Kings mailbag: Are the Kings cursed? Why are they slow? Can they make the playoffs?
A season that started with so much promise and potential has already taken a couple of turns for the worse. Kings coach Luke Walton and his team are trying to keep the team in contention while point guard De’Aaron Fox and forward Marvin Bagley III are sidelined with injuries, but that will be no easy task.
Many fans now fear the worst as the Kings (4-6) prepare to visit the Los Angeles Lakers (9-2) on Friday at Staples Center. Beating a shorthanded Portland Trail Blazers team on Tuesday was good for morale, but competing with the other juggernauts in the Western Conference will be a daunting task without Fox and Bagley.
There are resources available for distraught Kings’ fans. Tankathon.com, for instance, is a great website for tracking your team’s NBA Draft prospects, if it comes to that. For now, though, let’s take look at the mailbag to assess the level of despair.
@grstudio asks: What evil spirit have the Kings angered this season, and what do they have to do to break the spell?
This season? Some think the Kings have been cursed since their heartbreaking loss to the Lakers in the 2002 Western Conference finals. Or since they drafted Pervis Ellison with the No. 1 pick in 1989. I don’t know what it is, sir, but winning is the only way to break the spell.
@BULKBIN asks: What are the chances of us making the playoffs? When is Vlade Divac going to be on the hotseat?
There were already serious doubts about the Kings’ playoff chances after they went 0-5 to start the season. Now that they’ve lost Fox, and with Bagley still out, it seems even more unlikely. The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers won 48 games last season to secure the seventh and eighth seeds in the Western Conference. The Kings would have to go 44-28 in their 72 remaining games to reach 48 wins. Maybe they won’t need that many wins to reach the playoffs, but they’re going to need a bunch.
Divac is in the first year of a new contract after agreeing to a four-year extension. He is unlikely to face any real pressure this season, especially in light of the injuries, but that could change a year from now if the Kings aren’t emerging as a bona fide playoff team. Divac drafted Bagley over Luka Doncic, fired Dave Joerger, hired Luke Walton and made a series of moves in free agency to improve the roster. If those moves aren’t paying off in the first half of the 2020-21 season, Divac will find himself under heavy scrutiny once again.
@discman asks: Will the Kings call up any point guards from Stockton?
That doesn’t seem likely at this point, but Walton said they are looking at their options. The Kings have Cory Joseph and Yogi Ferrell. They also have Bogdan Bogdanovic, who put up 25 points, 10 assists and four steals in Tuesday’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Those three will be getting most of the minutes at point guard while Fox is out.
It is worth noting, however, that Walton, Divac and assistant general managers Peja Stojakovic and Ken Catanella all went to watch their G League affiliate in Stockton on Wednesday. Rookie Kyle Guy, a second-round draft pick who is on a two-way contract, averaged 20.7 points and 5.0 assists in his first three games for Stockton, shooting 39.3 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from 3-point range.
@CarlosJ_Inc asks: Has there been any official word on why offensive pace has slowed down, and if coach plans to pick back up once he’s satisfied with defense?
Walton wants to implement an effective half-court offense and coax the Kings into playing better defense while limiting turnovers. That has come at the expense of the team’s breakneck pace, but it seems to be working. Over the past five games, the Kings are 30th in the NBA in pace, but they are 4-1 with the third-best offensive rating and 15th-best defensive rating in the league.
You can read a lot more about Walton’s approach in the column I wrote following the win over Portland.
@TheGoatof2k19 asks: When is Marvin Bagley eyeing a return?
There has been no update to the timetable for Bagley’s return, but he could be getting close. The team initially said Bagley would miss four to six weeks. That was three weeks ago.
Sacramento Kings upcoming schedule
Nov. 15 at Los Angeles Lakers
Nov. 17 vs. Boston Celtics
Nov. 19 vs. Phoenix Suns
Nov. 22 at Brooklyn Nets
Nov. 24 at Washington Wizards
This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
