Zach LaVine knows what’s waiting for him in Sacramento this season: pressure, opportunity, and a chance to rewrite the conversation around his game.
The Kings are coming off a brutal 22-60 season, and injuries were a major reason why. Domantas Sabonis appeared in just 19 games, Keegan Murray played 23, and LaVine himself was limited to 39. If Sacramento gets better health this time around, the win total should move well beyond 22, and LaVine is fully aware of that reality.
In an interview with ClutchPoints’ Tomer Azarly, LaVine made it clear where his head is at entering the new year.
"I had a little hand injury, but every year for me, I go into the offseason, I see what I can do better. I see how I can try to help the team and what role or what area I'm gonna be fitting in," LaVine said.
"Obviously, they going to put you in a role that's best case for you. But I'm super excited.
It's unfortunate that I had the injury last year, even the season we had, we started off very well. I started off well.
But for standards for myself, I have them extremely high, so I'm looking forward to this year."
That’s the kind of response Sacramento needs from him. LaVine, 31, is entering a contract year, and there are plenty of questions hanging over his future with the Kings. This is a season that demands something real from him.
The numbers from last season weren’t empty, either. In fewer than half of Sacramento’s games, LaVine averaged 19.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 47.9% from the field and 39.0% from three. The two-time All-Star has spent the last few years hearing plenty of skepticism, much of it tied to his sizable contract, but this is his shot to quiet that noise.
There’s also a version of this Kings team that can surprise people if the key pieces stay on the floor. A healthy LaVine next to a healthy Sabonis gives Sacramento a much different look.
Playoff contender? Probably not.
Better than the low expectations surrounding them? Absolutely possible.
LaVine also pointed to the strong start he felt the team had last season, and while Sacramento opened 2-4, his own beginning was much sharper than the team’s record suggested. He scored 30 or more points in five of the Kings’ first six games, hinting at a season that could have taken off if things had stayed on track.
Instead, the production faded. But this year, the path is obvious: bring it every night, avoid the disappearing acts, and keep the standard high. If LaVine does that, he has a real chance to remind the league exactly why he’s still one of its premier scorers - and give the Kings a season that looks a lot better than last year’s mess.
In Other News...
Kings What If From 2017 Still Cuts Deep Today
Seven years later, the Kings 2017 draft still lingers as one of those franchise touchstones that gets revisited whenever the conversation turns to what might have been. Sacramento took DeAaron Fox at No. 5 overall and Zach Collins at No. 10, moves made with a clear eye toward building around speed, fit and familiarity. In hindsight, a Bleacher Report redraft swapping in OG Anunoby and Josh Hart only sharpens the sense that this was one of the pivotal nights in the organizations recent history.
Former Kings executive Vlade Divac has spoken about why the team stuck with Fox instead of chasing Luka Doni, pointing to market fit and relationships as part of the equation. Those are the kinds of decisions that can define a front office for years, and for Sacramento, the 2017 class remains a reminder of how thin the line can be between a foundation and a missed opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Alex Karaban Could Push Into The Kings Rotation Faster Than Expected
Alex Karaban arrives in Sacramento with a profile the Kings can at least imagine using sooner rather than later. Drafted by Cleveland at No. 29 and then sent to the Kings, the UConn product brings the kind of size and efficient offensive game that can make a rookie easier to fold into a rotation, especially for a team always looking for useful minutes on the wing and up front.
Karabans college track record gives him a real case for early opportunity, with 151 games at UConn and steady production across the board. The bigger question for Sacramento is whether that success translates cleanly to the NBA game, because that answer will go a long way toward determining how quickly he can push into the Kings' rotation during his first season. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Face One Real Roster Question With Final Spot Still Open
The Kings still have one open roster spot, and it has become the kind of late-summer question that can quietly shape the rest of a season. Sacramento already has 17 players under contract, including Ben Simmons and Elfrid Payton, so any addition now would be less about filling a headline need and more about deciding whether the last place goes to another veteran option or a younger player who might grow into the role.
Cam Whitmore is one of the names worth watching after being waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers, since he fits the Kings timeline as a young wing. The issue, as always with a crowded roster this time of year, is whether there will be enough playing time to make that kind of upside move worthwhile. Sacramento has not announced any signing involving Whitmore, which leaves the final spot open and the decision very much unresolved. [Read more 🡒]