Sacramento Kings NBA Season Preview

This preview was written by Ti Windisch from A Royal Pain.

The Sacramento Kings had yet another rough season last year. For the seventh season in a row the Kings won less than 30 games, finishing the 2014-15 NBA season with a disappointing 29-53 record.

Biggest Offseason Move – Rajon Rondo

The Kings made a ton of moves this offseason, but by far the biggest both in terms of impact and notoriety was the signing of Rajon Rondo. Divac inked Rondo to a one-year, $9.5 million deal in early July in a slightly puzzling move.

There’s two ways to look at the Rondo deal. The first is that it’s a relatively low-cost deal considering the Kings are only tied to Rondo for a season, so if things go bad it won’t impact Sacramento’s cap space going forward.

Thus if Rondo returns to championship form he’s more than worth the money since he’ll help Sacramento avoid the lottery this season, and if he doesn’t then it’s simple to walk away from him.

The other way to look at the Rondo deal is that it’s yet another classic head-scratching move by the Kings. Nearly $10 million for a player who got himself benched in the playoffs despite being the Mavs’ key mid-season pickup is an obvious overpay, and there’s a good chance Rondo could be the one to ignite Sacramento’s powder keg between Karl and Cousins.

The truth is probably somewhere in between the two interpretations of the signing, but it’ll become clear as the season progresses if signing Rajon Rondo was a good decision or not. It’s certainly got Kings fans excited, but the move will only pay off if Rondo can turn back the clock.

Rondo hasn’t played more than 68 games in a season since 2010 or had a positive rating (having a higher offensive rating then defensive rating, which essentially means a player contributes more points than he allows per 100 possessions) since 2012.

Asking him to suddenly revert to championship form is probably demanding a lot, but so far despite a poorly-executed joke it seems that Rondo isn’t going to be the reason the Kings implode. He may not be a top point guard again, but if he can at least stay focused and play good basketball this should be a positive move for Sacramento.

Next: Breaking Down The Kings' Offense and Defense

Sep 28, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings heach coach George Karl during media day at the Sacramento Kings practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive/Defensive Breakdown

George Karl plans to bring a very fast offense to Sacramento this season. Karl has already had the Kings scrimmage with an 18 second shot clock to encourage a fast-paced offense, and he’s said he plans to shorten it four more seconds later to really get guys running.

Karl likes to get a lot of buckets in transition as well–as opposed to the slow, defensive grinds that former Kings coach Michael Malone preferred, you can expect to see these Kings doing a whole lot of running in their time on the floor this season.

The Kings were eighth in the NBA with just under 15 fast break points per game last season–don’t be surprised if Sacramento ends up in the top five this year. Karl gathered the personnel he wants for his offense, and he has free reign over how his team tries to score.

The Kings should also be better from long-range this season. After finishing last year third-worst in three-point makes per game and in the bottom third of three-point percentage the Kings added Marco Belinelli, Duje Dukan, Seth Curry, James Anderson and Caron Butler to the team.

The presence of those shooters–especially Belinelli, a proven threat from distance–should help to space the floor and leave more room for Cousins to wreak havoc inside, which is his specialty on offense.

As far as defense is concerned, this team is built around their bigs. Cousins, Willie Cauley-Stein and Kosta Koufos are all plus defensive players, and they should be able to cover for defensive lapses allowed by the perimeter players on the team.

It also helps that they’re all huge and can grab a ton of rebounds–good defense and good rebounding go hand-in-hand with running a lot of effective fast breaks. This team has the pieces to run Karl’s various schemes effectively, which should be fun to watch for Sacramento Kings fans.

Next: Looking At The Rook

Oct 5, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein (00) and Portland Trail Blazers forward Noah Vonleh (21) battle for a rebound after a free throw at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Looking at the Rook – Willie Cauley-Stein

Drafting Willie Cauley-Stein was kind of a no-brainer for the Sacramento Kings this offseason. Cauley-Stein is projected to be a revolutionary force on defense and a solid offensive big man once he develops, so he’s obviously a good pick for this team that needs to be good defensively to help the transition offense.

But his fit on the team actually isn’t the only factor in Cauley-Stein being the right pick. He’s also the rookie that DeMarcus Cousins most wanted to play with–both Cousins and Karl think that a Cauley-Stein/Cousins frontcourt is going to be great in Sacramento for a long time.

The defense in Sacramento’s painted area is going to be outstanding with these two guarding the rim, and even if Cauley-Stein is a bit slow to develop a strong offensive game they’ll be good enough there. Boogie Cousins can probably score enough points for the two of them anyway.

As a final reason this was a great pick for the Kings, Cauley-Stein seems like a completely outstanding individual. He’s already begun using his NBA stature to help people, such as this heartwarming example of Willie visiting a young, sick Kentucky fan earlier this summer.

