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Major Stat Points to Sacramento Kings Offensive Issues
Feb 21, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) fight for a rebound during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Major Stat Points to Sacramento Kings Offensive Issues

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Will Zimmerle  |  Last updated Feb 22, 2025 6:52 PM ET
Doug Christie Hits on 'Unacceptable' Stat in Kings Loss to Warriors

The Sacramento Kings went through a major roster shift in switching out their highest-usage players. De'Aaron Fox led the team prior to the trade with a 28.1% usage rate and Zach LaVine has lead the team in the seven games since his debut at 23.4%.

Outside of the Anthony Davis and Luka Dončić swap, Fox and LaVine were the highest usage players to switch teams this season. It's understandable that the Kings offense is going through growing pains, but there's a specific area on offense that Sacramento is shooting themselves in the foot as they vie for a playoff spot.

Over the last seven games, the Kings are averaging 17.0 turnovers per contest. That would rank second to last in the season standings to only the Utah Jazz's 17.6, and is up from 13.0 that the Kings were averaging prior to LaVine's debut.

It's not just that the Kings are turning the ball over at a higher rate, but how much their opponents are taking advantage of the miscues. In the first 49 games of the season, Sacramento was allowing just 16.0 points off turnovers, 6th fewest in the league.

Over the last seven games, that number jumps to 21.3, which would once again rank second to last in the season standings.

Nothing encapsulates the problem more than last night against the Golden State Warriors. The Kings ended the game with 21 turnovers that led to 38 points for the Warriors.

What makes it challenging (or maybe easier?) is that it's not just one player turning the ball over. Over the seven games, the players are averaging the following turnovers per game:

  • Domantas Sabonis: 3.3
  • Malik Monk: 3.3
  • Markelle Fultz: 3.0 (one game)
  • Zach LaVine: 2.7
  • DeMar DeRozan: 1.4
  • Jake LaRavia: 1.2
  • Keegan Murray; 1.1
  • Keon Ellis: 1.1
  • Jonas Valančiūnas: 1.0

There's no one player that stands out as the main culprit, but the whole team is disjointed on offense. As everyone has been saying since the trade, it's possible that the team just needs more time together helps for the final 26 games of the season, but the first game after a long break and practice did little to give credence to that.

An encouraging stat is that the Kings assists numbers are the same before and after LaVine's first game, at 26.9 per game. The assists numbers started low, with 23, 21, and 24 in the first three games, but the Kings have hit 28, 28, 38, and 26 in the last four. It's a small jump, but at least something can be seen that the Kings are trying to pass and move the ball.

If these last few games are any indication, it seems clear that if the Kings are going to make a playoff run, they'll have to rely on an explosive offense. Their defense has left a lot to be desired and is likely going to be much more of a challenge to fix, so beating teams by outscoring them may be the only way to go.

For that to work though, Sacramento will need to get their offense up to speed as soon as possible, with the first step being limiting turnovers and taking care of the ball.

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

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