How the Sacramento Kings Put Together a Dominant Offense

We have reached a point where the NBA has become weirder than ever. The Golden State Warriors have one of the worst records in the league, the Portland Trailblazers are actually good on defense, and the Utah Jazz have been fantastic despite trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert during the offseason.

It truly feels like we’re in the upside down.

While these storylines are fascinating, I’ve been specifically intrigued by the emergence of the Sacramento Kings, who have taken over the NBA with a high-powered offense.

Let’s see how the Kings’ offense has caught fire and why they could be one of the most fun teams to watch all season long.

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The Sacramento Kings had a rough start to the regular season, losing their first four games vs. the Trailblazers, Clippers, Warriors, and Grizzlies. This was a brutal start to the season, but something amazing happened afterward.

Following this losing streak, the Kings flipped a switch, winning eight of their next ten games as they currently sport a record of 8-6. Right now, they are slotted as the 8th seed in the western conference, but that is not an accurate representation of how good this team is.

Through 14 games, the Kings are tied for 10th in SRS, a metric from basketball reference which combines average margin of victory and strength of schedule to show how good teams are performing against the competition they face.

It’s a very simple metric, but it’s still pretty useful and does a solid job measuring team strength since it doesn’t include any winning bias.

This is a huge step up from where they were last season, as they ranked 25th in SRS during the 2021 season.

The biggest reason for this improvement is their dominance on offense.

Here are the top five offenses in the NBA according to offensive rating:

1. Boston Celtics: 120 ORtg

2. Sacramento Kings: 118 ORtg

3. Phoenix Suns: 116.8 ORtg

4. Cleveland Cavaliers: 115.8 ORtg

5. New Orleans Pelicans: 115.7

5. Denver Nuggets: 115.7

The Kings are averaging 118 points per 100 possessions, giving them the second-most-efficient offense in the NBA. Their offense has significantly improved since last season, as their offensive rating has increased by 8.1 points.

Their three-point shooting has been unbelievably good this season, as they are one of the best offensive units in terms of long-distance shooting.

The Kings currently rank 5th in three-point attempt rate (the percentage of their field goal attempts that are threes) and 6th in three-point percentage. The Boston Celtics are the only other team to rank top six in both stats.

Kevin Huerter, who they traded for in the off-season, has played a big role in the Kings becoming an elite shooting unit. The 24-year-old guard has been an absolute flamethrower from downtown, shooting 51% from outside the arc on 7.1 attempts per game. He’s the only player with at least 200 minutes played to shoot 50% from three on at least seven attempts per game.

Rookie Keegan Murray has been a really good long-distance shooter as well, as he ranks second on the team in three-pointers made per game. His 37.5% three-point percentage on six attempts per game is extremely impressive and makes him arguably the top rookie in terms of three-point shooting.

The Kings have many other players who are shooting extremely well, including Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox, Trey Lyles, and Terrence Davis, who are all shooting 35% from downtown on at least three attempts per game.

Speaking of De’Aaron Fox, I can’t talk about the Sacramento Kings without mentioning the emergence of Fox as an offensive star and one of the top twenty players in the NBA.

Through 13 games, the 25-year-old point guard is averaging roughly 25 points, five rebounds, and six assists per game on 64.3% true shooting.

Here are all the players who are currently averaging at least 24 points and six assists per game on at least 60% true shooting:

1. Luka Doncic: 34.3 Pts | 8.1 Ast | 60.5% TS%

2. Stephen Curry: 32.2 Pts | 6.6 Ast | 69.5% TS%

3. De’Aaron Fox: 24.8 Pts | 6.4 Ast | 64.3% TS%

4. Damian Lillard: 27.6 Pts | 7 Ast | 61.8% TS%

Not too shabby.

De’Aaron Fox is having a career year as a scorer, as he is shooting 81% at the rim, 52% from mid-range, and 37.5% from three. These are all career highs for him.

He combines elite scoring efficiency with strong playmaking volume, as his assist rate of 31% ranks in the 84th percentile among guards.

The season is very young, but Fox has been amazing according to impact metrics, as he ranks 16th in box plus-minus and 9th in estimated plus-minus. If he can continue to be a strong three-level scorer, he’ll likely make his first all-star team.

Remember when the Kings traded Tyrese Haliburton for Domantas Sabonis last year, and everyone wanted to burn down the city? Well, Sabonis has been really, really good.

The big man is currently averaging around 18 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists per game on 64.9% true shooting.

He has such a unique skill set for a big man, as few players his size combine strong scoring with above-average passing.

Here are all the big men currently averaging at least 17 points and five assists per game on at least 60% true shooting:

1. Nikola Jokic: 20.8 Pts | 8.9 Ast | 68.1% TS%

2. Kevin Durant: 30.6 Pts | 5.2 Ast | 65.2% TS%

3. Domantas Sabonis: 17.7 Pts | 5.9 Ast | 64.9% TS%

4. Karl-Anthony Towns: 21.9 Pts | 5.2 Ast | 64.9% TS%

De’Aaron Fox has been ridiculously good this year, but don’t forget about Sabonis, who has consistently been one of the more underrated offensive big men in the NBA.

Although Tyrese Haliburton is blossoming into a superstar in Indiana, I still like the trade for the Kings. I think the pairing of Fox and Sabonis is really good, and the results have been great so far.

In 2021, Fox and Haliburton played around 853 minutes together, and this pairing had a net rating of -4.4. For comparison, in 2022, Fox and Sabonis have played around 278 minutes together, and this pairing has a net rating of +9.

This doesn’t mean that Fox and Haliburton were a bad fit. However, I do think this is some evidence that Fox and Sabonis are a cleaner fit, especially when you put them next to a plethora of strong shooters, which the Kings have done.

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The Sacramento Kings have been a pleasant surprise this season, and It’s been fun watching them become one of the best offensive units in the NBA.

The front office made a bold decision to trade Tyrese Haliburton last season, and most people hated the move. However, the trade has worked out quite well, and the Kings have outperformed expectations.

I have questions about the Kings’ ceiling due to their flaws on defense, but the emergence of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, as well as the addition of Kevin Heurter, Keegan Murray, and Malik Monk, has helped make them a good team.

The weirdest NBA season of all time wouldn’t be weird enough if the Kings weren’t good, so let’s enjoy their moment in the sun.