The Sacramento Kings have gone into the All-Star break sitting 8th in the Western Conference at 31-23, but there has been disappointment across the board because all of Sacramento knows this team should be at least a few spots higher.
The Kings have had their fair share of ups and downs through the first half of the season, with the lowest points being losses against the eight-win Detroit Pistons, 13-win Charlotte Hornets, and 15-win Portland Trail Blazers. If Sacramento won those three games as they should have, they would sit comfortably at 5th in the West. This talented squad has allowed a few poor performances determine their season thus far.
Following the All-Star break, the Kings will have 28 games remaining until the playoffs, and the priority will be to force their way into the top six in the conference to avoid the play-in tournament. If the season ended today, the Kings would have to play the Dallas Mavericks for the 7th seed, and if they lost, they would play either the Los Angeles Lakers or Golden State Warriors for a spot in the playoffs.
The Kings have the eighth most challenging schedule the rest of the way, facing opponents with an average .516 win percentage. The good news is that the Kings will play 17 of their remaining 28 games at home. Still, some of their rough road games include the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
To comfortably move up in the standings, the Kings will likely need to win about 20 of their 28 remaining games to finish three games better than they did last season. The Western Conference is a different breed this year, and it is an "anybody can beat anybody" type of league.
After not making any changes at the trade deadline, many believed the Kings were dooming themselves for the rest of the season, but standing pat told the NBA how confident Monte McNair and the front office are in the current squad.
Building around the star duo of De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis is the key to success for Sacramento, but they just need their supporting cast to step up. Standout sophomore Keegan Murray has been phenomenal on defense, but the Kings need him to step up as a tertiary scorer within the starting lineup.
Other starters, Kevin Huerter and Harrison Barnes, have had their moments of greatness this season, but getting consistency out of them will lead to many more wins.
Sixth Man of the Year favorite Malik Monk has been the only consistent bright spot in the second unit, but Davion Mitchell, Trey Lyles, and Alex Len have had their moments as solid bench pieces.
With 28 games to go, the Kings need more from their role players to hit the benchmark of a 50-win season and a secured playoff spot. Sacramento has a chance to make a run to end the season, but they must step up their play. Having the luxury to rest over All-Star weekend could be a blessing in disguise for Sacramento.
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