De’Andre Hunter is giving the Sacramento Kings a much-needed lift at exactly the right time.
With the frontcourt thinned out by injuries, Hunter has stepped into a bigger role and started to look like the two-way wing Sacramento believed it was getting in February. Over his last three games, he’s averaging 22.3 points while shooting 44% from three, a stretch that has helped steady a short-handed rotation.
The looks have been there, and Hunter has made teams pay. Rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. has drawn heavy attention on nearly every possession, and that has opened the floor for Hunter to attack. He’s buried quick-release threes and found space for easy finishes at the rim, a cleaner, more aggressive version of his game than what he showed during an extended rough patch.
That bounce-back has shown up in the box score. Hunter scored 24 points in back-to-back losses to the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans, then came within a point of extending his 20-point streak against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
The timing matters for Sacramento’s battered frontcourt. Keegan Murray (left ankle), Maxime Raynaud (right knee) and Dylan Cardwell (left calf) are all set to miss at least the next week before being reevaluated, which has created more room for Hunter to operate. He has taken advantage of it, launching 14.6 shots per game over his last three outings, a jump of 9.3 attempts from the first three games.
For the Kings, this is more than a hot streak. It’s a chance to get a long look at what a healthy 6-foot-7 forward can bring, especially with Hunter in the final year of his 2022 rookie-scale extension. His play this season will go a long way toward shaping what comes next in Sacramento.
That matters because Hunter fits the kind of mold teams chase. A bona fide two-way wing on an expiring deal can draw interest from contenders, and the source material points to players like OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges as examples of that coveted archetype.
Sacramento’s 0-6 start only adds another layer to the picture. The Kings are off to their first 0-6 start since 1990-91, and teams in that position often lean toward selling at the trade deadline and collecting picks for a reset.
But there’s another path here, too. General manager Scott Perry could choose to go beyond the salary cap to keep Hunter, since the Kings have his bird rights.
There’s also a growing on-court connection worth watching between Hunter and Acuff. In a small sample, the two have already shown real chemistry. Acuff, just 19, posted a career-high 14 assists against the Pelicans on Thursday, and Hunter finished with four of them.
For Sacramento, that’s the kind of partnership that can matter down the line. For now, it’s giving the Kings something they desperately need: a confident Hunter, producing every night and helping a depleted team find a little traction.
In Other News...
Kings 0-6 Start Just Put Sabonis Tension Under A Spotlight
A 0-6 start has a way of magnifying everything around a struggling team, and for the Kings it has pushed the spotlight onto Domantas Sabonis and the questions swirling around how he fits with Darius Acuff Jr. Sacramento has plenty to sort through after a rough opening stretch, but Sabonis has continued to produce at a high level individually, leading the league in rebounding while the team searches for answers.
The Acuff piece is the one drawing the most attention because the guard has shown real scoring potential, even as his style has drawn criticism. Reports have suggested there is tension tied to the pairing, while other sources have pushed back and described the communication between the two as solid, leaving the full picture murkier than the record would suggest. For a Kings team already under pressure, the next step in resolving that dynamic may matter almost as much as the next win. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Face A Real Sabonis Question As Jazz Rumors Grow
Domantas Sabonis has become one of the more intriguing names in the early swirl of Kings-related trade chatter, and the fit being discussed says plenty about why. The Jazz have been floated as a possible destination because they are still searching for a true pick-and-roll force to organize their offense, and Sabonis brings exactly the kind of screen-setting and playmaking that can make young scorers easier to develop around. For Sacramento, it is a reminder that a player so central to the teams structure can also become the center of outside speculation.
The challenge for Utah is simple enough to understand and difficult enough to solve. Even if the Jazz like the basketball fit, the salary cap and contract realities make a deal complicated, which leaves plenty of uncertainty around whether this is a real path or just another rumor gaining traction because the name makes sense on paper. For the Kings, the bigger question is not just whether Sabonis could be moved, but what it would mean if the noise around him keeps building. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Winless Start Just Put More Pressure On One Injury Decision
The early-season pressure around Sacramento is only getting louder as the Kings head into a matchup with Dallas still searching for their first win. Injuries have already complicated the picture, with Zach LaVine listed as questionable, and that uncertainty adds another layer to a team that badly needs to steady itself before the standings start to separate.
Dallas comes in with a stronger start under Dusty May, but the bigger concern for Sacramento is how it handles the health of its own roster while trying to avoid digging a deeper hole. Kyrie Irving is also questionable for the Mavericks, so the game could come down to which side is better equipped to absorb a key absence and still find enough offense to take control. [Read more 🡒]