Kings' fatal flaw that will doom 2025 NBA championship chances
Yesterday at 04:18 AM
Once news broke that DeMar DeRozan would be headed to California, all eyes were suddenly glued to the Sacramento Kings.
…But it lasted for just a moment.
The hype immediately died down, and the Kings once more returned to obscurity in terms of media and fan attention. It’s hard to blame people for sleeping on the team. In the past two years, Sacramento has had trouble proving that they’re more than a borderline playoff squad. Even with DeRozan in tow, this modern era of basketball where several failed superteam experiments have transpired creates doubt among the general public.
Fans and analysts alike want results. In short, for the Kings to gain more recognition, they’ll have to embark on a memorable playoff run or even take home that elusive NBA title.
So far, things don’t look too promising; The Kings have gone 0-5 to finish off their preseason schedule. While there will always be arguments about the lack of importance surrounding preseason games, this sample size of outings can more or less give an idea of possible flaws that could carry over to the regular season.
And the biggest obstacle holding back the Kings right now? Simply, their lack of size.
The need for frontcourt reinforcements
The Kings’ offense will be fun to watch, no doubt about it. DeRozan’s entry arguably turned the Big 3 of De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk into a Big 4. Watching the preseason games, however, it’s easy to notice how the Kings are undersized on the court. With 6’8 Keegan Murray as the stretch four and a pair of starting wings who are both no taller than 6’6 (DeRozan, Keon Ellis), the height discrepancy against much taller opponents is cause for concern.
The effects of such a lineup have been showing, as the Kings — through all five preseason games — are dead last among NBA teams in blocks (2.8 BPG) and 29th in defensive rebounds (30.0 DREB/G). It’s not like they barely use the starting lineup either. Murray, Fox, DeRozan and Sabonis have all played no less than 26 minutes per game apiece, highlighting the issue even more (stats via NBA.com).
For those bringing up the “preseason is just preseason” argument, here are some numbers from the 2023-24 season. Sacramento ranked 28th in blocks (4.2 BPG) and 13th in opponent points in the paint (48.9 per game). While their overall rebounding numbers were decent, this was mostly due to Sabonis, who averaged a whopping 13.7 boards per game. Behind him, Murray was the team’s second-highest rebounder at 5.5 per game. And worryingly, 6-foot-3 De’Aaron Fox was the third-best boardman with 4.6 rebounds per game.
The overreliance on Sabonis in the paint won’t work too well in the long run. For one, he’s not really a rim protector. Secondly, in any situation where he’s unavailable to play, the Kings will be in real trouble down low. Behind Sabonis, Trey Lyles is the main big man off the bench. While he does have the ability to stretch the floor, Lyles only stands at 6’9. Alex Len is a true center, but his offensive limitations bring about questions on whether or not he should be granted more minutes.
Right now, the most optimal solution is a trade that excludes moving their main offensive weapons. At the least, it would be best for the Kings to add a defensive-minded forward with length — such as Jonathan Isaac, Matisse Thybulle or Dorian Finney-Smith for example — to help out Sabonis. A more ideal scenario is acquiring an established paint protector, of course, but that’s going to cost the team a lot more.
Sacramento’s lack of size could just be what is holding them back from reaching another level (and proving the doubters wrong). No matter how much scoring prowess a team has, patching up other armor holes is essential in a league where the smallest advantages separate the contenders from the run-of-the-mill squads. And for the Kings, getting that much-needed frontcourt boost is a good start.
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