The Sacramento Kings finished the preseason as one of the worst offensive teams, struggling to score even with many talented scorers.
Sacramento averaged 102.8 points per game, including two games with fewer than 100 points. The team scored a preseason-high 110 points in its second matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 8.
Multiple starters made fewer than three appearances, which factored into their low-scoring performances. Domantas Sabonis and Ben Simmons played two games, and Keegan Murray played the final three.
Coach Doug Christie prioritized their health and said he was focused on the 82-game regular season. Their absence opened more opportunities for the back-end rotation and two-way players.
Starters rarely play the second half until late in the preseason. Sacramento entered halftime with under 50 points in four of its five games.
The Kings scored 56 first-half points in their 111-106 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 10.
It’s concerning that the team is struggling to score even with its starters. Darius Acuff Jr. and Zach LaVine can score in bunches; Simmons and Sabonis are high-level playmakers, and Murray can space the floor.
Sacramento relied on its scoring to break a 16-year playoff drought in the 2022-23 season. The team finished first in points per game, second in field goal percentage and ninth in three-point percentage.
They have plummeted to 28th, 17th and 29th in those categories last season. Such regression throughout a short period with pretty much the same roster is baffling.
The Kings swapped De'Aaron Fox for Zach LaVine at the deadline last February. LaVine isn't a dominant on-ball guard, but is an efficient scorer.
Acuff Jr. has shown promise as a three-level scorer. The rookie guard led his peers in scoring, averaging 18.7 points and shooting 41.2% from three.
He averaged 2.9 more points than Chicago Bulls forward Caleb Wilson and is shooting 6.8% worse from three than Oklahoma City Thunder guard Bennett Stirtz.
The Kings’ seventh overall pick isn’t the solution to their offensive woes. He struggled to score efficiently without Sabonis setting screens and creating space to drive downhill.
Their two-man game is key to improving offensive efficiency, and they’ll have to build strong chemistry throughout the regular season.
Two preseason halves aren’t enough in-game reps to establish a reliable late-game one-two punch.
Sacramento wants to win games this season to avoid the draft relegation zone. However, a struggling offense, paired with an already porous defense, makes that goal significantly harder to achieve.