One-sentence progress reports of all 15 Sacramento Kings on the roster

The Sacramento Kings might be the most confusing team in the NBA this season. Before the All-Star Break, they beat the reigning champions—again—and then came back and barely beat the Spurs. 

Responding to the rather ugly win over San Antonio, they went to LA and got a huge win over the Clippers. Spirits were high, the Kings finally played solid defense, and things seemed to be headed in the right direction for the team’s late playoff push. 

Short-handed teams have been Sacramento’s kryptonite all season long, however, and they inexplicably lost to the Heat without Jimmy Butler, Tyler Hero, and Terry Rozier. The season has been full of ups and downs for the team and individual players alike. 

So, as we are going into arguably the most important stretch of the season, let’s look at some one-sentence progress reports of all 15 Kings on the roster.

The starters

De’Aaron Fox: De’Aaron Fox has made huge strides as a three-point shooter and defender and has been playing at an All-NBA level at several points of the season, but, unfortunately, he was in a bit of a slump before the All-Star Break. 

Domantas Sabonis: Leading the league in double-doubles, triples-doubles, and rebounds per game, the Kings’ big man is having an amazing season and has been by far the most consistent Kings player. 

Keegan Murray: The threes aren’t falling like they were last season, but Murray has come a long way as a defender and expanded his offensive arsenal, as he continues to work through the growing pains of being a young player in the NBA. 

Kevin Huerter: Struggling defensively and shooting “only” 37.7 percent from three, Kevin Huerter is not having his best season, which has hurt the Kings on both ends of the floor, but hopefully he will find his groove for the postseason. 

Harrison Barnes: Harrison Barnes doesn’t have an easy job with the Kings—he is last in the offensive hierarchy in the starting lineup and doesn’t usually get many touches—and often plays his role well, but other times it just isn’t enough, and he disappears almost completely. 

The backup guards

Malik Monk: Competing for the Sixth Man of the Year award, Malik Monk has easily been the Kings’ most reliable bench player all season long, both as a playmaker and a scorer. 

Davion Mitchell: Davion Mitchell has worked relentlessly on his shot, but the offense just hasn’t come along yet, and his production has dropped drastically, as he fell out of the rotation for a while. 

Keon Ellis: Playing his way from the end of the bench into the rotation early in the season and eventually to a standard NBA contract, Keon Ellis has already had a successful season, even if he doesn’t play much down the stretch. 

Colby Jones: Colby Jones, one of the Kings’ second-round picks in the 2023 draft, has not gotten many chances to play yet, but he has shown potential and still has plenty of time to develop. 

The backup wings

Chris Duarte: The Kings gambled on Chris Duarte to give them some 3-and-D minutes on the wing, and it has been a roller coaster ride with him going from starting to not playing to being back in the rotation recently and giving Mike Brown some solid minutes.

Kessler Edwards: Kessler Edwards has been stuck at the end of the bench all season long, playing mostly just garbage time or a couple of defensive possessions outside of one great game against Minnesota. 

The backup forwards

Trey Lyles: Trey Lyles has been the Kings’ only consistent contributor off the bench behind Monk, shooting well from three, offering good size, and providing some optionality at the five. 

Sasha Vezenkov: Coming over from Europe, Sasha Vezenkov did not have an easy time adjusting to the NBA, and just when he seemed to have rotational minutes secured, he hurt his ankle, so we will have to wait and see if he can impact the rest of the season at all. 

The backup bigs

JaVale McGee: JaVale McGee provides championship experience, rim protection, and a great pick-and-roll partner for Monk but he just can’t produce consistently enough to be a regular in the Kings’ rotation. 

Alex Len: Alex Len does not give you flashy plays or highlight-reel-worthy moves, but he is steady and always stays ready for when his number is called.