Road to Relevance: Sacramento Kings

In this edition of “Road to Relevance,” I’ll be taking a look at a team that is currently tied for the longest playoff drought in NBA history, the Sacramento Kings. Finding themselves on the outside of the playoff picture in every season since 2006, the Kings have struggled mightily to build a roster, and an organization as a whole, that could challenge the powerhouses of the Western Conference.

Last season, the good news for the Kings was that their offensive play was far from problematic. They ranked eleventh in the league in offensive rating and tenth in overall pace, led by speed demon De’Aaron Fox as the focal point of the offense. Their primary issue was on the other end of the floor, as they finished dead last in the league in defensive rating and third-to-last in points allowed per game. 

Despite his continued struggles to find consistency as a three-point shooter, Fox averaged 25 points and seven assists per game, leading the team in both categories. Their potent offense also benefited several of Fox’s teammates, as a staggering seven other Kings averaged double-digits in points per game. 

Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox have served as the Kings’ primary backcourt duo in recent seasons, but Hield’s near-departure from the Kings this summer could indicate a coming conclusion to the duo’s time together. (Sportskeeda)

The question regarding the Kings’ second-best player is harder to answer, as Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes had very similar campaigns. Barnes gets the statistical edge over Hield despite their numbers mirroring one another’s in many categories, as Hield’s overall field goal percentage left a lot to be desired. Hield was inefficient, averaging 16.6 points per game despite averaging three more field goal attempts than Barnes, who averaged 16.1 points. At six feet, eight inches tall, Barnes also served as a better rebounder, pulling in two more boards than Hield on average.

While Barnes and Hield are both nearing their 30s, the 23-year-old Fox is not the only young talent on the team, as Marvin Bagley III and Tyrese Haliburton both factored into the Kings’ starting lineup at times last season. Bagley, a former second overall draft pick, has been a consistent performer in his three years in Sacramento but has not shown the kind of growth or sustainability health-wise to make the franchise excited about his potential. Haliburton, on the other hand, has looked like a bonafide steal as the twelfth pick in the 2020 Draft, impressing on both ends of the floor as a rookie. Richaun Holmes has served as an anchor as the team’s starting center, improving from year to year in his two campaigns with the Kings and earning himself a big payday with his recent extension of four years and $55 million.

The Kings’ issues throughout the 2010s seemed largely systemic, with tumultuous management of the team both on the court and off. Since September 2020, the franchise has been directed by Monte McNair, a former Rockets executive who worked extensively under Daryl Morey during his time in Houston. There hasn’t been much to judge McNair’s tenure on so far, but the selection of Haliburton in the 2020 NBA Draft is a good indicator of the current front office’s keen eyes for draft prospects. 

The biggest problem with the Kings’ roster as currently constructed is a lack of wing depth. Barnes and Maurice Harkless serve as their primary wings, but beyond them, there is a significant lack of talent at the position, and their selection of another point guard- Davion Mitchell- with the ninth overall pick in the 2021 Draft did nothing to lessen those concerns. 

The recent collapse of a supposedly almost-done deal that would have sent Hield to the Los Angeles Lakers for Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell reportedly left the involved players feeling “blindsided,” and while the reasoning for the failure of the deal remains unclear it could present a bleak forecast for the team’s future in trade negotiations. Hield’s name has been added to the list of high-profile Kings to have expressed frustration and a desire to leave the team, and with the Lakers’ fake-out of this free agency period, it seems unlikely Hield will be with the team next season. Kuzma and Harrell could have been good value in return for Hield, but now the franchise is tasked with finding equal or better value elsewhere with even less leverage. 

Between their lack of depth at the wing, broken down negotiations with other franchises and a league-worst defense, the Kings’ modest 31-41 record might lead some to give them too much credit. Their best chances at seeing significant improvement shortly seem restricted to a major jump in Bagley’s game, a savvy trade to get a good return for Hield or the continued building of the roster through the draft. Dreariest of all for the Kings is the fact that they might need all three of those to occur for them to find success in the next few years.