Sacramento Kings believed they could end NBA-record playoff drought since training camp
Mike Brown took on a unique challenge when he accepted the head coaching job with the Sacramento Kings last offseason. He had to convince a group of players who had never won together that they could end the longest ongoing playoff drought in major North American pro sports.
With 19 games remaining in the regular season going into Monday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center, the belief is as strong as ever.
The Kings are third in the Western Conference at 37-26, and they have a 92% chance of reaching the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight. They’re 11 games over .500 for the first time since 2004-05.
The belief stemmed as far back as the summer and was solidified in training camp in October.
“Seeing how deep our team was, how competitive it was (in training camp),” shooting guard Kevin Huerter said. “I think we saw what we were capable of, getting up and down and scoring a lot. We didn’t start off the year great. We were 0-4, but I don’t think our confidence ever wavered. ... I think this team has always had belief.”
The Kings have been validated by leading the NBA in offensive efficiency throughout the season, averaging 118.5 points per 100 possessions. They still struggle on the defensive end, with the latest example being Saturday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who shot 60% from the floor.
But Sacramento is proven in crunch time, leading the West with a 7.2 net rating in the fourth quarter. It’s no coincidence All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox has been the league’s most effective scorer in late-game situations throughout the season.
“The biggest thing is celebrating small victories, but being consistent in what you believe as a coach when you celebrate those victories,” Brown said when asked about instilling belief. “When you do, and the guys see the success from this small victory or that small victory, it really adds up. And it speaks volumes as time goes along, especially when you go win a game doing all these little things the right way.”
Brown and his coaching staff harp on the details to players almost daily. The Kings practice as often as any team in the NBA, sometimes even after they get off the plane during multi-city road trips. Brown will let assistants run practices to keep the messaging fresh given the arduous nature of an 82-game slog.
Players have also commended Brown for keeping it real. Fox has praised Brown for coaching him hard, which has been the key reason Fox has become serviceable defensively. Rookie Keegan Murray has acknowledged Brown has gotten on him about his rebounding and ball handling, which he’s improved on throughout the year. Every player on the roster has acknowledged Brown’s emphasis on defense and his willingness to sit anyone in any given moment if they aren’t bringing it on that end.
Honesty has been a core tenant of Brown’s style.
“When you’re coaching somebody, you always have to tell the truth, but when you tell the truth, there’s a way to say it,” Brown said.
Brown was named the Western Conference Coach of the Month for February while the Kings went 8-4, good for second-best in the conference. It was the first time a Kings coach earned the award since Rick Adelman in 2004. Sacramento won its first five games after the All-Star break and appears to be trending in the right direction despite Saturday’s loss on the second night of a back-to-back.
The big-picture story of the Kings’ season, of course, has been overcoming their past. The Kings have had 14 coaches since they last made the playoffs.
But Brown is new, and so is most of the roster.
The majority of the regular rotation players have been added within the last two seasons under general manager Monte McNair. Fox, who was drafted fifth overall in 2017, is the rotation’s longest tenured player. Next is Harrison Barnes, who was added via trade in 2018. Backup center Chimezie Metu was signed in November 2020. Terence Davis came in a trade in March 2021.
All-Star center Domantas Sabonis, Murray, Huerter, Malik Monk and Trey Lyles have been added since February 2022 — which means they haven’t been saddled with the team’s past.
“It’s a whole new year,” Sabonis said. “You have different goals, you’re thinking of new things. It’s a blank page, and we choose to write our own history.”
