What a week, amirite? It seems as though all is lost in Kings land, but then a hero comes along and teaches the Kings that their bark can be just as effective as their bite. Will this continue? Will the Lions score more than the Kings did? Will you pass out before the game is over? (Note: The answers are: Maybe, yes.)
NBA.com #18
Last Week:11↓
Record: 8-9
OffRtg: 113.9 (11) DefRtg: 112.2 (15) NetRtg: +1.7 (13) Pace: 98.7 (18)
The Kings just can’t seem to put it all together, and they’ve lost three straight games to drop below .500 (for the first time since they were 1-2) and into 12th place in the West.
Three takeaways
- With DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis back from three and two-game absences, respectively, the Kings’ starting lineup was reunited over the weekend. De’Aaron Fox totaled 60 points over the two games and the starters outscored the Clippers and Nets by 15 points in their 37 minutes on the floor together. But the Kings (still missing Malik Monk) were outscored by 36 points (scoring just 90 per 100 possessions) in 57 minutes with at least one reserve on the floor over the two losses.
- The Kings are 8-9 with their four most-used lineups having outscored their opponents by 18.6 points per 100 possessions in 263 total minutes.
- That doesn’t mean that the starters have been great. The losing streak has been just the third, fourth and fifth times that the Kings have scored less than 110 points per 100 possessions, with three of the starters — DeRozan, Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray — having combined to shoot just 6-for-39 (15%) from 3-point range over the three games. Huerter and Murray have gone from a combined 40.7% from beyond the arc two seasons ago to 35.9% last season and just 29.5% this season, with both seeing very similar drops.
Week 6: vs. OKC, @ MIN, @ POR*, vs. SAS
ESPN.com #18
It's tough to build an elite offense without 3-pointers. Having added midrange maestro DeMar DeRozan to the duo of De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, the Kings have dominated inside the arc. Only the Cavaliers have shot better on 2-point attempts than Sacramento's 58%. Yet the Kings rank just 12th in effective field goal percentage because they're near the bottom of the NBA in 3-point attempts (24th) and percentage (26th). Sacramento can hope for better shooting by slumping Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk and Keegan Murray, all below 30% from 3. Without it, the Kings may not have enough scoring efficiency to threaten for a top-six spot. -- Pelton
CBS Sports: #18
Four straight losses drop the Kings to two games out of the final Play-In spot -- not where they hoped to be after acquiring DeMar DeRozan this offseason. The offense has been dreadful, averaging just 104 points per 100 possessions during the losing streak despite having De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and DeRozan available for three of the four games. Malik Monk returned from injury for Monday's loss to the Thunder, and he was minus-19 in 26 minutes.
NBC Sports: #16
Be thankful that Malik Monk is back, this team is not the same without him coming off the bench. Monk was out for seven games with a sprained ankle and the Kings went 2-5 (Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan have been banged up, too). It’s not simply the 13.9 points a game Monk provides, the offense just flows better and the Kings outscore opponents by 4.7 points per 100 possessions when he is on the court (and get slightly outscored when he sits). If Monk can stay healthy for the majority of the rest of the season, he will again be in the mix for Sixth Man of the Year.
Mean Ranking: #17.5
We are deserving of this slide, but if we can stay healthy and Jae brings the bark, then maybe the ship rights itself. We ain't catching the bottom 4, so our best bet is to fix it.
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