When it comes to offense, the Sacramento Kings are remarkably inconsistent for a team loaded with shoot-first guards. The core of that is offense is Zach LaVine, who has been running so hot and cold that it's kind of jarring. It's enough to make one wonder what's going on with the All-Star.
LaVine started the 2025-2026 season with an incredible run of shooting. Over the first six games, he shot 30 or more points five times. And the odd one out was 23 points, which is still incredibly respectable. The problems came after that as his shooting got really inconsistent.
Over the course of the next month, LaVine's scoring ranged wildly and inconsistently. In some games, he would only get seven or eight points. Others, he would shoot for 34 points. It was hard to get a read on what his production was going to be like. Recently, the gap has been even greater.
Against the Houston Rockets a few days ago, he scored a season low of two points. He followed that up in last night's game against the Heat with a season-high 42 points. That's a 40-point swing in a matter of a couple of days. That big a point differential makes it hard for coaches to plan around.
Zach LaVine is in a tough place with the Kings
LaVine knows only two things about his place on the Kings. First, he knows that Sacramento is planning on a major roster rebuild. He's also highly aware that he is not part of it and will likely be traded to the first team that makes any kind of reasonable offer to Sacramento.
The second thing is that LaVine now finds himself playing for a defense-focused head coach despite the fact that Zach is not a defensive player. Somehow, LaVine actually played better on defense than offense in the loss to the Rockets. He finished with a steal and two blocks to go with his two points.
A shooter like Zach LaVine needs to be in the right headspace to keep his rhythm going, and that is not in Sacramento. His uncertain future, combined with not being able to play his game his way, has thrown him into a weird spot. As such, he's having a hard time finding that groove.
That being said, it's LaVine's job as a professional basketball player to rise above those concerns. While he isn't expected to drop a forty-piece on every team the Kings face, settling for two points is certainly not acceptable. Whether he stays or goes, LaVine has to play more consistently than that.