The Sacramento Kings are disappointing their fans as each season passes by. They came close to qualifying for the play-in tournament last season after finishing with a 31-41 record.
The Kings currently hold the longest drought playoff drought in NBA history as they last entered the postseason in 2006. That's sad to see for Kings fans as their team missed the playoffs in the last 15 seasons.
Recently, they extended center Richaun Holmes' contract after having a breakout season with the Kings last season. He averaged 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists to go with 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 63% from the field last season. The 27-year-old is a sparkplug who provides infectious energy to his teammates on the court.
With a flurry of guards in the Kings' rotation, it makes sense to invest in Holmes as he is actually one of the best rim-running bigs in the game right now. Both the Kings and The big man would definitely benefit from this one as he is an excellent complement for good ball handlers and playmakers. The athletic center is known to be a hard roller when playing the pick and roll game.
They also traded Delon Wright for Tristan Thompson to provide the Kings with a reliable backup center. The trade also eliminates coach Luke Walton's problem regarding the backcourt jam as they currently have Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, De'Aaron Fox, Terence Davis, and the newly drafted Davion Mitchell.
Barring any injuries to Haliburton, who had an awkward injury leading to him missing the last remainder of games for the Kings, Sacramento looks solid on paper as they also have Harrison Barnes, Holmes, and Marvin Bagley III to add to the flurry of guards mentioned above.
It will be interesting to see how this season plays out for Sacramento as the outcome midseason will likely make or break the team.
These are 3 way-too-early predictions for the Kings in the upcoming 2021-22 season:
Prediction #3: De'Aaron Fox earns his first All-Star appearance
Fox has steadily been improving his numbers during the last couple of seasons. However, last season was different as he was a man on a mission with averages of 25.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 47.7% from the field.
But despite having a stat-line like this, Fox was not selected as an All-Star last season. The agile point guard will look to eventually make his first All-Star appearance as he is set to have another dominant NBA season ahead of him.
Fox will likely average at least 25 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2.0 steals en route to his first NBA All-Star game selection.
If De'Aaron Fox gets lucky, he can actually be named to an All-NBA team if he carries the Kings' throughout the season.
Prediction #2: Either one or both Marvin Bagley III and Buddy Hield will be traded
These Sacramento players' names have been on rumors lately. Before the Los Angeles Lakers pulled the trigger on the Russell Westbrook deal, Hield was reportedly high on their list.
Even as of last season, Hield's name was constantly popping out of trade talks. It was rumored that Hield and coach Walton's relationship is unsalvagable, so it will not be surprising to see the sharpshooter go.
As for Bagley, his father tweeted back then that he wants his child off of the Kings ASAP. Bagley has struggled to live up to the hype of a third overall pick as he just averaged 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in his three seasons with Sacramento. He still can be the player they hoped to be as he showed flashes and some potential of what he can do when given the opportunity to play and shine.
However, Bagley has always struggled with his health as he has missed a chunk of games in three seasons with the Kings.
It will not be a shocking move if the Kings decided to finally move on from both Bagley and Hield.
Prediction #1: Kings' playoff drought continues
Sorry Sacramento fans but the Kings are likely to miss another playoff appearance and that means the streak lives on. The Western Conference is stacked as almost every contender reloaded their roster. The Golden State Warriors will have Klay Thompson back soon after missing the last two seasons. The Lakers traded for Westbrook, and the other teams who made playoffs last season further improved their rosters.
However, the Kings might end up having a winning record despite missing the playoffs. This will be a huge step towards the future of the franchise as their last winning season was way back in the 2005-06 season.
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