Kings Star Duo Rank Top 3 in Defensive Stats

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated Sep 7, 2024 1:21 PM ET

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Most of the NBA media make flawed assumptions about the Sacramento Kings, thinking that they are a bad defensive team.

The improvements that Keon Ellis and Keegan Murray have individually made on that side of the ball are phenomenal, but Sacramento's defensive talent goes deeper than that.

Domantas Sabonis is widely recognized for his impressive playmaking, rebounding, and physicality, but people bash his defense far too heavily. While Sabonis does not get a ton of blocks and is not the most dominant shot influencer, he still gets it done in the post.

BBall Index gave a list of the top ten most impactful post defenders in the NBA, putting Sabonis in the third spot.

The top 10 in Post Defense

1. Jusuf Nurkic
2. Kevon Looney
3. Domantas Sabonis
4. Clint Capela
5. Ivica Zubac
6. Grant Williams
7. Chet Holmgren
8. Isaiah Hartenstein
9. Tobias Harris
10. Jarrett Allen
— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) September 5, 2024

Sabonis is ranked ahead of some of the best shot blockers in the league, but his best ability on defense is becoming a brick wall in the post. Sure, the Kings could use a more influential shot blocker at times, but in the grand scheme of things, Sabonis' interior defense gets the job done.

Another underrated defender in Sacramento is Sabonis' star counterpart, De'Aaron Fox. The flashy point guard is one of the most talented offensive players in the NBA, but his defense is vastly overlooked.

BBall Index compiled the top ten pickpocketers in the league, where Fox ranked second-best at stealing from the opposing ballhandler.

The top 10 in Pickpocket Rating (steals when guarding the ball handler)

1. Amen Thompson
2. De'Aaron Fox
3. Dennis Smith Jr.
4. Dyson Daniels
5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
6. Jose Alvarado
7. Andre Drummond
8. Talen Horton-Tucker
9. Jordan Goodwin
10. Fred VanVleet

1000 minute min
— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) September 2, 2024

This statistic is not as much of a surprise as Sabonis' ranking, as Fox was tied with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the most steals per game (2.0) in the NBA last season.

Fox's quick hands have led to many transition buckets for Sacramento, and his ability to get stops on defense is not talked about enough when talking about the Kings' underrated defense.

The defensive improvements that Fox has shown has been incredible, and putting him next to Keon Ellis in the backcourt going forward would give opposing guards trouble.

This article first appeared on Sacramento Kings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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