Takeaways as DeRozan Stays Hot, Leads Kings Over Jazz

Killian Hayes started in place of Russell Westbrook, who was out with right foot soreness. Hayes, the former 7th pick in 2020, made the most of the extended run tonight, filling the stat sheet with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists in 38 minutes. 

Considering that Sacramento just signed Hayes through next season, it has to be nice to see him put the ball through the hoop tonight. Hayes had been shooting a ghastly 26.9% from the field (20.8 from three) since he joined the Kings. Before you say small sample size, Hayes is a career 37.9% shooter from the field (27.8% from three) on 8.2 attempts (2.8 threes)/game. 

The front office clearly liked other elements in his game enough to invest in him, and the shooting is probably a welcome addition to those skills. If the numbers remain closer to tonight than to his career numbers, Hayes could prove another Achiuwa-like addition as a former high pick looking to rehab his value with opportunity in Sacramento. 

Speaking of Achiuwa, he continued his strong play down the stretch, finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Achiuwa is now averaging 16.9 PPG, 9 RPG and 1.9 APG this month. Certainly a lot to like. The former first round pick has played himself into potentially having a market in free agency this summer. 

Most importantly, Nique Clifford continues to find ways to be productive. The shooting left some to be desired, but Clifford finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists before fouling out. Not his best performance to date, but the rookie continues to be useful even when other players (DeRozan, Hayes tonight) are carrying the offensive load. 

On the lottery front, Sacramento is now tied with Brooklyn with the third-best odds. This means that the most likely outcome is picking sixth - now a 25.7% chance if Sacramento ends up fourth. As a reminder, the top three lottery slots have 14%, 13.4%, 12.7%, and 12%. If they end up 4th, they have 12.5%, 12.2%, 11.9%, and 11.5%. 

Lottery Odds By Position / Tankathon

Wins are undoubtedly good for the soul. Any true Kings fan, at their core, wants their favorite team to win the game on a given night. That is natural. Similarly, players will never purposefully tank, and it would be unreasonable to expect them to do so. 

Regardless, the flip side to each passing win down the stretch run leading up to what is shaping up to be one of the better drafts over the last several decades is reflected by the percentage changes in the chart above. 

Sacramento has just 13 games left this season. They pick back up on Tuesday, when they play De’Aaron Fox and the San Antonio Spurs.