What a difference a year makes.
Before last season, Sacramento clocked in at dead last in ESPN’s annual League Pass Rankings - a list that ranks each team in the Association based on how enjoyable they would be to watch.
This year, Zach Lowe bumped the Kings all the way up to No. 10 while speaking highly of Sactown’s roster.
“[De’Aaron] Fox had the Kings living in transition last season -- after turnovers, misses, makes, even free throws,” wrote Lowe.
“Buddy Hield put together one of the 10 or so greatest shooting seasons ever -- 43% from deep on eight tries per game. Hield needs only a sliver of space to let fly, and he pries it open with cagey pump fakes, sidesteps, and moonwalks.”
Lowe continued with his praise, adding “Marvin Bagley III is going to be a monster scorer from all over the floor. Dewayne Dedmon is enough of a threat spotting up for 3s that Bagley should spend at least some of his time with the starters screening for Fox and jaunting down the lane for ferocious dunks. Bogdan Bogdanovic is a trickster with and without the ball.”
In addition to the players, Lowe was also complimentary of other aspects that go into watching the Kings.
“The deep purple of the courts and uniforms is soothing. Grant Napear strikes the right balance between cutting honesty and caught-in-the-moment enthusiasm on commentary.”
Expectations continue to rise for a Sacramento squad that is looking to match them with a playoff push. But if Zach Lowe’s words are any indicator, this season will be a fun one to watch regardless.
The full rankings can be viewed here.