NBA Expert Sets the Bar Low for Sacramento Kings in 2024-25 Season

A Bleacher Report expert set an achievable goal for the Sacramento Kings at the start of the new NBA season.

Oct 24, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) and guard Malik Monk (0) walk up the court against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings beefed up their offense this summer, but some NBA experts still have defensive concerns for Mike Brown's squad entering the new season.

After acquiring star wing DeMar DeRozan in early July, Kings fans were hopeful that the team finally made the move they needed to make after remaining stagnant last season. Snagging a veteran scorer certainly adds value to the team's offense, but Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus thinks the Kings need to focus on the other side of the ball.

DeMar DeRozan: "This team is extremely dynamic...Once that rhythm comes, it's definitely going to be scary." pic.twitter.com/L9roMDeFnz

— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) October 25, 2024

Pincus feels the Kings' "number one goal" for the 2024-25 season should be to "figure out how to play playoff-level defense".

The Kings need to figure out how to build a scheme to get stops with three players who don't naturally form a solid defensive combination.

- Eric Pincus, B/R

DeRozan returned to his home state of California to play next to De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Forming a lethal trio offensively, the Kings' worries should come on the defensive side of the ball where they have very few specialists.

That's not to say Fox, Sabonis, and DeRozan are bad defenders, but they're paid to score the ball. To protect their side of the floor, the Kings trust Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis to pick up some of the slack.

The Sacramento Kings allowed 116.0 points per 100 possessions in the first half of preseason games

Only the Bucks and Pacers have been worse.

I asked Mike Brown what success looks like for his defense given the personnel he has available pic.twitter.com/r3pwMrRp6y

— Law Murray 🏟️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) October 18, 2024

Unfortunately, Murray and Ellis are not rim protectors. The Kings have failed to sign a true rim protector for the past couple of years and early stats suggest this problem will continue this season. As a team, Sacramento recorded only two blocks against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Kings ranked 28th in blocks per game last season and may repeat a similar outcome this year.

To reach that "playoff-level defense" that Pincus thinks the Kings should aim for, trading for a true rim protector could be an early step in the right direction. Otherwise, expect taller centers to dominate the paint against the Kings in the near future.

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