The Sacramento Kings are staring down a brutal stretch, and the numbers are ugly enough on their own: one win, ten losses, and a 9.1% win percentage that says everything about how this season has gone so far.
That lone victory came in the kind of result nobody saw coming, a win over Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks. Outside of that, the Kings have been sinking fast, and if this pace holds, they’re on track for a seven-win season. That’s historically bad.
What makes the situation even worse is the way the roster has been handled around the margins. The front office, as the source material puts it, seems to be making the team worse, not better. Sacramento traded Nique Clifford away for normal beans, not even magic ones, and then signed Mason Plumlee for some reason.
Now comes the next test, and it’s a nasty one. Over the final nine games in November, the Kings are set to face the Blazers, Thunder, Suns, Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, Warriors, Wolves, and Pelicans.
That’s a rough run for any team. For this Kings group, it looks especially unforgiving.
Most of those matchups figure to be lopsided. The Suns and Pelicans are the two teams Sacramento might have a shot against, and even that comes with a catch: both are still better than the Kings.
The Pelicans already beat Sacramento once this season, and a second loss would hardly be a surprise. Phoenix hasn’t played the Kings yet, but at the time of writing the Suns were 4-6 and clearly operating at a higher level.
If Sacramento drops all nine of those games, the Kings would finish November at 1-20. That would push their win percentage down to 5% and drop their projected season total to four wins.
Hey, Vivek! Is that enough to finally get Doug Christie fired?
In Other News...
Kings Still Searching For A Backcourt Answer Fans Know Well
The Kings are still working to shore up the backcourt, and Gabe Vincent has emerged as a familiar name in that search. Sacramento has a standing contract offer out to the veteran guard and recently brought him in to meet with team officials, a sign the front office is still looking for a reliable answer behind rookie Darius Acuff Jr. With an open roster spot available, the fit is obvious on paper: a seasoned guard who can steady the second unit and give the Kings some insurance in a thin area.
Vincent also comes with a connection that makes the pursuit feel less like a cold free-agent chase and more like a reunion. He has prior experience with the organization through its G League affiliate, which gives Sacramento some baseline familiarity as it tries to fill out the guard rotation. The interest is clear, but the roster picture is still waiting on the final step, and for now the Kings are left searching for the veteran backup they believe can fit into the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Rookie Darius Acuff Just Faced His Toughest NBA Test Yet
Darius Acuff Jr. has already found out how unforgiving the NBA can be for a rookie point guard, and the latest reminder came against Luka Doni. Acuff, who has been carving out a role for the Sacramento Kings, said Doni has been the toughest player he has had to defend so far, a fair assessment after a night in which Sacramento fell 116-103 to Donis team.
Even in defeat, Acuff gave the Kings another glimpse of why theyre encouraged by his early progress. He finished with 22 points and 12 assists, continuing a stretch in which his playmaking has trended upward even as his shooting efficiency remains a work in progress. For a young guard learning on the fly, the challenge is obvious, but so is the upside. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Teardown Talk Now Hinges On One Untouchable Rookie
Sacramentos season has already shifted into a different phase, and the front office is acting like it knows it. The Kings have made one trade so far, sending Nique Clifford to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the broader message from around the league is that virtually everyone else on the roster can be discussed if the right deal comes along. For a team trying to reset its direction, that kind of openness usually means the focus has moved from patching holes to rethinking the whole structure.
At the center of it all is rookie Darius Acuff Jr., who has quickly become the one player Sacramento appears unwilling to move. Sam Amick reported the Kings are open to talks on everyone except Acuff Jr., whose early production has given the franchise a clear reason to build around him. That leaves veterans like Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, Malik Monk and De'Andre Hunter as the names to watch, with the real question now being how far the Kings are willing to go in reshaping the roster around their young guard. [Read more 🡒]