Somewhere in the last few spots in the Western conference rankings will you find the Sacramento Kings, still struggling.
If the title feels off to you, it's only because the Sacramento Kings are owned by an Indian, Vivek Ranadivé.
It's been quite a while since the Sacramento Kings had anything to cheer about. Trying to come out to the rebuilding phase, the Kings can't seem to catch a break.
I'm not saying that the Kings are bad but they need some major trades and signings to be significant in the hardened western conference. The three main players that the Kings rely on are their point guard De'Aaron Fox, their center Marvin Bagley III and their shooting guard Buddy Hield.
De'Aaron Fox is a young guard out of Kentucky, drafted 5th overall by the King's in the 2017 NBA draft. And one of the things that made Fox stand out from other players is his speed and agility. Up until now, the fastest guard in the NBA was John Wall but De'Aaron Fox surely is giving him a run for his title as the fastest guard in the NBA. Fox is somewhat of a slashing playmaker. He can very easily make his way to the rim but is also learning how to run an offense for the entire team.
Video: The Knightly Sacramento Kings
King's starting center Marvin Bagley III is a lean 6'11 player who is an interior finisher. Once Bagley gets the ball down in the paint, it is a sure thing he might end up dunking the ball on someone. Bagley, being only 21 has quite a developed game for a bigman. His abilities that end up as highlights are his inside scoring, his mid-range game and his athleticism. For a guy who is 6'11, he can sure get up off the ground to dunk, block or rebound the ball over other players in the league.
Now coming onto someone who has the potential to be a star in the future is Buddy Hield. Hield right now is a sharpshooter for the Kings. But Hield is so much more than just another guy chugging up 3's in a game. Hield can score inside, outside, finish at the rim and step in the 3 point line for an easy 2 as well. I personally feel Hield has the potential to become the team's leader on offense because he does have the potential to do so.
The Sacramento Kings were once a dominant force in the West. It was when they had Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby and Chris Webber. Bibby was an excellent playmaker and could very well finish on his own but also made sure to get his teammates easy looks due to his high passing vision and accuracy. Vlade Divac was their defensive center, the team's defensive leader if you will. A big 7 foot body in the paint, Divac would just swat shots away and due to his big strong frame, he wasn't a complete liability on offense either. And Chris Webber was their offensive leader then. He could dribble the ball like a guard as well as run the court like one too. Webber could shoot from anywhere inside the 3point line as he was an excellent mid-range shooter and could also step back for the occasional 3points. This Kings squad did manage to reach the western conference finals in the early 2000's but fell short to an overpowered Los Angeles Lakers who had Kobe and Shaq at the time.
The last time Kings fans had anything to cheer about was when they had drafted bigman Demarcus Cousins but it was evident from an early stage that Cousins and the Sacramento front office will have to part ways. Cousins was an impact player as soon as he came into the league but his temper always got the best of him, getting ejected from multiple games.
Currently the Kings are in a good spot if we're talking about their future. The main Kings core group is quite young and have a lot of years ahead of them to improve their game and on-court chemistry as well. But if we're going to talk about title contention, expect the Kings to be out of the playoff picture for at least 2 to 3 years. Till then their players would have evolved into stars and could also add some more talent via trades and free agent signings.
Current Superstars - De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield.
Past Superstars - Mike Bibby, Chris Webber, Kevin Martin.
Past legends - Nate Archibald, Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas.
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