J. Ross: The Kings at 10
Nov 7, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: Jan 4, 2019, 11:36 am
(Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images)
(Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images)
The Sacramento Kings have played 10 games so far this season. 1/8 of the season has passed by and the Kings have done things already that many thought they weren’t going to be able to do. The Kings have clearly changed their offensive identity. The Kings have increased their offensive production dramatically. The Kings come into play on Wednesday as the 4th highest scoring team in the NBA. The Kings are averaging a robust 118.7 points per game. That number is what the Kings scored one time last season with their best performance.
The Kings have increased their pace, the amount of three pointers they take and the trips to the foul line. The defense needs some work but you have to start somewhere. The Kings with a (6-4) record have wins over 3 playoff teams from last season. Their 4 road wins is tied for the NBA best and they have 6 overall wins which is more than OKC, Houston, Utah, New Orleans and Minnesota.
Individually, several Kings are playing great. De’Aaron Fox has recorded his first career triple double and is flirting with a 20 point per game average to go with 7.6 assists per game. Buddy Hield leads the team in scoring and had his 5 consecutive 20 point game streak end in Milwaukee after he scored 19 in limited minutes. Willie Cauley-Stein is having his best stretch of his pro career and Nemanja Bjelica has fit in perfectly to what Dave Joerger has been looking for.
All this being said, it is early but it is exciting. Here’s hoping the Kings can keep this up with a brutal stretch ahead. We will continue to take the season in chunks and evaluate them again after the next 10. If the Kings get through this stretch feeling good then I think the attention they are starting to get will only amplify and would then be truly warranted.
