The Sacramento Kings’ beam was finally snuffed out by Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. They were on the wrong end of a historic performance from the game’s best shooter and ultimately lost in Game 7 at home.
But in a lot of ways, this season was already a victory for the once-dormant Kings. And not even a moral victory kind of sense. Considering what the franchise has gone through, this year has been a dramatic improvement.
Sacramento entered the postseason for the first time since 2006 after winning 48 games as the third seed in the West. De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis were named All-Stars. Fox was the king of the fourth quarter and was named Clutch Player of the Year. Mike Brown, the architect of this success, was honored as the Coach of the Year. That’s a lot of wins for a franchise that has been used to being the butt of jokes.
Not to get all Giannis Antetokounmpo on this, but this is definitely not a failure for the Kings. Instead, it is a step towards success. It’s not cliche to say that this is a learning experience for them because they absolutely lacked experience against the defending champions.
In Game 7, Curry was in his element. He’s been through so many pressure-packed games that he knew what his team needed. With his teammates struggling (aside from Kevon Looney), Curry took it upon himself to shoot his team to victory. The home crowd didn’t even faze him. He kept shooting and shooting as the Kings were looking for someone to step up to the plate. None of the Kings have been in that kind of environment before so they couldn’t tap into past experiences.
More often than not, you need to lose first before you can win. Fortunately for the Kings, they still have the core that can set them up for more success in the future. Fox and Sabonis are both under contract at least till next year. The same goes for Keegan Murray, Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, and Davion Mitchell. The front office will also have to decide if they will choose to retain Harrison Barnes as well as role players Alex Len, Trey Lyles, and Terence Davis, who was one of the players tasked to defend Curry towards the latter part of the series.
But of course, the Kings want to not only return to the playoffs the next year but continue to improve. There are decisions to be made on how to build on their roster without sacrificing chemistry and the growth of their core.
The Kings’ primary strength this season was obviously their offense where they ranked first in offensive rating at 118.6. The hiring of Brown as the coach plus the familiarity between Fox and Sabonis unlocked the Kings’ offensive schemes. The addition of Monk and Huerter gave them more shooting.
But Sacramento’s defense, which was already a weakness heading into the playoffs, even became more evident against the Warriors. The lack of size and length also hurt the Kings as Looney feasted on the boards. Obviously, these are points of improvement for the young Kings. How they approach the offseason will be critical for their continued success.
There is certainly a lot of room to grow. It’ll be interesting what they do this summer as well as the trade deadline next year should they choose to change some pieces. What they can lean on, however, is the identity they have formed this past season. Knowing who you are as a team is one of the most underrated aspects of the game and the Kings know exactly who they are and what they can do.
More importantly, they have changed the perception of Sacramento. The Kings are no longer the laughingstock of the league. They have the potential to be one of the powerhouses of the West in years to come. Expect them to “Light the beam!” again soon.
