Over the first quarter of the 2022-23 NBA season, the Sacramento Kings have established themselves as one of the best offenses in The Association and are putting up numbers akin to some of the most potent offenses in league history.
That success has not gone unnoticed, as pundits from across the NBA spectrum have started to take a closer look at the reasons why the Kings have been able to put up such gaudy numbers.
One of the best pieces of analysis on Sacramento’s newfound success comes from Ben Taylor, author of the Thinking Basketball book and host of the podcast with the same name.
Taylor asserts that Sacramento’s turnaround this season is not just the result of the late-season addition of Domantas Sabonis and offseason acquisitions of Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter, but more so how new head coach Mike Brown has implemented a system that fully takes advantage of their talents.
Taylor’s initial premise surmises that the Kings have found success this season by taking pieces bits and pieces from the Warriors, where Mike Brown spent the last six years of his coaching career, while also capitalizing on the passing and scoring abilities of Sabonis, the shooting of Monk and Huerter and the speed of Fox.
In addition to that, Taylor points out that the Kings have taken a page out from the playbook of the Denver Nuggets, one of the league’s most successful regular season teams over the last half decade, in positioning Sabonis as the centerpiece of the offense.
And the comparisons aren’t too far-fetched.
Sabonis has been one of the main facilitators of the Kings offense this season. When he isn’t taking the ball up the court himself after snatching a defensive rebound, he’s setting up in the high post and working to get his teammates open through DHOs or looking to make the right pass after the rest of the squad works through their split actions.
The Warriors have been running split actions for years, but the Kings, now with the pieces to effectively execute, have implemented their own version to much success. They, like Golden State, currently ranked top 5 in both screen assists per game (9.6) and screen assists points per game (22.8)
The Kings are also currently the second highest scoring team in the league, behind the Celtics, averaging 118.7 points per game so far this season. If they continue at that clip, they would have one of the 30 best offensive seasons in NBA history. Any increase in output would make them the second team since the 1984-85 (Nuggets) season to average more than 120 points per game.
And as the Warriors have shown over the years, you can hit those numbers without playing at pace, something the Kings have done exceptionally well this season thanks to having the league’s fastest player, De’Aaron Fox, on the roster.
Sacramento is currently the sixth fastest team in the league, right behind the Warriors and just behind the Pacers, Lakers and Timberwolves. Taylor points out that Sacramento’s ability to get out and run has helped them exploit mismatches and shorthanded opposing defenses on the other end.
That has manifested itself on the scoreboard, too, as the squad also ranks top 5 in fastbreak points per game.
Fox has always been a dynamic player offensively, but often draws massive attention from defenses. He’s been freed up a bit this season thanks to the summer acquisitions of Monk and Huerter.
Both guards are putting up career numbers this season, as Monk is averaging 14.8 points on 48% shooting from the field – both career bests – while Huerter is hitting an absurd 42% of his shots from deep, also a career-high.
This improved shooting, as Taylor points out, has opened the door for Fox to take his game to the next level and put up All-Star worthy numbers with the team success to match.
After getting off to their best start in 18 years, the Kings will continue to be closely watched as they navigate the 2022-23 season.