securing that last playoff spot.
In true Sacramento Kings fashion, the team fell apart completely on national TV. It was the fifth game in seven days for Mike Brown’s squad, but losing by 36 points was just inexcusable. So, let’s look at three players who were massive disappointments in this embarrassing loss.
3. De’Aaron Fox
Playing on national TV against two of the best point guards in the game, was a big chance for De’Aaron Fox to put on a show and prove his All-Star talent. We have seen him go toe-to-toe with the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards before, but yesterday Fox did nothing like that.
The Kings needed their star to lead the charge and keep the offense going. They needed the reigning Clutch Player of the Year to take over the game and carry his team. Instead, Fox shot an ineffective 33.3 percent from the field and had three turnovers.
He just couldn’t find his rhythm, and it hurt the Kings because they rely so much on his production. If this was any other game, we might be able to excuse his struggles and blame it on the heavy workload he has had to shoulder lately.
This is the kind of game—on national TV and crucial to the standings—stars should get up for, however. It was incredibly disappointing to see that Fox was not able to do that.
Picking him up early, the Mavericks’ defense bothered him, but that is something Fox needs to get used to for the postseason.