The Sacramento Kings are staring at a rough number that only two NBA teams have ever hit: 0-18.
If this slide keeps rolling the way it has, Sacramento could find itself in the same company as the 2008 Brooklyn Nets and the 2015 Philadelphia 76ers, the only teams to begin a season with 18 straight losses. Both of those clubs finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and piled up 70-plus losses.
Right now, the Kings are the lone winless team left in the Western Conference after handing the New Orleans Pelicans their first victory on Thursday. That result marked Sacramento’s fourth double-digit loss and third straight defeat on the season.
The timing is brutal, because November does not offer much breathing room. The schedule is packed with playoff teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, and those rosters are described as cohesive.
Doug Christie still has not found the formula to get his top talent functioning as one group. That’s left strong individual showings from Darius Acuff Jr., Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis with nothing to show for it in the standings.
LaVine dropped 37 points against the Memphis Grizzlies last Sunday, while Sabonis opened the season with four straight double-doubles. In theory, that trio should give Sacramento enough offense to hang around in games.
Acuff and Sabonis can create shots, LaVine can score off the ball, and together they should be enough to make the Kings dangerous. Instead, nearly half of Sacramento’s field goals have come without an assist, a sign the ball is not moving well enough to bend defenses and generate clean looks.
That lack of flow has been joined by shaky perimeter shooting. The Kings are hitting just 28.3% from three, which can push Acuff and LaVine toward taking over possessions themselves instead of trusting a teammate who may be open.
The problems on the other end have been just as severe. Opponents are shooting 37.3% from three against Sacramento, and Christie’s defensive plan has leaned more toward protecting the paint than defending the arc.
There is at least one area where Sacramento’s defense can make life harder on opponents: switching pick-and-rolls on the perimeter. Keegan Murray, De'Andre Hunter and Precious Achiuwa give the Kings bodies capable of matching up with perimeter scorers and taking away the three-ball.
The injury list has only made the early stretch more difficult. Maxime Raynaud, who has a right patellar subluxation, Dylan Cardwell, who has a left calf strain, and Keegan Murray, who is dealing with left ankle soreness, are all set to miss the next week.
In Other News...
Former Kings Lottery Pick Just Reached A Tough Career Crossroads
Killian Hayes has reached a point that looked unlikely when he went No. 7 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. After the Kings declined his second-year contract option, he became a free agent and found only limited interest from NBA teams, a reminder of how quickly the league can move on from a former lottery pick who never quite found his footing in Sacramento or before that in Detroit.
Hayes has now taken his next step overseas, signing with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Basketball Super League. For the Kings, it is another small footnote in a roster churn that has already moved on from him, but for Hayes it represents a crossroads in real time, a chance to rebuild value and reset a career that once carried far bigger expectations. [Read more 🡒]
Ben Simmons Brought Extra Edge To The Kings Before Everything Changed
Ben Simmons arrived in Sacramento with something to prove, and it showed well before the games counted. After the Kings gave him a guaranteed contract, he brought a noticeable edge to preseason, where his play suggested he could be a useful piece right away. The backdrop mattered, too, because Simmons had already addressed the Warriors passing on him with coach Steve Kerr, saying Golden State had concerns about his health.
Simmons also crossed paths with Stephen Curry and made it clear he felt ready to go, which only added to the intrigue around his fit with the Kings. For a team looking for stability and upside, his preseason offered a glimpse of both, until everything changed with the torn Achilles that ended his 2026-27 season before it really had a chance to begin. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Face A Bigger Doug Christie Decision Than Fans Realize
The Kings 0-5 start has put Doug Christie in the middle of an early-season storm, with the team sitting at the bottom of the league in point differential and the frustration level rising fast. Still, the organization appears inclined to give Christie a fairer read once the roster is healthier, which matters in a season already distorted by injuries to key players.
For Sacramento, the bigger question is not just whether the losses stop piling up, but how much of this rough opening can really be pinned on the coach. Player development and lineup evaluation have both been complicated by the absences, leaving the Kings with a difficult decision to make about Christies first full look in charge. [Read more 🡒]