NBA Notes: Kings, Zach LaVine, Mavericks, Daniel Gafford, Pacers
Sacramento Kings Struggle Early
The Sacramento Kings' early season issues deepened after a 126-113 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. As Sam Quinn of CBS Sports observed, the old joke about the Kings becoming like the Bulls no longer applies. Chicago's team is younger, faster, and more modern, with a young rotation beyond Nikola Vucevic.
Meanwhile, Sacramento is stuck relying heavily on mid-range shots, ranking 22nd in attempts at the rim and fifth worst in overall offense. Their style resembles an All-Star nostalgia lineup rather than a modern NBA offense.
“Teams are not exactly lining up for LaVine,” noted Quinn. Sam Amick of The Athletic added on The Carmichael Dave Show that he cannot “name one team” currently monitoring LaVine with confidence.
The return of Keegan Murray will offer some improvement, but Sacramento needs far more than a simple boost. The team tasted success and then panicked, trying to hold onto it with older players. Now, they seem to have lost their identity in the process.
Player Updates
- Daniel Gafford expects to make his season debut Saturday in Mexico City against Detroit. He has been out since spraining his ankle on the first day of training camp, according to Mike Curtis (The Dallas Morning News) and Christian Clark (The Athletic).
- D’Angelo Russell is currently questionable for upcoming games.
- Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Dante Exum remain sidelined.
Despite recent setbacks, the Kings face a critical juncture as they seek to regain their identity and momentum early in the season.