NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
For those of us who consider ourselves 90’s kids, we remember the old-school Sacramento Kings team names like Mike Bibby, Jason Williams, Chris Webber, and Peja Stojakovic. I would argue that era of Kings basketball was one of the BEST teams NEVER to win an NBA title. Remember when the 2003 team ended the Mailman and Stockton era in Utah? The horrible injury Chris Webber had in 03 finished their season and microfracture surgery changed Chris Webber as a player for the rest of his career as he lost his explosiveness.
Sorry Kings fan I know the 2001-02 playoffs still stings, Vlade Divac tips it out and the legend of Robert “Big Shot Bob” Horry was born. With all that and more it has been a long time since this franchise has been talked about on a national level and a threat in the league as a whole. 2006 was the last time the Kings made the playoffs in the world of sports that feels like 100 years or more but in 2023 all of that is about to change. With a dynamic guard by the name of De’Aaron Fox and a new-age big Domantas Sabonis both of who were All-Stars this year the playoff drought WILL end this season.
One thing a lot of talking heads and NBA fans think and say is that LeBron James makes the coach and that most can’t really have an impact on a team once he leaves. Well along with Tyrone Lue, Sacramento coach Mike Brown is shutting that narrative all the way down and doing it with style and grace shoutout to Biggie Smalls. If he isn’t the coach of the year then who is? Sitting at 35-25 and a 3rd seed in the death march known as the Western Conference let me start with the offense which in my opinion and by the stats is the best in the league and fun to watch.
The Offense:
Domantas Sabonis is everything you want in a 2023 NBA big man, he can screen, shoot and pass at an elite level. When he gets a mismatch he crushes smaller players on the pindown for buckets. Just like his daddy but even better he can put the ball on the floor and slash to get the rim or a floater which he hits at a high clip. This 21st-century version of the late great Pete Carrol Princeton offense mixed with some of the Steve Kerr Warriors system has made them a high-powered machine. Without question, he is one of the centerpieces for what they want to do on offense.
For the analytics fans out there, the number one player in clutch scoring is De’Aaron Fox this dude is the straw that stirs the Kings’ drink. An outstanding finisher at the cup and faster than almost everyone who steps in front of him with a jumper to match. With the number of backdoor cuts and dribble handoffs, this team is a nightmare and gives you no plays off to catch a breath. Just look up their offensive rating to let how good this offense is sink in.
The Other Kings:
Having a well-defined role is cool and everything but being able to fill that role more times than not is even more important. This team does that and has continued to improve throughout the season. With a nickname like “Off Night” Davion Mitchell is known for his lockdown defense and for setting the tone on that end of the floor. His offense has improved some but not a must for the squad. Malik Monk has been everything they could have hoped for and more. Nights like his performance in the recent Clippers game show what he’s capable of. Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter will bring playoff experience and can give moments of nice play. As corny as it sounds since we hear it all the time this team seems to really like each other and want to shut up the haters and break the playoff drought. Keegan Murray continues to learn and grow and should be a help on the wings standing at 6’9.
What’s Next:
Scoring the way they do is not enough if you can’t get stops and this is where they need to step it up. You can’t give up 100-plus points per game and expect to be a serious contender. If they can just get a small improvement it would be big for them moving forward and will be the difference between a happy to be here 1st round playoff exit or shocking somebody on the way to the 2nd round. With 6 more back-to-backs on deck and a suspect record against teams with winning records tests will come and more opportunities to show the league and themselves they are ready for it.
The number of people deleting old tweets and trash takes on this team is pretty funny. Some thought the whole “Light The Beam” movement was a fun little cute meme made up by an underperforming franchise. Dust off those old-school Kings jerseys or better yet hop over to our partners at the NBA shop and get updated merch. The space on the bandwagon is going fast and now it would be nice to see the national media give this team the love they have earned let’s get some games on TV. As a guy who lives on the east coast, I have been cracking open an energy drink and loving this ride. An incredible fan base that’s been dying for this moment for a long time LIGHT THE BEAM!
