Head Coach: Luke Walton (1st Season)
Record: 28-36 (11th in Western Conference)
All-Stars: None
Scoring Leaders: De’Aaron Fox (20.4 PPG), Buddy Hield (19.8 PPG), Harrison Barnes (14.7 PPG)
Rebounding Leaders: Richaun Holmes (8.3 RPG), Marvin Bagley III (7.5 RPG), Alex Len (7.1 RPG)
Assists Leaders: Fox (6.8 APG), Cory Joseph (3.4 APG), Bogdan Bogdanovic (3.2 APG)
Offense: 109.0 Points Scored/Game (23rd)
Defense: 110.9 Points Allowed/Game (17th)
Key Wins: Jazz (102-101, Nov. 1), Celtics (100-99, Nov. 17), Rockets (119-118, Dec. 9), Clippers 2x (124-103, Jan. 30, 112-103, Feb. 22), Blazers (123-111, Mar. 7), Nuggets (100-97, OT, Nov. 30)
Season Summary: The Kings got off to a shaky start under new head coach Luke Walton, dropping their first five games of the season and battling injuries to young stars De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III. The team caught fire before the season halted, winning 10 of its last 15 games and pulling to within 3.5 games of the final playoff spot in the West.
Fox, a third-year guard who’s still just 22 years old, was rounding into form after missing 17 games in November and December. He’s averaging a team-high 20.4 points and 6.8 assists per game and shooting 47.5% from the field. He should benefit from the return of athletic center Richaun Holmes, who had played in just two games before the season was paused since returning from a right shoulder injury that caused him to miss 25 games. Sharpshooters Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic help the team space the floor. The rotation might see somewhat of a shift, however, as Sacramento signed veteran forward Corey Brewer for the rest of the season, while center Alex Len and forward Jabari Parker tested positive for COVID-19. The Kings are looking up at the Pelicans, Trail Blazers and Grizzlies in the race for the eighth seed.
Memorable Moment: The Kings have had some big wins this season, but the most memorable was a December 9 triumph in Houston. Trailing by two with just one second left in the game, Nemanja Bjelica took an inbounds pass from Cory Joseph, turned, and launched a 33-foot 3-pointer for the win. Bjelica’s buzzer-beater capped off a huge two-game Texas trip in which the Kings also beat the Mavericks in Dallas.
Player to Watch: Buddy Hield – Fox leads the team in scoring and assists, but backcourt mate Buddy Hield might be the key for how the Kings are performing. Hield is one of the game’s best 3-point shooters, as he showed when he won the MTN Dew Three-Point Contest at the All-Star break. He’s got the ability to get hot and score 40+ PTS, and the Kings might need him to do that down the stretch if they want to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2006. For the season, Hield is shooting 39.5% from 3-point range.
