3 Non-Stars who could pose a big problem for the Kings in the West playoffs

1. Aaron Gordon

In the West, the road to the NBA Finals leads through Denver. The Nuggets have one of the best players in the game, an All-Star level point guard, and a championship coach. They are one of the most complete teams in the West, and no one wants to face them in the playoffs. 

Throughout the regular season, the Kings have fared fairly well against the Nuggets, winning three of the four matchups. In the playoffs, that will likely look much different, however. 

Nikola Jokic is obviously the biggest issue. Domantas Sabonis is not a great defender and if Jokic has his mind set on something there are very few players who can get in his way. Sabonis is not necessarily one of them, but he can hang with the reigning Finals MVP offensively. On a good day for the Kings, they almost cancel each other out and the same goes for De’Aaron Fox and Jamal Murray. 

This makes the supporting casts incredibly important, and Aaron Gordon could pose a real challenge for the Kings. He is 6’8”, incredibly athletic, and the glue that made this Nuggets team complete. Sacramento has few players who can hang with him in terms of size, athleticism, and strength. 

As a result, he has shot between 53.3 and 87.5 percent from the field against Sacramento this season. The Kings certainly do not want Jokic, Murray, and Gordon to go off at the same time. Plus, Gordon is a strong defender at the power forward position, and the Kings often struggle with physicality.