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Dec 8, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Zach Lavine (8) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Kings Star Speaks Honestly on Team's Offensive Struggles

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Will Zimmerle | Last updated Jan 9, 2026 5:52 PM ET

The Sacramento Kings' offense, or lack thereof, has been in the spotlight more and more lately as they've officially fallen to the worst offense in the NBA.

With a 108.0 offensive rating, they are struggling to keep up with teams, even when they are able to string together stops on defense. But when they stop getting out in transition and are forced into their halfcourt offense, things get even worse for the Kings.

Their half-court offense gets stagnant and reliant on isolation scoring, which is fine in spurts, but hard to rely on for a full 48 minutes. Even when you have talented isolation scorers in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, that's a lot of pressure on players to take and make tough shot after tough shot.

Sactown Sports 1140s Brenden Nunes asked LaVine about Sacramento's struggles in the half-court, and the Kings' star gave an honest answer about why the team is having so many issues.

"We've got to figure out ways. We've got so many offensive weapons, but our offense hasn't looked great. At times it's looked really good and at times it's looked terrible. So we've got to figure out ways to create space for each other and create more open looks for everybody. Everybody’s style of play on this team is different. How do you cater to each person and still look out for the whole team? As you see now, we're still trying to figure it out."

Zach LaVine: “We’ve got so many offensive weapons but our offense hasn’t looked great.”

The Kings are 30th in offensive rating.

“Everybody’s style of play on this team is different. How do you cater to each person and still look out for the whole team?” pic.twitter.com/lwLVcBQucO
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) January 8, 2026

Unfortunately, it's not a surprise. Coming into the season, it was so clear that this roster didn't fit together. They don't have shooters, they don't have size, and they don't have many plus defenders. Injuries haven't helped, but it feels like even if the team were fully healthy, they'd still be struggling to generate good looks.

Just earlier today, I wrote about how the Kings are failing to generate good looks. They aren't getting to the rim, and they aren't getting open threes. That's a tough spot to be in in today's NBA landscape.

Injuries Not Making it Easy

Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

While they may not be any better with everyone healthy, they are missing two huge pieces of the offense in Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray.

Entering his fourth year, Murray was supposed to be a focal point of the offense, and he was doing just that, averaging a career-high 13.6 field goal attempts per game. That number could certainly be higher, but he's looked more aggressive than in his first three seasons. The problem is he's only played 19 games throughout the season.

And Sabonis, one of the league's most resilient players, has suited up for just 11 games. Even in a reduced offensive role, which he appeared to be in during his time on the court, that's a huge offensive hub to be missing. Sabonis is great at setting up others, and the Kings are definitely missing that with him out.

Maxime Raynaud has been great and exceeded all expectations, but it's just not part of his game yet in his young career. So far, he's been mainly utilized as a pick and roll big, as compared to a hub like Sabonis.

All that's to say, the Kings' offense has been absolutely torn to shreds. Christie is putting so much emphasis on defense that that could just be how Sacramento is going to be for the season. It's hard to look at this group of players and think of a better offensive system that fits everybody's strengths. Whether it be this roster or a new look team after the trade deadline, Christie and the coaching staff have a lot of work left to do on the offensive side of the ball.

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

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