NBA – The Sacramento Kings are no longer the kings of losing

“LIGHT THE BEAM !” (“Turn on the laser”, in VF) Howl the supporters present Monday night at the Golden Center in Sacramento for the clash of the Western Conference between their beloved Kings, third, and the Grizzlies, dolphins of the Nuggets. Yes, they are not dreaming not – or maybe they can finally start dreaming – their favorite team is on the podium and is in position to qualify for the playoffs in the middle of the season. The franchise have never known. They have always been among the loudest and hottest in the league. Even when their franchise monopolized the bottom of the rankings and chained bad choices year after year.

Fifteen years of misfortune

So now that the Kings have raised their heads, they’re enjoying every moment. Each victory is celebrated with a laser beam sent into the sky from the room. “Light the beam“, they repeat over and over, while their darlings inflict a correction on the Grizzlies (133-100). They have reason to be optimistic and simply happy. The team has come back from so far. A laughing stock of the NBA for more fifteen years old, a perpetual circus, it is now the best in California, a state which nevertheless includes the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers as well as the Golden State Warriors, defending champions. In any case, it is today the highest ranked with 27 wins and 19 losses, which is already one more success than last season when there are still more than 30 matches to play!

It’s a nice revenge. A few months ago, the Kings were still taking a flurry of criticism after parting with Tyrese Haliburton, a young leader with a bright future. The leaders had then recovered Domantas Sabonis. A talented pivot, certainly, but with a short contract. Above all, it once again looked like a decision made without any long-term reflection, the kind of choice that has led the organization into this downward spiral since the departures of Peja Stojakovic, Mike Bibby, Chris Webber and company, icons of a magnificent roster in the early 2000s. Sacramento’s last truly vibrant squad and also one of the few in the franchise’s inglorious history since moving to northern California in 1985.

They have only qualified for the playoffs ten times since. The last campaign dating back to 2006. No one does worse in the NBA. So, behind every transfer, there is a context. Almost a year after Haliburton’s surprising move to Indiana, the trade looks like a win-win…at least for now. He may be less so in the future, because the point guard seems destined for a multiple All-Star career. But it is under the impetus of Sabonis that Sacramento is turning a corner. The Lithuanian is of course his father’s son, namely a creative basketball player, an excellent passer for his size and capable of impacting the game in many different ways. He compiled his sixth triple-double of the season against Memphis (14 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) and is the hub of the Kings’ flamboyant offense.

Finally a competitive and cohesive team in Sacramento

The leaders tried to put together a competitive team right away. Sabonis, 26, is coming of age. He is entering the best period of his career. He points to 19 points, more than 12 rebounds and more than 7 assists per game. He is not an MVP candidate per se, but his name deserves to come up in the discussion (for fifth place, for example) concerning the highest individual award in the NBA. He’s a great duo with 25-year-old De’Aaron Fox, a point guard more comfortable attacking the circle than really handling the ball. The two complement each other well. Above all, they are ready. Ready to weigh.

That’s what matters to the Kings. Around, Harrison Barnes is a (very) reliable veteran. Kevin Huerter, 24, a super rookie on the back line. He too is starting to really develop after gaining several years of experience in the league. Keegan Murray is a rookie but he’s an older than average rookie. He is “already” 22 years old. The whole is coherent and corresponds to the same guideline: to be able to find a place in the top-8 of the Western Conference as quickly as possible after 16 years of scarcity.

Sacramento is not the team of the future. It’s hard to imagine the Kings really making big moves in the years to come to compete with Memphis or New Orleans or the other big teams in the West in 2025 or 2026. There will probably be internal progression because this group is young. But there isn’t a future superstar like Zion Williamson or Ja Morant. Especially since this development and this probable return to the playoffs will have a price: it will be necessary to extend Sabonis and Barnes quite handsomely. The main free agents will probably not make Sacramento a favored destination either. Suddenly, the Kings may not aim for more than a first or second round of the playoffs. But at this point, really, it doesn’t matter. The fans have suffered so much in the past that they prefer to concentrate on the present, to savor it, without thinking too much about the future. Let them set the fire and light the laser.