Could the Sacramento KINGS be finding a NEW IDENTITY? | Devine Intervention | Yahoo Sports
It was never going to feel exactly the way last season felt right like it took 16 years to break through and then the way that the team broke through this like Collective populist movement where like you’re shining laser beams into the sky and everyone is acknowledging that
That’s cool and like all of a sudden it feels like it’s something special happening and that like re recapturing that or replicating that was always going to be uh probably never going to happen quite the same way but I’m wondering you know you’re the Kings enter Tuesdays action as you said you
Know six seed in the west you know sole possession of that seed right now they’re earning their keep with you know the the likes of the Mavs and the Suns underneath them and uh they swept the Lakers and they’re you know uh you know continually putting up good fights
Against good teams but and they’re a game off of last year’s pace through 67 games but how has this season felt like you you’re trying to author this Encore you’re watching a team trying to like find last formula but having to iterate on it what has the experience of
Watching like the year after the year been like it’s been tough and after the Kings mostly did nothing in the off season we kind of expected something similar to this but even when you see it coming it’s still frustrating so the expectation for most uh Kings fans going
Into the year was similar record but a worse seed you know we were pretty realistic that like you know 48 wins normally doesn’t get you the three seed like last year was a very weird year so there was that expectation that like yeah their wins are probably going to be
In that same ballpark but the West will be stronger so they’ll be further down which is almost exactly how it’s played out you know they’re like I said right on Pace for right about where they finish last year within a win or two and they’re the six seed right now and kind
Of stressing about the plan and all that and it’s just kind of a more normal standings as far as where that record puts you uh but even seeing it coming it’s still been incredibly frustrating it was just a lot more fun when you know the home stretch of the season was just
You know enjoying and seeing how many wins you could get and not stressing too much about the seaing or the matchups or any of that just yet um yeah that being said I I try not to take it for granted like it’s still an incredible season because of everything we went through
Before it’s like oh we’re complaining about only being the six seed after years and years of you know not even being close to the playoffs so you know it’s still I mean Kings fans I think are probably a little bit better equipped than most just because we did go through
So many bad years that we can appreciate a good year that’s not a great year uh but it is frustrating because you want that team to continue to grow and continue to build on what they did before uh even though you know the front office didn’t make any big moves you
Know either in the offseason or at the trade deadline so it’s like you know you’re just kind of banking on internal growth that hasn’t necessarily happened uh which you know is frustrating but there’s still been plenty of good things and plenty of great wins along the way
And like you said sweeping the Lakers makes every season better that’s right you if if you uh weren’t with me at my uh Rondo trade with the pick swap going out then you don’t deserve me at my sabonis triple doubles um the it’s funny you know you you mentioned that that
Like General very sober View and it’s it’s it’s almost difficult when you’re when you’re actually write about it right when you’re like I project it this way and then it happens and you’re like well I was kind of hoping it would be different than that um but I I was you
Know going through I wrote about the Kings for today it’ll be up at probably up by the time this comes out at Yahoo sports um and about that kind of like you know how do you author The Encore of the critical darling season that kind of thing and there’s a moment where I’m
Like well the Kings went from the number one offense in the NBA last year the number 13 offense in the NBA right now I’m like well where are they falling off and you start going through all the numbers and you’re like pretty much the same pretty much the same pretty much
The same and you’re like oh they dropped five spots because like the Pelicans Clippers Thunder and you know ERS and these other teams all just like jumped up it’s not like the the Kings got demonstrably worse there there are some areas where you know like the free throw
Rates down there they’re not generating as much Rim pressure and there’s stuff to to analyze and poke at but there is a component of it it’s like there this is about who they are like the league just kind of the the tide rose up a little
Bit and left them a a bit more wobbly and so that’s why like you you come to this place in the season where you and I will admit I’m like not entirely sure what to make of them for the reason we’re talking about you know the record
Is good uh they’re outscoring teams by about a point a game this season like not as good um 13th ranked offense 20th on defense the things have trended a little more positively recently for them but not like great overwhelming numbers I guess just with broad Strokes do you
Feel like the kings are more like or what’s the overall relative quality of the team are they more is it more like this is who the record says they are or who that kind of Point differential says they are so the the challenge has been
That it’s both I mean they they are two different teams it completely depends on the night so the the net rating kind of being middle of the road not quite matching the record is just indicative of the inconsistency so the fact that they’re so up and down depending on their
Opponent is the biggest frustration and the biggest like who is this team why can’t they figure it out why can’t they bring it consistently but the one thing we have seen is that they have consistently been playing well against better teams like so many of their losses this year are against the Rockets
They’ve lost a game to the Pistons they lost to the Hornets like they’ve lost some really just awful embarrassing games that they just like mentally weren’t checked in for but when the team is engaged in firing on all cylinders they look fantastic still uh you know the the one good team they really
Struggle with is the Pelicans the Pelicans just have absolutely had their number and just destroyed them with you know their length and physicality and that’s kind of the blueprint of the type of teams that have given the Kings trouble all year but you know for the
Looking ahead for like what it means in the playoffs like I’m actually still somewhat optimistic because they do get up for games against good teams and so in the playoffs you’re playing good team so you know the the hope would be that you’re engaged and executing and playing
To full potential but uh you know we still have pretty realistic expectations is like it’d be cool to make the second round this year but the way it’s gone like yeah who knows you know right but that’s but that’s important too yeah I was talking to somebody about this I
Think it was I guess it was before the trades deadline H from a Nicks perspective you know I I am from New York I’m a Nicks fan uh you know by damage and the the the question was like you know if they don’t make this big swing move or if
They don’t add like an All-Star Talent will you feel like it’s a waste and I was kind of like there’s a moment where you’re saying I do think that the best version of that team can close the gap on some of the bets teams but also I have to remember that almost the
Entirety of my adult life was spent watching really bad basketball and like that there H that any any incremental movement toward positivity or just keeping last year’s positivity is still so far removed from what you like the slog you’ve been through for most of your uh you know professional career
Semi-professional career whatever this is that I do um you saw the lack of professionalism right before we got on the air uh as I didn’t have my microphone plugged in cool podcasting Divine but uh that having those realistic expectations it’s so I mean once when you get there
You still want to be able to to kind of have the you know have the the the feeling that there’s an upside to be reached for and I think you mentioned I think it’s like 18 and N is the total record against all the other Western playoff playin teams except you you
Remove the Pelicans just slide those guys over to the side and say Enjoy the four five bracket guys you guys you know whichever side of that hang out over there and we’ll we’ll catch you later I wonder if based on the general you know lack of conversation level of
Conversation around the Kings we are perhaps under selling the optimistic case you know um you know maybe we’ll get back to that for a second
Could the Sacramento Kings be finding a new identity? Yahoo Sports NBA writer Dan Devine and Greg Wissinger of The Kings Herald discuss the Sacramento Kings, who could be finding a new identity in the middle of a playoff race.
Watch the full conversation here ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nlt5J2qsu_U
Be sure to subscribe to “Devine Intervention” – part of the “Ball Don’t Lie” podcast – on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen ► https://link.chtbl.com/OcO9CkJO
Thanks for watching! Subscribe to the Yahoo Sports channel here ► http://bit.ly/YSportsYT
Follow us everywhere!
Our Site ► http://www.yahoosports.com
Instagram ► http://www.instagram.com/yahoosports
TikTok ► https://www.tiktok.com/@yahoosports?lang=en
Snapchat ► https://www.snapchat.com/add/yahoosports
Twitter ► http://www.twitter.com/yahoosports
Facebook ► http://www.facebook.com/yahoosports
#sacramentokings #nba
