The Sacramento Kings, by all reasonable standards, have had an incredible 2022-23 season. Having put up a 32-25 record through the All-Star break, good for third in the congested Western Conference, the Kings are on track to snap the current longest postseason drought in North American professional sports. Moreover, the Kings' two foundational stars, De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, made the All-Star team, validating the hard work they have put in thus far during the season.
But head coach Mike Brown knows that there is a lot of work to do for the Kings.
Speaking with Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Brown urged De'Aaron Fox and the rest of the Kings squad to remain focused, especially with their reputation as a team taking a 180-degree turn following their strong first 57 games of the season.
“The real season doesn’t start until after All-Star break. […] For us, sitting in this spot post All-Star break means we have a target on our back. We are the hunted right now. I’m not sure where we sit as a team because this is the first time we’ve gone through this — being the hunted,” Brown said.
The Kings will definitely have to undergo a bit of a change in their mindset. After all, they entered the season as the ones with the chips on their shoulder, eager to prove themselves worthy of their place on the league's upper echelon. Now, teams such as the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, and Dallas Mavericks – teams that made major additions over the past few weeks – are nipping at the Kings' heels.
Nonetheless, Mike Brown knows that this season – and the stretch run that looms – could prove to be a watershed moment for a franchise that has become synonymous with incompetence for the past 17 years.
“It’s huge. But it’s huge for the growth of the organization. Particularly for the guys in our nucleus,” Brown added. “These last 25, we’re going to go through these games experiencing something we’ve never experienced together. Teams are gunning after us. They’re coming.”
The Kings have a difficult road ahead of them, as they have the league's fifth-most difficult remaining schedule. But if there's one thing this Kings team has taught us this season, it's that counting them out is a daft idea.
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