Kings Ranked 3rd Worst Defense in NBA Since All-Star Break

With little room for error, the Kings must pick up the slack on defense.

Since the All-Star break, the Sacramento Kings have stayed stagnant in the middle-tier of Western Conference teams, going an even 3-3 but posting impressive road wins against the Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Kings seem to step up to the plate when playing the top teams in the West but crumble when playing against inferior opponents. Anybody who has watched the Kings this season knows one of the most prominent issues has been defense, especially as of late. 

Since the All-Star break, the Kings have posted the third-worst defensive rating in the league (120.7), behind only the Washington Wizards (123.4) and Dallas Mavericks (127.3). 

Despite having the best offensive rating in NBA history last season, Sacramento continued to struggle on the defensive side of the ball, which many believe led to their premature playoff exit. Since the All-Star break, the Kings have the ninth-best offensive rating in the league, but poor defense and free throw shooting will lose them games, regardless of how good their offense is. 

While De'Aaron Fox and Keegan Murray have taken significant defensive strides this season, their improvements on that end have not been enough to bolster the entire team's efforts. Murray has been one of the best, if not the best, perimeter defenders in the league in his sophomore season, but his improvements have not translated to a better team defense. 

With 22 games remaining, the Kings must pick up their efforts on the defensive end, or else they will suffer a similar playoff fate as last season if they can even make it out of the Play-In Tournament. 

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