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Before any NBA season, there are a plethora of predictions that are done and posted throughout the internet. Some of it is right on point, but there are some that are way off base. One shocking outcome that surprised a bevy of NBA fans was the rapid ascension of the 2022-23 Sacramento Kings as they finished with the third seed in the very tough Western Conference.
The Tyrese Haliburton trade did not end up haunting them as De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis formed one of the most lethal duos on the offensive side of the floor. Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray emerged as two stellar outside shooters alongside the Kings' nucleus. Malik Monk was a massive spark off the bench, especially in the crucial contests in the postseason.
Sacramento was very fortunate that their first unit was healthy for the majority of the season, which was a clear advantage they had over their counterparts. The front office has decided to run it back with a very similar roster as they only added a couple of pieces, such as Sasha Vezenkov and Chris Duarte. With that being the case, there is still one early concern for the Kings franchise.
Most West teams bolstered their roster
As the 2023-24 regular season starts in less than two weeks, all the West powerhouses are complete aside from the Memphis Grizzlies who will miss Ja Morant for the first 25 games of their campaign. The organizations that finished below the Kings last season fortified their lineups ahead of opening night, such as the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers.
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There is nothing wrong with running it back with the same guys because if it ain't broke then don't fix it. However, in any sport, there is the clear factor of surprise, which was the case on most nights last year when NBA teams did not expect Sacramento to have the best offense in the association under head coach Mike Brown, who is known as a defensive expert.
Since all their opponents have had the chance to scout and prepare for their style of play, the Kings will unlikely replicate the same success if they play the same way. For instance, in the playoffs, the Golden State Warriors were the more experienced bunch of individuals and that was clearly evident in Game 7 of their series. After the series, there were murmurs that names like Draymond Green, Kyle Kuzma, and Brook Lopez could be signed to strengthen their depth.
Harrison Barnes, Trey Lyles, and Alex Len were the free agents of the squad, so they had the cap space to pay someone an annual salary of over $20 million. However, they decided to re-sign all three players and shut down all the free-agent rumors. There were no clear reports of what the Kings offered to some of these free agents, but one could argue that they missed a glaring opportunity to elevate their status in the Western Conference.
With the Suns adding Bradley Beal, the Warriors adding Chris Paul, and the Memphis Grizzlies adding Marcus Smart, the Kings will need a major leap from someone like Keegan Murray or Kevin Huerter. Since the other West squads have searched for reinforcements outside of their franchise, the Kings are relying on their internal player development to continue being one of the best in the West.
Having tremendous chemistry and camaraderie are vital characteristics that the Kings stand by, but they must keep in mind that they need to innovate new strategies and adapt with the tools they have at their disposal if they want to continuously duke it out with the powerhouses.
