It has been an outstanding season for the Sacramento Kings. Following their 27-55 finish to the 2017-18 season, many of their players are having breakout performances and helping put the Kings find their way back to playoff contention. One indicator of how far they have come was spelled out by Justin Kubatko on twitter:

This is a monumental change of pace for a young Sacramento team that is one win away from matching their entire win total of last season.

A giant part of their success is the result of second-year point guard De’Aaron Fox taking strides in his game this season. In his 31.4 minutes per game, he is averaging 17.4 points, 7.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from deep. He has been a leader for this team and shown a knack for stepping up to the plate in big moments.

Buddy Hield, who the Kings acquired when trading away DeMarcus Cousins in 2017 has been phenomenal and lived up to the hype he received when drafted. His 45.8 percent from the perimeter is one of the best percentages among all players this season, and his 3.4 3’s a game helps him lead the team in scoring with 20.2 points per game.

Other young players have made their contributions as well. Bogdan Bogdanovic has impressed many people and offered a spark of bench scoring, bringing 15.3 points in just under 30 minutes per game. Their big men in Willie Cauley-Stein and 2018 second-overall pick Marvin Bagley have shown out as well.

With the team second among all teams in the league for pace, it seems that Dave Joerger has this young team playing to its strengths. Currently at 10th in the West and only two games behind the Los Angeles Clippers in the eighth seed, there is a real chance we could see the Kings in the playoffs come April.