The impact of Zach LaVine's scoring on the Sacramento Kings is impossible to overstate. His intensity on offense has been clutch. At the same time, LaVine's improvement on defense is starting to show, and will be equally important if the Kings want to make something of this season.
Not surprisingly, the Kings are having a slow start to the 2025-2026 regular season with one win and three losses after four games. Any team with a new head coach, a new front office, and a few roster changes isn't really likely to hit the ground running. It takes time and repetition to acclimate.
On top of that, the Kings are trying to work a new focus into their game. Doug Christie went into training camp with a defense-first mentality, which makes sense because that's the kind of player he was back in the day. For him, defense was everything, and now he's the same as coach.
For some of the veterans who haven't played defensive-minded basketball before, this mentality will take time to adjust to. There are a few players on the team who will never completely get the hang of it, but they will try. Zach LaVine, on the other hand, is closer than people give him credit for.
Zach LaVine steps up across the court
Anyone who has ever watched LaVine play knows the man can shoot. In the first three games of this year, he is averaging 29 points a game. That's while averaging 19.8 shots per game with a field goal average of 51.5%. Plus, he's shooting 43.9% from three and 91.7% from the charity stripe.
Without question, LaVine is both the strongest and most consistent offensive player the Kings have. But Sacramento needs more for him than that. They need him to put in the work and become a threat on defense, as well. So far, it seems like it's happening.
LaVine has never really gotten the credit he has earned as a defender. He's not going to win Defensive Player of the Year any time soon, but he usually puts in the effort. With the Kings, it actually looks like he's trying to be more of a presence on defense without giving up his offensive prowess.
It's nothing major. Just little things like hustling back on defense, or really getting in someone's way. His stats for defensive rebounds, blocks, and steals this year are slightly below his lifetime averages, but those numbers don't tell the whole story.
Zach's defense is improving bit by bit, and the Kings need him to keep progressing.