Doug Christie has made defense the centerpiece of his message in Sacramento, and that much makes sense. The Kings have spent years without a real identity on that end, and if this rebuild is going to amount to anything, it has to start with some kind of backbone.
But defense cannot be the whole plan. Not when the Kings also have a serious offensive problem staring them in the face, and not when their three-point shooting has been this shaky.
Sacramento’s preseason numbers have at least trended the right way. In game one, the Kings shot 17.4% from deep.
That climbed to 27.8% in game two and then 33.3% in game three. There was more progress in game four, when they hit 13 of 38 threes for 34.2%.
Still, the broader picture is hard to ignore. In the 2025-2026 season, the league average for three-point shots taken was 37, with sunk threes sitting at 13.7.
That worked out to 36%. Sacramento averaged 34.8 attempts per game and made 11.8, good for 34% over that same season.
That gap mattered. It cost the Kings an average of six points per game, which is no small thing for a team that was losing by an average of 10 points last season. If Sacramento is going to move forward, closing that distance has to be part of the answer.
The Kings’ rebuild has been a long time coming. Sacramento has taken a full reset on the roster, and the surprise was never that it happened - it was how long it took to get here. For years, the team needed one, and a big reason it never arrived was micromanaging co-owner Vivek Ranadive.
Christie is now the coach charged with guiding the turnaround, and he’s in his second season after a rough first one. Sacramento finished 22-60, though that came with an unbalanced roster and a pile of injuries.
The encouraging sign is that the shooting has started to tick upward. The question is whether Christie sees that as urgently as he should.
In Other News...
Kings End Preseason With A Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The Kings closed preseason with another rough night, dropping a 126-97 decision to the Spurs and extending a five-game skid that leaves little question about how uneven these final tune-ups were. Sacramento opened with Darius Acuff Jr., Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray, Ben Simmons, and Domantas Sabonis, but San Antonio seized control early and never really let the Kings settle in.
The bigger concern was how one-sided the game became in the areas that usually travel well into the regular season. The Spurs owned the glass 61-38 and buried 17 three-pointers, while Sacramento managed only three, a spread that underscored how far off the Kings looked at both ends. Preseason results only matter so much, but this was the kind of finish fans notice because it exposed the same kinds of issues that can linger if they are not cleaned up quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Opening Lineup Looks Set But One Concern Still Looms
The Kings appear to be closing in on a starting group for the new season, with Darius Acuff Jr., Zach LaVine, Ben Simmons, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis lining up as the most likely opening five. It is a look that brings more clarity than Sacramento had at times last year, when injuries and constant roster shuffling kept the team from ever settling into much of a rhythm.
Even so, there is still a layer of uncertainty hanging over the roster. Rookie center Maxime Raynaud is already dealing with a preseason injury, and at least two starters are considered possible trade candidates, which means the group the Kings open with may not be the one they carry very far into the season. For a team trying to turn stability into real traction, health and cohesion may end up mattering as much as talent. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Preseason Created A Real Rotation Debate Before Opening Night
The Kings left preseason with plenty to sort through, and not much of it was flattering on the scoreboard. Sacramento went 0-5, losing by an average of 14.8 points, but the exhibition slate still offered a clearer look at the roster battle taking shape before opening night. Darius Acuff Jr. emerged as the team's top scorer in preseason action, giving the Kings a promising glimpse at what the rookie point guard might become as the regular season approaches.
Ben Simmons also made a case for more minutes after sitting out the previous season, and Jonathan Mogbo turned heads on a two-way contract with encouraging play. The tricky part for Sacramento is figuring out where that leaves everyone else, especially De'Andre Hunter, who struggled enough that his role could shrink if the Kings lean more heavily on Simmons and the other players who outperformed him in exhibition play. [Read more 🡒]