The Sacramento Kings saw their NBA season end in the Play-in tournament for the second consecutive year after their recent. While the Kings have proven that their success two years ago wasn’t necessarily lightning in a bottle, they haven’t built off that, which is why some changes are in order.
For years, the Kings were in the too-good-to-be-bad-but-too-bad-to-be-good territory, and now, they have elevated themselves to perhaps the NBA’s most mediocre team. Being a treadmill team gets old fast, which is why some changes are in order.
3 Moves the Kings Need to Make This Offseason
Split up the pairing of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan
It may have been the Year 1 of LaVine and DeRozan teaming up in Sacramento, but it’s Year 4 of their partnership, and the results speak for themselves. The bottom line is that this duo is okay together and not much else.
When the Kings acquired LaVine on the trade deadline, skeptics mocked them for re-creating the Chicago Bulls team that those two played on for three years, and that proved to be embarrassingly accurate. The results show that there is no point in keeping the duo on the same team.
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If it comes to that, who gets the axe? LaVine might be more expensive, but DeRozan is getting older and might be easier to trade. The Kings should also try to be as wise as possible, no matter who they trade between the two.
Get some defensive help
The Kings can score; that much has been established for the last few years, but part of why they’re not making any headway in the Western Conference is that they do not have two-way players. There are some defenses with their best players, and it’s clearly a problem.
There’s not much that can be done to rectify that situation internally, but perhaps with better personnel on that end, this flaw won’t stand out like a sore thumb. If some major moves are in order, the Kings need to emphasize solidifying themselves on defense. While that call could require sacrificing some of their lethal scoring, it might be worth it.
Make sure everyone is on board for next season
The real sad part about the Kings this season is that De’Aaron Fox’s last-second trade request threw a wrench in their plans. They tried to add John Collins to their rotation before Fox wanted out. Had Fox stayed, perhaps the Kings would have been above play-in eligibility.
Along with Mike Brown’s firing, Sacramento was thrown two major curveballs in-season. Just making sure all their bases are covered might be enough to make a better season. That includes making sure their players have bought in and that the coaching situation is under control.
That continuity can be a real boost for their playoff chances.