Impact of Kings Missing Trio of Isolation Scorers

The Sacramento Kings have been without three of their top scorers due to injury.

Nov 8, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Injuries happen to every team, but the timing of the Sacramento Kings missing Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Malik Monk puts them in an extremely difficult position every night.

It’s not only that the trio are major parts of the rotation, but the three all possess a skill that others on the team don’t; the ability to go and get their own shot.

The Kings' offense is built around passing and moving the ball, but when it comes to crunch time and the end of the shot clock, sometimes you need someone to just go and do something with the ball in their hands.

It’s not just the eye test that says DeRozan and Monk are great at getting their own shots, but the numbers back it up. Below are the Kings' total unassisted field goals made this season:

• De'Aaron Fox: 111
• DeMar DeRozan: 70
• Domantas Sabonis: 35
• Malik Monk: 22
• Keegan Murray: 17
• Kevin Huerter: 7
• Keon Ellis: 6
• Jordan McLaughlin: 5
• Trey Lyles: 2
• Alex Len: 2

It’s no surprise that Fox and DeRozan lead the way, but what is telling is how steep the drop-off is after those two. 

The rest of the list, outside of Fox, has a combined 39 unassisted buckets this season. And for some additional reference, Keegan Murray’s 17 total breaks down to 1.1 per game.

The Kings' roster is constructed to have a balance between the offensive starters and the defensive reserves. When healthy the Kings are lucky enough to have a ‘bucket-getter’ on the court at all times by managing rotations.

Sacramento’s offense looked stagnant down the stretch last night against the Hawks. There was a lot of dribbling and resetting at the top of the key when moves wouldn’t work. Eventually, Fox said “Give me the ball,” and went to work to keep the game close down the stretch.

Defenses know what to key in on, which makes life so much harder for the Kings. Hopefully at least one of the three Kings will be back on Friday to help relieve the pressure on Fox.

---

Follow Sacramento Kings on SI on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Kings news videos and live-stream podcasts!