The struggle is real for many teams in the NBA and that includes the Sacramento Kings. On Thursday, they suffered a brutal 31-point loss to the Denver Nuggets, 136-105.
As a result, the Kings fall to 6-19 and have achieved another feat. They equaled their second-worst start in franchise history during the first 25 games of the season, per Frankie Cartoscelli of Sactown Sports 1140.
The previous two teams with the worst starts were during the 1958-59 and 2010-11 seasons, when each started 5-20. At this point, the Kings are on pace to go 20-62 on the year. Presently, the Kings hold the third-worst record in the NBA.
The other two teams are the 3-19 Washington Wizards and the 4-22 New Orleans Pelicans.
Nevertheless, there was at least one bright spot for Sacramento on Thursday. DeMar DeRozan passed Vince Carter on the all-time scoring list.
The current makeup of the Kings' roster is out of sync. There is a heavy emphasis on ball handling, with less on transition play and, indeed, defense. With trade eligibility approaching, the Kings are looking to maximize the market.
In fact, they reportedly want to take a chance on Ja Morant.
The last time the Kings had a winning season was in 2022-2023
Two and a half years ago, the Kings made it to the postseason for the first time in 16 years. They finished with a record of 48-34.
That year also saw Mike Brown named as Coach of the Year.
Ultimately, they made it to the first round of the playoffs to take on the Golden State Warriors. After taking a 2-0 series lead, the Kings lost in seven games to the then-defending NBA champions.
Before that, their last winning season was in 2005-06. That year, the Kings finished with a 44-38 record.
Eventually, they finished as the 8th seed in the playoffs and lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
