Fansided

Who can crash the playoff field in the NBA’s 22-team restart?

By Bryan Toporek

CJ McCollum, #3, Damian Lillard, #0, Carmelo Anthony, #00, Portland Trail Blazers, (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
CJ McCollum, #3, Damian Lillard, #0, Carmelo Anthony, #00, Portland Trail Blazers, (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 7
Next
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 02: De’Aaron Fox #5, Buddy Hield #24 and Bogdan Bogdanovic #8 of the Sacramento Kings celebrate after a basket in the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center on January 02, 2020 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 02: De’Aaron Fox #5, Buddy Hield #24 and Bogdan Bogdanovic #8 of the Sacramento Kings celebrate after a basket in the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center on January 02, 2020 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

5. Sacramento Kings

After winning 39 games in 2018-19, the Sacramento Kings were one of this season’s bigger disappointments. Head coach Luke Walton inexplicably made them operate at one of the league’s slowest paces, and they hit a nadir when they fell to 15-29 on Jan. 22.

However, they began to turn their season around when Walton moved Buddy Hield to the bench and put Bogdan Bogdanovic in the starting lineup in his place.

Over their final 20 games before the season shut down, the Kings went 13-7, which included a pair of victories over the Los Angeles Clippers and wins against the Miami Heat, Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers. Their only losses during that stretch came against surefire playoff teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Point guard De’Aaron Fox and big men Richaun Holmes and Marvin Bagley III each missed at least 19 games, which contributed to the Kings’ early-season skid, but all three should be healthy by the time July 31 rolls around. Those three paired with Hield, Bogdanovic, Harrison Barnes, Nemanja Bjelica and Kent Bazemore give the Kings the foundation of a solid eight-man rotation.

If the Kings were in the Eastern Conference, they’d have a legitimate chance of securing a spot in a play-in tournament. However, they’re tied with the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers at 3.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 8 seed, which means they’ll need to outperform both the Pellies and Blazers and at least break even with the Grizzlies to force a play-in tournament.

The Kings thus have a chance to snap their 13-year playoff drought, but that appears less likely than not to actually happen.

Home/NBA