The Sacramento Kings surprised the NBA world by winning 48 games last season and earning the Pacific Division crown. The latter, in particular, is no mean feat, as that division houses the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, and Golden State Warriors — teams that all made the postseason in 2023. Now, analysts are catching on, with retired NBA guard Jay Williams dropping some lofty praise for the Kings in the aftermath of their 130-114 season-opening victory against the Utah Jazz.

Williams, speaking on ESPN's Get Up, even went as far as to declare the Kings as the biggest threat to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets' ability to defend their NBA championship.

“The Sacramento Kings are the biggest threat to the Denver Nuggets. […] I look at Sacramento with De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Davion Mitchell, who's a dog who can guard anywhere on the floor. I look at their entire roster, what they have, [even] Harrison Barnes had 33 points last night,” Williams said.

Jay Williams then contended that, the race for the championship is going to be a war of attrition; for him, time is on the Kings' side more so than the Lakers, Suns, Clippers, and Warriors. This is why he believes that the Kings, buoyed by youth, should be looked at as legitimate contenders to dethrone the Nuggets for Western Conference supremacy.

“It's also not about better, it's about maybe who's more durable. I'm not sure about the durability of the Phoenix Suns,” Williams added.

Of course, it's early days in the 2023-24 season; a lot of things can still happen from the rest of October until June 2024. But Jay Williams may have a point in that we may not have seen the best of the Kings just yet. De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis are both in their primes, while Keegan Murray, Malik Monk, Kevin Huerter, and Harrison Barnes are all above-average NBA players that fit the team like a glove.

But in terms of personnel, the Kings, like other teams, may have difficulties dealing with Nikola Jokic should they get the chance to face the Nuggets deep in the playoffs. However, the Kings' arrow is definitely pointing upwards, as they certainly have room to get much better than their already-special 2022-23 campaign.