The Sacramento Kings [Continue To] Turn Heads
Nov 1, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: Jan 4, 2019, 11:36 am
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
In this early portion of the NBA schedule, a few things have continued as they do every year; The Warriors keep winning. The Spurs keep finding ways to be competitive and Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to dominate.
Of the differences in the NBA this year, there are a few big storylines. LeBron James is a Laker, the Jimmy Butler saga. The struggles of the Houston Rockets.
Oh, and the Sacramento Kings are winning basketball games.
After years of tearing down and rebuilding, the Sacramento Kings are off to their best start since 2002 when the team jumped out to a 6-3 start. After beating the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday with a final score of 146-115, the Kings matched that 2002 start while also winning their fourth straight contest.
Buddy Hield continued his incredible play with 27 points and 5 rebounds on 10/17 shooting, including 5/7 from 3. De’Aaron Fox, who injured his lower back in the closing minutes of Monday’s win in Miami, battled through the pain for 31 points and 15 assists and 10 rebounds. Fox has become the youngest player to ever post such numbers.
The continuous surprise for the Kings this season has without a doubt been the impact of Nemanja Bjelica, who poured in 19 points. Bjelica has season averages of 15.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3 assists per game, which are all career highs.
Willie Cauley-Stein has also been a major contributor this season, averaging 16.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 56 percent from the field. Entering the last year of his rookie contract, Willie is looking to get paid at seasons end, and is playing like he is on a mission to do just that.
A big difference so far this season has been scoring. Last season, Sacramento averaged 98.8 points per game which placed them in dead last in NBA scoring. This season, the team ranks seventh in the league in scoring with a whopping 119.8 points per game.
The Kings have had an impressive start, but it’s all the more impressive when noted that they currently have the sixth most difficult strength of schedule so far, and have also played six of their nine games on the road.
Something that should also be taken into account is that the Kings are currently playing without last season’s arguably best player, Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is recovering from a knee procedure. Bogdanovic is looking to return to the lineup next Wednesday when the Toronto Raptors come to Golden 1 Center.
Sacramento will look to push their winning streak to six in Milwaukee.