That’s the kind of player everybody wants on their team. If his basketball ability pans out like it should and he continues to make all the right kinds of headlines outside of the gym, then Willie Cauley-Stein is going to be making Kings fans happy for a long time.

Next: Key Offseason Additions and Losses

Oct 10, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Seth Curry (30) drives in against Portland Trail Blazers guard Phil Pressey (26) during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 94-90. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Key Offseason Additions and Losses

Vlade Divac made sure to replace about 80 percent of this roster, so there are quite a few additions and losses to go over, but some are certainly more important than the rest.

Obviously big name signings like Rajon Rondo, Marco Belinelli and Kosta Koufos are all huge for this team. Rondo should start from day one, and Belinelli and Koufos are ideal veteran depth–they both know their roles and play them exceptionally well, without complaint.

But the guys at the end of the bench are often just as important as the more known players. Injuries happen to every NBA team, and that’s when it’s important to have an actually deep team, which is more than nine good players.

Nine good players are a rotation, sure. But an injury or two later, and suddenly that tenth and eleventh man is called up. If they’re not really NBA quality players, they’re going to have a big negative impact on a team’s season.

Divac loaded this roster with talented players, and most of them were fairly cheap as well. Seth Curry, Caron Butler, Quincy Acy and Eric Moreland aren’t going to steal starting jobs from guys like Rondo or Rudy Gay anytime soon, but they’ll be ready if for whatever reason they get bumped up into the rotation.

That kind of depth really matters–the average fan may only notice the starting five, but every player on a roster is essential to having a good season. The Kings added a lot of good role players this summer, to ensure that if the injury bug strikes again they won’t be left without a paddle.

As far as losses, Sacramento really isn’t hurting too badly. Jason Thompson, Carl Landry, Ray McCollum, Nik Stauskas and Derrick Williams are the more notable of the players that either signed elsewhere or were traded this offseason.

Those guys certainly aren’t bad, but adding Rajon Rondo, Kosta Koufos, Marco Belinelli, Seth Curry and Willie Cauley-Stein really helps to soften the blow. Often roster overhaul can hurt a team, but the Kings kept most of their good players and added some as well–they came out ahead this offseason.

Next: The Five Most Important Games

Dec 21, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) react after Cousins took a charge from Bryant for an offensive foul during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 108-101. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Five Most Important Games for the Kings This Season

As highlighted in an A Royal Pain article when the Sacramento Kings schedule first came out, there are five games that Kings fans need to have circled on their calendars as can’t miss showdowns.

The first is their December 28th game against the Golden State Warriors. It’s the second time the two teams meet, and at this later point in the season Seth Curry might have made his way into the rotation.

If he has, this game should contain some very interesting Seth-on-Steph basketball, which should be fun for everyone involved. It won’t be an easy game for Sacramento, but it could be a great chance for the team to prove themselves against the defending champs in their building.

The second must-see game is January 7th, against the Los Angeles Lakers at home. The Kings’ faithful really don’t like the Lakers, and they’ll probably be worse than the Kings again this season. Beating a rival is always fun–but it should be even more fun this season, given Sacramento might be a surprisingly good team.

The third can’t-miss contest is just about a week later, on January 13th. It’s when the New Orleans Pelicans come to town, meaning that fans should get to see Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins battle in Sacramento. That’s a fun contest to watch regardless of personal fandom–those two are rising stars in the Association, and they may be fighting for an All-NBA First Team spot.

A reunion between old friends is the fourth Kings game to keep an eye out for, as the Denver Nuggets play in Sacramento on February 19th. Former Kings’ coach Michael Malone and GM Pete D’Alessandro both now work for the Nuggets, and it’ll be interesting to compare the two franchises at that point in the season.

Finally, on April 9th the Kings will play their last regular season game in Sleep Train Arena. The tough Oklahoma City Thunder will be in town, and this game could have serious playoff implications.

The arena will probably be extra energized for this one regardless of the standings though–Kings fans won’t let their long-time home go out with a whimper. This game is going to be loud.

Next: Final Prediction

April 5, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Sleep Train Arena. The Jazz defeated the Kings 101-95. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Final Prediction

The Sacramento Kings are set to shock the NBA world this season, and they might just do it. It’d a surprise if they went out and made the playoffs right away, but this team just appears too good to submit another sub-30 win season.

Somewhere around 43 wins makes sense for this team. The variance here is huge–if things go perfectly right the Kings could push 50 victories, but if things explode in Vlade Divac’s face then Sacramento could end up with 50 losses yet again.

However the team ends up finishing, it’ll be because of the main three personalities involved in the locker room. George Karl, Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins need to find a way to peacefully and constructively co-exist.

If they do that, this is a talented team with a great coach that can give a lot of other franchises problems. But if those three can’t work things out between them and this powder keg ignites, it’ll be another long season in Sacramento.

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