The Sacramento Kings take on the host Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Wednesday.
Sacramento had a very disappointing 2015-16 campaign and some major moves had to be made. Coach George Karl was fired and the NBA assist leader, Rajon Rondo, was let go in the offseason. In addition, trade swirls are flying around Rudy Gay and it’s expected that he is moved sometime this season. That leaves this team to superstar DeMarcus Cousins, who should put up MVP caliber numbers this season with his massive usage rate. Darren Collison should take one of the biggest leaps as well, as he is taking over the Rondo role as the starting point guard for the Kings. With that said, he will miss the first eight games due to suspension, as Ty Lawson is due to start in his place. The defense is what really needs to improve though, as they ranked dead-last in points allowed last season.
Phoenix dealt with a gluttony of injuries last season and it showed in their poor play. Eric Bledsoe, Tyson Chandler, P.J. Tucker and Brandon Knight all missed significant time last season and they were forced to play some youngsters unexpected minutes. That allowed Devin Booker and Alex Len to improve drastically last season and they both need to take on bigger roles this year. Much like the Lakers, they too were let down by their defense last year, ranking 28th in the league in points allowed. Phoenix won just 23 games a year ago, but they should be able to improve on that number with full health.
The Suns come into this matchup as a rare three-point favorite. In addition, the total of 213 shows just how poor these two defenses can be.
