Early Playoff predictions

Will the Kings make the Playoffs this year?


  • Total voters
    79
  • Poll closed .
#1
This is the first time in probably over a decade where we have a legitimate shot at Playoffs coming into the season. But, we have a tough road ahead in an extremely stacked Western conference.

Do you think we finally end the long lasting post season drought? Also, what are your predictions for Playoff seedings this year?

My predictions:

1. Lakers
2. Jazz
3. Nuggets
4. Rockets
5. Trail Blazers
6. Thunder
7. Warriors
8. Kings
—————————
9. Clippers
10. Spurs
11. Mavericks
12. Pelicans
13. Timberwolves
14. Suns
15. Grizzlies

*If Kawhi chooses LAC (although it looks very unlikely at this point), I’d have them in the Playoffs. That would knock us down to 9th.
 

SLAB

Hall of Famer
#3
It’s going to be very tough. Need to see at the very minimum the same from Fox and Buddy, and then Fox-like rookie to second year jumps from Bagley and Giles.

The west is a slaughterhouse.
 
#5
Lots of dynamics at play for many teams. We are still very young at all key positions but we are more experienced. Thunder have an aging and worse shooting Westbrook and are largely unchanged. Lakers could blow up easily if even 1 star gets hurt. Warriors are still somewhat of a threat but have a lot of new pieces in play.

Who knows but we don’t lack talent anymore
 
#9
I don't think we will, but I'll be rooting nonetheless.

I can't see us beating out any of:

Warriors - Lost Durant, Iguodala, Cousins, and Thompson for the majority of the season, but they still have 3 all stars on this team (4 when Thompson is back)
Nuggets - #2 seed last year and didn't lose anyone significant
Trail Blazers - lost Harkless & Aminu, but gained Whiteside, Bazemore, Hezonja, Little, & Hood
Rockets - yes, drama issues, but this team is still very talented
Jazz - Lost Favors, Rubio, Crowder, Korver, & Thabo, but gained Conley, Bogdanovic, & Davis
Thunder - Same team as last year
Lakers - Added Davis & kept Kuzma. Still have $30+ mil in cap space. Have a shot at signing Leonard too, but may look to Cousins, M. Morris, D. Green, D. Wright, T. Jones

That leaves 1 spot left, and I could see the following teams all competing for #8 (along with us):

Spurs - Made it last year. Nobody significant was lost on the roster, but they get Murray back, added another solid in Carroll, and drafted a rookie who could probably contribute in his rookie season (Samanic)
Clippers - Made it last year. Same backcourt but you would think SGA/Shamet will be better. Gallinari is still there. Harkless is a good addition. I'm high on Kabengele, and they still might even land Leonard.
Mavericks - Progression of Doncic & addition of Porzingis (may be in play for Cousins too)
Pelicans - Holiday, Redick, Moore, & Favor are all good players. Ball, Hart, Alexander-Walker, Ingram, Zion, & Hayes is a lot of young potential. All it takes is a couple of those guys to be good players next year and this will be another team in the mix.
Timberwolves - Teague, Culver, Wiggins, Covington, & Towns is not a bad lineup. They won 55% of their games when Covington played. That's a pace of 45 wins. I wouldn't count them out so quickly.

There are a lot of teams in the hunt this year. I would neither be surprised nor discouraged if we don't make the playoffs again this year.
 
Last edited:
#10
I don't think we will, but I'll be rooting nonetheless.

I can't see us beating out any of:

Warriors
Nuggets
Trail Blazers
Rockets
Jazz
Thunder
Lakers
Spurs

That leaves 1 spot left, and I could see the following teams all competing for #8 (along with us):

Clippers - Made it last year. Same backcourt but you would think SGA/Shamet will be better. Gallinari is still there. Harkless is a good addition. I'm high on Kabengele, and they still might even land Leonard.
Mavericks - Progression of Doncic & addition of Porzingis (may be in play for Cousins too)
Pelicans - Holiday, Redick, Moore, & Favor are all good players. Ball, Hart, Alexander-Walker, Ingram, Zion, & Hayes is a lot of young potential. All it takes is a couple of those guys to be good players next year and this will be another team in the mix.
Timberwolves - Teague, Culver, Wiggins, Covington, & Towns is not a bad lineup. They won 55% of their games when Covington played. That's a pace of 45 wins. I wouldn't count them out so quickly.

There are a lot of teams in the hunt this year. I would neither be surprised nor discouraged if we don't make the playoffs again this year.
* That leaves 0 spots left. You've named 8 teams that you think make it ahead of us.
 
#17
I don't think the Nuggets will have as good a season as they did last season. I think we can target Jazz, Nuggets, Lakers w/o Kawhi.
They made a giant mistake keeping the declining Milsap should have gone after JayMcal Green who at this point is a perfect fit for them and they still have a giant hole at SF.
 
#18
A healthy bogie that doesn’t force the issue, way better depth and veterans, and another leap from Fox/Bagley and Giles

We can do it. We had a few annoying injuries this past season
 
#19
I don't think our odds are good, with the west being as brutal as it is, but am going to abstain until there are a few Walton-coached games to look at.
 

Entity

Hall of Famer
#20
I attribute 10-12 of our loses last year to not having any kind of post game at the end of games. Bagley didn’t get to begin the year when he did start getting significant min we started winning more. We were coming off a 3-1 road trip over .500 then he went down against Golden state and we lost that game then lost then lost 8 of the next 12 with him out. He came back and we went 11-8 until he missed 5 games and we went 2-3. Then Giles went down and we finished badly. I say all that to say this with 82 games of a rookie Bagley I think we would have finished over .500. Now he has a year under his belt and we are a deeper team. Kings should win 48 games next season. We will be chasing 50 down the stretch and make the playoffs. Will be close. But we make it.
 
#21
I think we emerge as a top 4 team next year. 2019-2020 I believe will be a "changing of the guard" type of year. While the Warriors are very significantly degraded, the Rockets are worse and a year older, OKC didnt do anything to improve an old formula, the Spurs havent done anything, the Clippers havent done anything, the 7akers added AD but subtracted starters and draft picks, the Kings have improved upon a team that already had steep upward trajectory. I think this is the surprise team of next year.
 
#23
I think we emerge as a top 4 team next year. 2019-2020 I believe will be a "changing of the guard" type of year. While the Warriors are very significantly degraded, the Rockets are worse and a year older, OKC didnt do anything to improve an old formula, the Spurs havent done anything, the Clippers havent done anything, the 7akers added AD but subtracted starters and draft picks, the Kings have improved upon a team that already had steep upward trajectory. I think this is the surprise team of next year.
That aged reallll quick lmao
 
#27
Fox and Bagley both need to make big jumps.
Top 10 for their position.

The other concern is Luke Walton.
Not a fan of his coaching. Thought is was another fan boy hire for Vlade.
Joerger is a better coach. Just wasn’t a good fit for this squad.
Walton is on a 4 yr. if he doesn’t get this team into the playoffs within 2, he’s probably toast.