Sixty games into the 2021-22 season, the Kings’ lengthy playoff drought is in jeopardy of getting extended to an NBA-record 16 years. But not all hope is lost.
With a new core in Sacramento centered around electric guard De’Aaron Fox and newly acquired big Domantas Sabonis, the Kings have 22 games remaining on their schedule to nab a top-10 spot in the Western Conference and crack the NBA play-in tournament field.
Coming out of the All-Star break, the Kings sit in 13th place in the West with a 22-38 record, 3 1/2 games behind the 10th-seeded Portland Trail Blazers.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
As general manager Monte McNair made clear after a busy trade deadline, Sacramento’s blockbuster moves weren’t just to make a push for the 2021-22 play-in tournament. They were made with intentions to be competitive in the postseason next year and beyond.
But making this year’s play-in tournament would be a bonus. Or Sabonis, if you will.
Here are five reasons why the Kings can claim a play-in tournament bid:
Growing chemistry between Fox, Ox
NBA
The early returns are in. “Swipa” and Sabonis fit perfectly with each other on the floor. First off, Fox can be the primary ball-handler at all times and create opportunities for himself by aggressively driving to the hoop. His speedy, downhill style of basketball complements Sabonis’ ability to work in both the high and low posts. Their skill sets perfectly mesh on offense, and the two have the potential to be special utilizing the pick-and-roll.
In the four contests they’ve played together, Fox is averaging 28.0 points. 4.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 50.6 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from deep -- a significant increase in all categories compared to his season totals (21.8 points, 46.4 field-goal percentage; 27.1 3-point percentage).
Sabonis, meanwhile, has compiled a double-double in three of the four games he’s been in a Kings uniform.
Slumping teams ahead of Sacramento
To earn a ticket to the play-in tournament, the Kings will need to surpass three teams in the standings: the Trail Blazers (25-34), San Antonio Spurs (23-36) and New Orleans Pelicans (23-36).
None of those three teams are behemoths.
Portland has been playing without an injured Damian Lillard since New Year’s Eve. The Trail Blazers traded away his star backcourt running mate, CJ McCollum, at the deadline. Although Portland has won four straight games since the deal, it’s unlikely to continue. Anfernee Simons has been a revelation in Lillard’s absence but he’s no Dame. You don’t trade your second-best scorer in McCollum with intentions to contend.
The Pelicans, who were on the receiving end of the McCollum deal, are still trying to sell star Zion Williamson on signing an extension this offseason. But the Duke product hasn’t played all season and it’s looking more likely that he won’t suit up at all. Even if McCollum and Brandon Ingram emerge into a solid 1-2 punch, it’s hard to take the Pels too seriously without Zion.
RELATED: DiVincenzo happy he's finally on Kings, calls it 'meant to be'
San Antonio will always be respected due to coach Gregg Popovich. The Spurs boast an exciting, young All-Star in Dejounte Murray but the NBA lottery might be a better outcome for the team’s rebuild than a play-in appearance.
Trouble in La La Land
With Russell Westbrook joining forces with LeBron James and Anthony Davis last summer, the Los Angeles Lakers were title favorites heading into the season. To say they’ve been a disappointment is an understatement. The Lakers lost seven of their 10 final contests before the All-Star break and currently hold the No. 9 seed with a 27-31 record, six games ahead of Sacramento.
Now, King James missing the postseason would be absurd. It's difficult to imagine the four-time MVP allowing that to happen. But according to Tankathon, the Lakers have the third-hardest remaining schedule in the league, a slate which includes two matchups apiece against the West’s top dogs in the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors.
The free fall could continue in Laker Land, which would open up another spot for the Kings in the top 10.
Pivotal upcoming games
The best way for the Kings to make up ground in the standings is to beat the teams in front of them. Those wins count double. Sacramento is 5-2 against New Orleans, Portland and San Antonio this season and has three more opportunities left on its schedule -- two against the Pelicans and one road tilt against the Spurs.
The Kings will be welcomed back from the All-Star break by a critical stretch, facing the Denver Nuggets in back-to-back contests but then hitting the road to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans, San Antonio and Dallas Mavericks. If the Kings can split against Denver, take care of business against the 18-40 Thunder and sweep back-to-back games against the Pels and Spurs, they’d signal their status as play-in contenders to the rest of the conference.
Boosted depth
Coach Alvin Gentry is still trying to sort through his new-look roster. But it’s clear the arrivals of Sabonis, Donte DiVincenzo, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb have significantly bolstered the Kings’ talent level, especially off the bench. Sabonis and Holiday have started all four games they’ve been on the floor while it appears DiVincenzo and Lamb will primarily come off the bench.
Where center Richaun Holmes fits in the Kings’ jumbled puzzle may be Gentry’s biggest question mark to solve. Holmes started all 37 games he played before Sabonis arrived in Sacramento. But since Sabonis’ debut, Holmes is averaging 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per contest. If the Kings can get Holmes settled in his new role – whether it’s as a starter alongside Sabonis or a role player – he’ll add needed production to the team’s frontcourt.
The Kings have their work cut out for them over the final 22 games of the 2021-22 season. Making up 3 1/2 games and hurdling three other teams in the standings is no easy task. But a play-in tournament appearance certainly isn't out of the question for Gentry's new-look bunch.