The Sacramento Kings' 2026 preseason slate couldn't have gone worse. The Kings finished their five-game preseason with five losses, with an average margin of defeat of 14.8 points. On Friday night, they got the worst of it, losing to the San Antonio Spurs 126-97, and the final score does not even show how bad it truly was.
The Kings fell behind the Spurs by 24 before the first-quarter buzzer sounded, and things could've been much worse if San Antonio's starters got a full workload.
Regardless, it was just a preseason game, and now the Kings can learn and move on to the regular season. From what we saw during the Kings' winless preseason, let's take a look at three players who overperformed and two players who fell flat.
Winner: Darius Acuff Jr.
Sure, Darius Acuff Jr. could've had a better preseason, but not by much. The seventh-overall pick did about what was expected of him, if not more. We would typically expect a 19-year-old rookie point guard to have some growing pains, but Acuff Jr. looked comfortable leading Sacramento's offense.
Through four appearances, Acuff Jr. handily led the Kings in points per game (17.3), while shooting 42.4% from the field and 42.1% from three-point range. Right now, the biggest concern is that Acuff Jr. averaged 3.8 assists and 3.5 turnovers, as he certainly needs to clean that up, but that is nothing we should be too worried about this early in his career.
Acuff Jr. erased any doubts about what he will be capable of this season, and if he continues this level of play, he will be a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate.
Winner: Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons only played two games for the Kings this preseason, but it is impossible to ignore what he is capable of. In Friday night's loss to the Spurs, the former first-overall pick finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists on 5-9 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line.
After being out of the NBA for the entire 2025-26 season, Simmons is wasting no time shaking off some rust. He is expected to start for the Kings on opening night, and after what he has shown in limited preseason opportunities, we can see why.
While it will likely be an overall disappointing season for the Kings, given their concerning lack of preseason success, we can at least lean on Acuff Jr. and Simmons to be bright spots.
Winner: Jonathan Mogbo
Arguably the Kings' biggest surprise of the preseason has been two-way forward Jonathan Mogbo. Through four games, Mogbo averaged 10.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.3 steals per game, shooting 53.3% from the field.
The 24-year-old forward might struggle to find a spot in the rotation for the Kings this season, but after what he has shown in preseason, Doug Christie might have to think twice about Mogbo's role in Sacramento. Mogbo is a high-energy forward with length, athleticism, and defensive versatility, so it is hard to imagine Christie not giving him a chance in the regular season.
Mogbo is the exact reason why teams play their young guys in the preseason. Despite being on a two-way contract, he should be able to play meaningful minutes for the Kings this season after what he put on display.
Loser: De'Andre Hunter
The Kings' biggest "loser" of the preseason was undoubtedly De'Andre Hunter. The Kings traded for Hunter at last season's deadline, giving up Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis to get him, but he has not shown anything in a Kings uniform yet.
Hunter's 2025-26 campaign came to an abrupt end when he suffered a season-ending eye injury in just his second game with the Kings, and this preseason, he has been a non-factor. Through four appearances, he averaged 3.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game, shooting 21.1% from the field and 0-9 from three-point range.
Hunter has effectively lost his starting spot to Simmons, and the Kings might even have a decision to make about his spot in the second unit. When the Kings are fully healthy, it will be hard for Hunter to earn minutes over a frontcourt of Simmons, Domantas Sabonis, Precious Achiuwa, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell, especially with the emergence of Mogbo as an impactful forward.
Loser: Doug Christie
While we never want to overreact too much about the preseason, it is impossible not to question head coach Doug Christie after the team went 0-5. Granted, they never had their full team available, and they finally got a look at their entire starting lineup in Friday's finale, but this was not a good look for Christie.
After going winless in five preseason games, we have to wonder what this team is capable of in the regular season. We have held high hopes for this group, given how talented they are, but there is some obvious doubt surrounding the team. How far can Christie take this team?
After winning just 22 games last season, we have to hope the Kings can at least improve from that mark, but if not, Christie's job is far from safe.
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