Sacramento Kings Plummet in New NBA Power Rankings

NBA.com's John Schuhmann released his latest power rankings and placed the Kings at 27. Only three teams ranked below the Kings: the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, and Brooklyn Nets. Is that really who the Kings are grouped with now? Have the Kings completely reverted to fighting for better draft lottery odds?

Of course, many fans would love for the Kings to blow it up and aim to land one of this year's top draft prospects, but that does not seem to be the direction this franchise is willing to take.

On the other hand, it is very early in the season. After three games, especially with Keegan Murray yet to suit up, it is too early to overreact about the Kings, and from what they have shown, it is fair to pin them as a bottom-four team in the NBA.

ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel has a similar view in his power rankings, slotting the Kings at 26, with the same three teams plus the Phoenix Suns ranked below.

"The Kings definitely have talented players and those with plenty of experience in the league, but the fact of the matter is that this team wasn't assembled to win," Siegel put it bluntly. "...The start of the season was a big loss for the Kings, and there is no other way to say it."

Siegel echoed what all Kings fans have witnessed early into the season, as despite the talent they have, they are not constructed well enough to be a legitimate team.

The Athletic's Law Murray was more generous in his power rankings, putting the Kings at 23, with his big question for the team being, "How does Doug Christie navigate the shot creators?"

Zach LaVine has been on a tear to start the season for the Kings, which is great, but Sacramento has several other players who need the ball in their hands to be effective. Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan have been underwhelming to start the year, but to make matters worse, there is no indication that things will get better.

Sure, the Kings are just a few plays away from being 3-0 to start the year, but they are also a Domantas Sabonis game-winner away from being 0-3. The Kings have a very challenging schedule coming up, and they need to figure out what direction they are heading quickly.