When it rains, it pours. And if you're the Sacramento Kings, it never seems to stop pouring.
After falling to the New York Knicks 116-96 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden, the Kings have now lost seven games in a row, plummeting to the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
Starting off the 2021-22 NBA season with plenty of promise, Sacramento (18-34) has imploded and has shown very little signs of life on the court.
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SIGN UP HERE Some would even go as far as saying that the team has shown signs of quitting. Interim coach Alvin Gentry is not one of those people.
“I think the losses are stacking up and I think that’s something that they would have to answer individually," Gentry told reporters after the game. "I would sure hope not, because the opportunity that you have to be an NBA player and the lifestyle that it affords you, I think you’ve got to be crazy to quit.
“As the coach, I’m going to try and find five guys who are going to play hard, that are going to play together and compete at a high level. If you’re asking if I think the whole team has quit, no I don’t feel that way at all. I think there are guys who are willing to compete and willing to compete at a high level. We just gotta find those guys and those are going to be the ones on the court.”
Kings guard De'Aaron Fox has missed five games now with an ankle injury, which has allowed second-year and rookie guards Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell to step up in his absence. The lone bright spots for Sacramento throughout the losing streak.
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“I think if you look at Tyrese [Haliburton] and how he played in the Philly game and how he stepped up," Gentry said. "I think Davion [Mitchell] does it every night, I really do. I think that he is a special rookie, I don’t think anything seems to bother him from the standpoint of what he’s trying to accomplish. I think he competes at a high level every night and those are the kind of players you want in your program. I think he’ll continue to get better."
Mitchell has played in 45 games this season, starting in just three of them. Monday night, the two teamed up to account for 40 percent of Sacramento's 96 points against the Knicks.
As Mitchell (18 pts) and Haliburton (21 pts) learned to co-exist with one another on the first-team offense Monday night, the rookie continues to show signs of improvement.
“Two young guys kind of learning each other and learning how to play together for extended periods of time," Haliburton said about playing with Mitchell. "I think we’re just learning every game together, learning from the good and the bad. I think he’s been a lot better for this whole trip, I think when he came back from COVID he had a little bit of a rough stretch but he’s got a lot better especially during the trip and I’m really happy for him.”
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Transitioning from a bench role to a starting role is never easy for a rookie, but Mitchell appears to handle his own in each of his limited starts.
“There are so many different things," Haliburton said. "You’re playing against different lineups, usually, you’re against the starters more than the second unit and when you’re coming off the bench your job is to lead the second unit and then when you get in the first unit you’re trying to find your way.”
The Kings' fortunes won't get any better, as they are set to face off against the Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors in a brutal back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday.
Sacramento will need a triumphant win if they are to snap their losing streak against one of the two juggernauts of the NBA.