The Sacramento Kings are entering the 2026-27 season with the kind of outside noise that usually follows a team well past the point of benefit of the doubt.
In Law Murray’s new NBA power ranking for The Athletic, Sacramento landed in the league’s bottom tier, checking in 27th and sitting ahead of only New Orleans, Chicago and Milwaukee. On Monday’s edition of The Drive Guys, Kevin “Whitey” Gleason zeroed in on the reasoning behind that placement: a roster full of returning veterans after what Murray called “zombie seasons,” plus “at least a clear need for another point guard to complement Acuff.”
That’s the picture right now for the Kings. Not playoff hopefuls.
Not a sneaky Play-In team. Just a franchise trying to reset after a lottery season while sorting through the futures of veterans like Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and Malik Monk.
Gleason framed the moment as a reset that had to happen, even if it comes with a hard dose of reality.
“I think finally, and I think it’s the right decision, and I think Scott Perry probably convinced everyone of that,” Gleason said. “We have to go back, and we’re going to have to start at ground zero.”
The message from the conversation was clear: this season is going to be judged differently. Sacramento’s standards have to be about development, small gains, and figuring out what kind of team this actually is. The Kings are still searching for an identity, and Murray’s ranking reflected that uncertainty.
For Scott Perry, the pressure is tied to proving he can build something lasting as the top decision-maker. Doug Christie is still trying to show he’s the right long-term answer on the sideline. And at the center of it all is rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr., the player the franchise is banking on to become the next real foundation piece.
“My point is not, ‘Oh, this is hopeless. This is rock bottom,’” Gleason said.
“My point is this is a really fascinating time in the history of the Sacramento Kings. You’ve got a lot of people with a lot to prove on the court and running things.”
Jay agreed that there’s no sugarcoating the road ahead.
“If they’re not willing to admit that this season is an uphill battle, then they’re definitely fooling themselves,” Jay said.
That’s why Acuff’s rookie year looms so large. Sacramento doesn’t need him to explode right away, but it does need him to finish the season looking like someone the team can build around. As Gleason put it, “Acuff just needs to look by the end of the year like he can be a focal point.”
If that happens, the Kings may have something to hang onto, even if the wins are slow to come.
Training camp for Sacramento opens in late September, and the preseason starts Monday, October 5th, when the Kings host Luka Doncic and the new-look Los Angeles Lakers at Golden 1 Center. The preseason schedule also includes games at the Lakers on Thursday, October 8th, at Golden State on Saturday, October 10th, at home against Portland on Tuesday, October 13th, and at San Antonio on Friday, October 16th.
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