The Sacramento Kings are trying to turn things around after a slow start. Heading into this season, they were seen as one of the worst teams in a very competitive Western Conference. So far, they haven’t done much to change opinions.
A preseason injury to Keegan Murray certainly caught them by surprise. That left Zach LaVine to take more of the scoring load. Dennis Schroder was signed in the offseason to help fill the void at point guard after Sacramento traded away De’Aaron Fox.
LaVine and Schroder are two of the Kings’ most important players on a nightly basis, with how they like to play offensively. Ahead of a matchup against the Nuggets, the Kings got a positive injury update on both players.
Kings Players Zach LaVine and Dennis Schroder Will Play vs Nuggets
According to the NBA injury report, both LaVine and Schroder will be available to play against the Denver Nuggets. LaVine had been questionable due to low back soreness, while Schroder had been listed as questionable due to right hip soreness.
LaVine is a top ten scorer in the NBA and continues to be the main threat to put the ball in the hoop for the Kings. Through the first few games of the season, LaVine has a 50-40-90 season going. Unquestionably, he has been their best player thus far.
Schroder is an important part of their offense, but has been horrendous on the defensive side of the court. He is has a -13.1 net rating this season, mainly because of his porous defensive rating. The Kings will need his offense more than anything against Denver.
Sacramento sits 12th in the Western Conference standings at this early stage in the season. Beating good teams, such as Denver, is going to be a necessity if they are going to have any shot of making the playoffs this season.
The Kings Must Win Games to Prove Pundits Wrong
Several pundits picked against the Kings making the playoffs this season. Zach Lowe of the Ringer was perhaps the harshest on the Kings, calling them “The Hindenburg of NBA teams this year,” on the Bill Simmons Podcast.
“I hate the vibes. I hate everything. I think this is going to be a year from hell for the Kings.”
Lowe isn’t the only pundit to discredit what the Kings can do this season. Almost no one picked them to even challenge for a play-in spot, let alone the playoffs. Beating teams such as the Nuggets will help them earn credibility from the NBA media.
Sacramento still has a shot to improve before the trade deadline. Murray will return before then, which will improve the offense and the perimeter defense. At that point, they can diagnose what kind of team they have and whether it makes sense to be buyers or sellers at the deadline.
The Kings haven’t made the playoffs since the 2022-23 season, when they lost in the first round to the Golden State Warriors in seven games. That ended a playoff drought of 20 years.
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