Is there a more interesting young team in the NBA than the Sacramento Kings at the moment?

The Kings are coming off of a surprising 2018-19 campaign in which they won 39 games and actually contended for a playoff spot in the Western Conference through much of the season before finally fading in March.

Now, Sacramento is going into the 2019-20 NBA season with serious playoff hopes, even in a West that has improved significantly over the summer.

Of course, it will still be an uphill battle for the Kings, as they probably won't be fighting for anything more than the eighth seed. The Clippers, Lakers, Jazz, Nuggets, Rockets, Warriors and Blazers all look decidedly better right now, and the Spurs, Mavericks and Timberwolves will all be in the running for that last playoff spot, as well.

But there is a whole lot to like about Sacramento.

The Kings are loaded with young talent, from De'Aaron Fox to Marvin Bagley to Buddy Hield to Bogdan Bogdanovic. Heck, throw Harry Giles in there, as well.

They also added some veteran depth in the form of Trevor Ariza, Dewayne Dedmon and Cory Joseph this offseason, and while I think they overpaid to retain Harrison Barnes, at least he's an experienced player who can help the youngsters along.

Balance is the name of the game here. Sacramento isn't just focusing on one player or one position. It has talent at basically every spot. It has shooters. It has facilitators. It has post scorers. It has everything on the offensive end.

Now, defensively, the Kings might have some issues, as Bagley and Hield are not known as defensive wizards, and while Barnes has the ability to guard multiple positions, he is not elite.

Dedmon should help with the frontcourt defense, as he is an athletic seven-footer who can block shots and grab rebounds. His pick-and-roll defense is only mediocre, but he is at least passable there.

One guy who shouldn't have any issues at all defensively is Fox, who has all of the tools you could ask for from a lockdown perimeter defender. He is long, rangy, athletic and smart and will probably be making an All-Defensive Team at some point in his career.

Regardless, for a young team that is still finding itself, some defensive struggles are acceptable so long as the club takes the necessary measures to improve them, and it's not like the Kings are completely bereft of defensive talent.

I will say that rival teams will be expecting more out of Sacramento in the 2019-20 NBA season.

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While the Kings may have caught some squads off guard this past year, that won't be the case in 2019-20. Opponents will now be ready for Luke Walton's club, as they are fully aware of the abundance of young talent on this ballclub.

But on that same token, Sacramento should also be more prepared, as it showed significant growth as a team this past season and seems very committed to getting better moving forward.

Heck, the Kings even drew free-agent interest from Al Horford, which should tell you how the view of Sacramento is changing around the league.

Let me be clear: the Kings have not arrived yet. They are not ready to make an extended playoff run, and I'm not even guaranteeing they will make the postseason to begin with. Personally, I think they will, but if they don't, it would not surprise me.

However, I do think this is a team on the rise. While I won't go as far to say they will become the Warriors, let's remember that the Dubs were once a club teeming with young talent that had to take its lumps before getting to that next level.

It's obviously a matter of gelling and putting it all together, but this Kings squad has a similar amount of overall talent to the 2013 Warriors. Again, I'm not saying Sacramento will mirror Golden State, but it's hard not to look at this roster and think that it could accomplish big things in the future.

As for the 2019-20 NBA season? The Kings should improve upon their win total from last year and potentially finish with around 45 victories, which could be enough to get them that eighth seed.

While the top of the West is absolutely stacked, there is a significant dropoff once you get past those top seven teams, so 45 wins could very well be enough to get you into the playoffs.

One thing is for sure: basketball is back in Sactown, and this recent uptick may very well end up saving the Kings franchise.