Light the Beam: What's Next for the Sacramento Kings?
The Sacramento Kings finished the 2022-23 NBA season with a 48-34 record, good for third in the Western Conference and ending a 16-year-long playoff drought. Sacramento pushed the reigning champs, the Golden State Warriors, to seven games in the first round. While Mike Brown’s squad came up short, the organization took a resounding step forward, providing fans hope that this is indeed a new era of Kings basketball.
Let’s look at the road ahead as Sacramento begins its offseason preparations.
PositivesOffense: Led by their All-Star tandem of point guard De’Aaron Fox and center Domantas Sabonis, the Kings averaged an NBA-best 120.2 points per game.
Offseason Acquisitions: Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk were everything Sacramento could have hoped for and more, providing valuable three-point shooting and playmaking. Rookie Keegan Murray, whom the Kings selected fourth overall, flashed his considerable potential, averaging 12.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in his initial campaign.
Mike Brown: After cycling through numerous head coaches over the years, Brown proved to be the right man for the job, helping the Kings conquer their playoff futility and earning Coach of the Year honors in the process.
Areas of Improvement
Defense: While the Kings were an offensive juggernaut, their performance defensively left much to be desired, Sacramento allowing 117.9 points per game – 24th in the Association.
Rebounding: Sabonis led the league in rebounding during the regular season but was dominated by Golden State’s Kevon Looney in the first round, the latter recording three games of 20 or more boards. The Warriors pulled down 18 offensive rebounds in the deciding seventh game, leading to 24 second-chance points.
Free Agents
Four of Sacramento’s five starters will return next season – Fox, Huerter, Murray, and Sabonis. Monk is also under contract and should again serve as the team’s sixth man. However, starting forward Harrison Barnes is one of six pending free agents, alongside Terence Davis, Trey Lyles, Chimezie Metu, Alex Len, and Matthew Dellavedova.
Still just 30 years old, Barnes could be brought back, given the lack of quality wings available in free agency. Lyles and Davis were also solid contributors and are strong candidates to return.
2023-24 Season Outlook
Sacramento’s lottery-bound days appear to finally be in the rearview mirror, boasting an impressive young core and an elite head coach. The next step is making strides on the defensive end, which will surely be at the top of general manager Monte McNair’s priority list.
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