The Sacramento Kings are one of the few teams that decided to run it back from last year and focus on building around their current core. Some folks believed that the 2022-23 campaign was just the first season in an extended run of success for the Kings talented roster, while others thought that they were fortunate to finish third in the Western Conference due to health largely being on their side for much of the campaign.
With the All-Star break upon us, the Kings have slipped to eighth place in the West with a little over 20 games remaining on the season. De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis have once again put together strong seasons, while Malik Monk will at the very least be a finalist for the Sixth Man of the Year award. Their other key rotational pieces have been steady, but they don't exactly scare teams that are ahead of them in the standings right now.
The Kings picked up a huge win over the Denver Nuggets in their final game before the All-Star break, but their inconsistency is still a huge cause for concern as the postseason creeps closer. So with that in mind, let's dive deeper into Sacramento's fatal flaw and see why it could become such a huge issue for them throughout the remainder of the season.
Kings fatal flaw: Inconsistent play from their ancillary pieces
The Fox and Sabonis tandem will be reliable for 80-90 percent of Sacramento's games, especially because they find ways to contribute in other facets of the game when their shots aren't falling.
This becomes a problem, though, when you go against the likes of the Los Angeles Clippers who have Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden, or the Nuggets who will employ Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. In a seven-game series, Sacramento prefers playing a run-and-gun style of basketball, so it will be impossible for them to compete for 48 minutes if their supporting cast is not scoring points.
Keegan Murray was expected to take a massive leap as the third star of the Kings this year, but he has not met those expectations yet. Murray is a wonderful three-and-d player, but they need more from him given the fact they were rejecting trade offers for Pascal Siakam because the Toronto Raptors wanted Murray in the deal. It was evident that Murray crumbled under the bright lights in their playoff series against the Golden State Warriors last season, but he will have a chance to redeem himself should the Kings make it back to the playoffs this year.
The secondary scoring opportunities will primarily fall on the shoulders of Murray and Monk. Monk has put together stretches of explosive games this season, but he will need to do it during the most important contests in the postseason0. The talent and skill level is evident with Monk, but elevating it a notch higher when the stakes are at their highest is what can separate him from the other spitfire scorers off the bench.
The personnel and approach of the Kings indicates that offense is their calling card, which is why it is integral for guys like Murray and Monk to continue growing into well-rounded offensive players. Kevin Huerter and Harrison Barnes are two starters who have also shown flashes of brilliance, but it is the same issue with them, as both guys are not consistent threats.
The Kings still have a long way to go to upset the Nuggets or Clippers in a seven-game playoff series, but if they can receive consistent production from their secondary scorers, they could end up becoming a team that nobody wants to face in the postseason.
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