2017-18 season

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2017-18-season-opener-commercial

2017-18 Season Opener Commercial

Kyle Ramos

As the 2017-18 season continues to draw nearer with many exciting encounters on the horizon, Kings.com is breaking down each division around the Association.

Take a closer look at what to watch for when Sacramento faces the Atlantic Division below.

The Boston Celtics were at the center of some of NBA’s most noteworthy events during the offseason - acquiring multi-time All-Star Kyrie Irving in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers and signing free agent forward Gordon Hayward away from the Utah Jazz.

The addition of Irving and Hayward add even more potential to a team that was already contending in the Eastern Conference as the Celtics look to make another deep playoff run in 2017-18.

As for the regular season, Boston will see Sacramento twice after each team came away with a win in their matchups from the 2016-17 campaign.

In their final contest, Kings big man Willie Cauley-Stein produced one of the most exciting highlights of the season with a monster alley-oop slam that sent Golden 1 Center into a frenzy.

The Kings will now roll out their young core to see if they can top the new look Boston team once again in 2017-18.

Though Brooklyn has struggled to climb the standings in recent seasons, an active offseason has injected some fresh talent on the Nets roster - most notably bringing in D’Angelo Russell from the Los Angeles Lakers.

In addition to Russell, Brooklyn brought on new contributors in Allen Crabbe, DeMarre Carroll, and rookie Jarrett Allen.

The backcourt duo of Russell and Jeremy Lin is likely to make for an exciting matchup with Kings guards Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic.

One area of growing strength for New York is the development of its young froncourt tandem of Kristaps Porzingis and Willy Hernangomez.

The two big men are on the rise after Porzingis showed continued improvement in his sophomore campaign, averaging 18.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and two blocks per contest. Hernangomez turned in an impressive rookie season on top of that, being named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

As for both of Sacramento’s encounters with New York next season, the primary focus will be on limiting the versatile Porzingis - a job that could be suitable for Willie Cauley-Stein, who possesses the physical attributes and defensive prowess necessary to try and slow Porzingis.

After securing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the 76ers may have added one of their most crucial franchise cornerstones in rookie guard Markelle Fultz.

Though Philly’s top pick from the 2016 Draft class, Ben Simmons, did not suit up in 2016-17, his arrival will be something to look out for as well as he joins the likes of Fultz and Joel Embiid, who enjoyed a breakout rookie season last year.

As the third point guard taken in the 2017 NBA Draft, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox will have two chances to matchup against Fultz and the Sixers this season, allowing a prime opportunity for Fox to claim the title as the best rookie guard in his class.

These teams have split the season series for four consecutive years and both will be on the hunt to end that streak with a series sweep in 2017-18.

11/9/17 vs Philadelphia
12/19/18 @ Philadelphia

Though many teams throughout the Association brought in new faces, Toronto’s offseason consisted mostly of retaining key pieces by re-signing guard Kyle Lowry and forward Serge Ibaka.

By inking these two to extensions, the Raptors keep important pieces of their core (also featuring DeMar DeRozan) in place, while eyeing another strong showing in the NBA Playoffs come next April.

Sacramento has enjoyed some sustained success against their Canadian opponents in the past two seasons, winning four straight games against Toronto. The Kings will look to keep that streak alive in 2017-18 and should the purple and black emerge victorious in both contests, it would mark the longest winning streak against the Raptors in franchise history.

schedule-breakdown-atlantic-division

Schedule Breakdown: Atlantic Division

The NBA offseason is winding down and the upcoming campaign is quickly approaching. With the hype and excitement growing, see which storylines we are most looking forward to this season.

Young Kings Taking Big Steps
Over the course of the past two seasons, Sacramento has constructed a roster that is filled with promising young talent. This includes a core group of 10 players, none older than 25 years old, that will be crucial to the squad’s future.

This core is formed by five rookies (De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson, Harry Giles, Frank Mason III and Bogdan Bogdanovic), four sophomores (Buddy Hield, Georgios Papagiannis, Malachi Richardson, and Skal Labissiere) and lone third-year big an Willie Cauley-Stein.

With a plethora of youth throughout the squad, there is tremendous upside for growth as they will also be flanked by veterans Vince Carter, Zach Randolph, Garrett Temple, Kosta Koufos and George Hill.

While the rookies will be looking to establish themselves early in the season, there is potential to see larger strides taken by the batch of second-year players, all of whom showed great flashes of potential in the 2016-17 campaign.

Hield and Labissiere, who both turned in 30-plus-point performances in 2016-17, could be prime candidates to vie for the coveted Most Improved Player award. Not to be forgotten is Richardson, whose unfortunate hamstring injury cut his debut season short - but was the first rookie to crack Coach Joerger’s rotation. No. 23’s undeniable confidence on the court and scoring instincts could also provide an opportunity to continue to open eyes around the Association.

The new set of rooks will have to get their feet wet in the Association this season, but their impact could also be immediate. Sacramento fans will certainly be excitedly anticipating their arrivals on the hardwood this season as the Kings continue their path to rejuvenate the roster with a major youth movement.

Rivalry Renewed
It’s no secret that the Kings and Lakers have been embroiled in a heated rivalry for the better part of this century. That tension could see new heights now as both teams have reloaded their rosters with potential young stars that could be facing off for many seasons to come.

One matchup that has generated possibly the most hype has been the rookie point guards - De’Aaron Fox and Lonzo Ball. Both players turned in phenomenal freshman seasons in college last season and matched up on two occasions.

Fox and his Kentucky Wildcats were bested by Ball and the UCLA Bruins in their first meeting. However, the teams met again in the high stakes Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament, where Fox exploded for 39 points en route to a Kentucky victory.

There is expected to be more carryover as these two take their talents to two California teams where they will have plenty of chances to clash as more fuel is added to this ongoing rivalry.

The Kings are rolling out a bundle of new faces in the purple and black this season and they will not be alone in that regard. This offseason in the NBA has produced a staggering amount of player movement via trades and free agency, not to mention the incoming talent from the 2017 NBA Draft.

In the Western Conference alone, playoff-caliber teams have continued to strengthen themselves; the Houston Rockets added floor general Chris Paul and the Oklahoma City Thunder acquired All-Star Paul George. Not to mention the most recent deal between two Eastern Conference contenders that had the Cleveland Cavaliers swapping Kyrie Irving in exchange for a package headlined by Isaiah Thomas.

With the decks reshuffled throughout the League, this will present unique matchups between Sactown and numerous squads.

2017‑18 season

2017-18 Season Opener Commercial

Schedule Breakdown: Atlantic Division

What to Watch For: Season Breakdown