News Article
Published
Oct 22, 2026 at 04:48 PM EDT
There’s a saying in Sacramento among Kings fans that a few know outside the city: “The Kings will Kangz.”
The inside joke being that when the Sacramento Kings don’t look like themselves, they become a Wario-like version of themselves called the Kangz… a nickname they’ve been going by for, oh, a billion and six years now. Slivers of hope were reduced to tiny little glass shards inching their way into fans’ eyelids after the black hole of suck that was the preseason and after Ben Simmons was deceived by his own ACL and went down during practice.
So needless to say, it’s been a trying few years – and few hours – for the Kan… Kings.
And after their opening night loss against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, it’s about to get worse unless something actually gets done. And by something, we mean miracle. Or for more players on the team to suddenly learn how to shoot from beyond the arc.
Following the 121-96 loss, guard Zach LaVine not only attributed the loss to lack of 3Ps, but he pointed the finger at teammates.
“The right people got to shoot them,” LaVine told Sactown 1140’s Brendan Nunes. “But I mean certain people aren’t off-the-dribble shooters, you know. So you have to help them get shots.”
According to Sports Illustrated, during their 2025-26 season, the Kings were No. 1. At something: Being a league-worst 10.3 threes. This was “thanks in large part to both their low percentage (34%) and low volume (30.2).”
Sacramento went 8-of-28 for 3s against the Clippers on Wednesday.
Yikes, but not unusual.
“You need to have downhill penetration,” LaVine continued. “You got to have, you know, people willing to help off of these guys. If they’re not willing to help, or if defenders aren’t getting beat and put in situations to rotate, you know, you’re not going to generate them unless you’re a good off-the-dribble three-point shooter, create your own shot.
“We only have so many of those guys on the team.”
The Kings take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.
...