The Sacramento Kings are fighting to avoid the Play-In Tournament in the brutal Western Conference. They finished third last season and were bounced by the Warriors in the opening round of the playoffs. Sacramento hoped to build on that breakout campaign, but nothing has been easy. De’Aaron Fox has been outstanding and Domantas Sabonis is a star, but the Kings do not have an All-Star in 2024.
Sacramento wants playoff success, but can they achieve it? It won’t be easy if they have to start in the Play-In. Fox is carrying a massive workload, but the Kings need every victory. Sacramento could have acquired help at the trade deadline, but only made a small move for Robin Lopez, just to waive him hours later.
They have plenty of unanswered questions after virtually standing pat. The Kings did not significantly improve their roster in the offseason either. The front office believes in this group, but they need to figure out plenty to make a deep run in the playoffs.
4. Do the Kings have enough depth?
Sacramento has two stars and talent around them. Keegan Murray keeps getting better, and Malik Monk is in the running for Sixth Man of the Year. Do they have enough depth to round out their playoff rotation?
Head coach Mike Brown played nine players in all seven of their 2023 postseason games, but only eight saw more than 15 minutes each night. This season, the Kings only have seven players averaging over 14 minutes per game. It explains why Fox is looking tired.
Sacramento did not add any depth at the deadline but may try in the buyout market.
The Kings need someone to step up and fill that final rotation spot. Davion Mitchell can do it, but he must put his struggles behind him. The 25-year-old guard may need a change of scenery to do that. He will become a key piece for the Kings, especially if nobody else joins the team or steps up before the playoffs.
Even if the Sacramento Kings sort out their depth, they still have a ton of work to do, including improving their defense.