The Sacramento Kings will miss the playoffs this season, the 13th year in a row that continues the longest playoff drought. However, the Kings were the last team to be eliminated from contention. Sacramento made strides this season, but there are next steps needed to return to the postseason.
Sacramento Kings: Next Steps to Make the Playoffs
The Kings were supposed to be a lottery team this year even without owning their 2019 first round pick. Boasting one of the youngest rosters in the league, another year of growing pains were expected for Kings. Instead, Sacramento ended up speeding up the timeline.
Behind De’Aaron Fox‘s most improved play, Buddy Hield‘s improved shooting from deep, and the acquisition of Harrison Barnes, the Kings built a respectable roster. Their speed and fast pace gave elite teams trouble, and they have a shot at finishing the season at .500. Sacramento also boasts a young and ever-growing group of young bench players.
Though they fell short, the Kings were within distance of the playoffs and raised their expectations for next year. To achieve that goal though, Sacramento must take a few vital steps as they continue their path back to NBA relevance.
Sign Harrison Barnes Long-term
A vulnerability for the Kings has been the small forward position, and so Vlade Divac and the front office addressed the need at the trade deadline. Harrison Barnes was acquired from the Dallas Mavericks and gave the Kings a true starter at the wing position. In 24 games for Sacramento, Barnes averaged 14.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, while shooting 45 percent from the floor.
Harrison Barnes has a player option for next season as the Kings will await his decision come this summer. Regardless of his choice, Divac and company need to be adamant on re-signing Barnes to a long-term contract. He has been reliable for the Kings at the small forward position and fulfills a need that has plagued Sacramento.
The financial price may be steep, but the benefit here is that Barnes does not have the expectations of being the number one option. He fell short of those expectations in Dallas, but the situation is different with the Kings. Fox, Hield, and Marvin Bagley III are the future core. Barnes can be the final missing piece of their starting lineup.
Goodbye Willie
If Sacramento wants to reach the postseason they need to put their best product on the floor as much as possible. For the Kings, that does not include Willie Caulie-Stein, and the should have no problem letting him walk this offseason.
Caulie-Stein has a $6.2 million qualifying offer that will make him a restricted free agent this summer. It’s no secret that he wants to get paid in his next contract, and he has every right to want to. But if the Kings are serious about the playoffs, they must realize that he is not worth the big contract.
Despite being 7’0, Cauley-Stein has not shown the defensive prowess or crashed the boards compared to his younger teammates. Bagley has proven to carry more of a spark when defending bigs or hustling for rebounds. Harry Giles has also been reliable off the bench. Sacramento could avoid giving Willie the big money and use that towards securing Barnes long-term. Bagley, Giles, or a veteran on the free agent market could easily fill the void of Cauley-Stein’s absence.
Improve the Half-court Play
The Sacramento Kings rank third in leading the league in pace, which is a testament to Fox leading the point. Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley III have proven to be excellent compliments to the fast-paced style of the young Kings. But as this season has shown, speed can only get you so far.
Eventually, veteran teams will force you to beat them in half-court situations. This especially rings true in the playoffs, where the game slows down and rotations tighten. It is in this moments where Sacramento fell short, which ended up costing them valuable games for playoff seeding. The Kings got some nice “moral victories” for managing to stay close with more veteran teams. That sounds nice this year, but that won’t pass next season.
If the Kings are focused on making the playoffs next year, they need to improve their halfcourt play. This means getting more experience running plays in half-court sets and valuing each and every possession. A turnover here and there can end up having implications on the final score. If a turnover decides a win or a loss, especially in the ever-competitive Western Conference, Sacramento must be smarter.
Come next year, they are no longer the young team exceeding expectations. They have more responsibility on their shoulders, but if they are serious about making the playoffs, they should have no issue in executing these key next steps.
Main Photo:
SHANGHAI, CHINA: Chris Webber (R) of Sacramento Kings talks to his teammate Peja Stojakovic (L) of Serbia Montenegro during a practice session at Shanghai Stadium, 12 October 2004. Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings will play the frist ever NBA games on 14 October in Shanghai and 17 October in Beijing. AFP PHOTO/LIU Jin (Photo credit should read LIU JIN/AFP/Getty Images)
