Leo Beas
After watching all three games on opening night, I firmly believe the Kings will sneak into the playoffs if they stay honest on defense and if DeMarcus Cousins dominates in the paint 70 percent of most games.
Most teams play small and we saw what the Spurs did to the Warriors last night. Yes, they gained Kevin Durant, but they lost their inside defensive presence and their bench depth.
Those are things the Kings have this season. A deep bench and two very solid low post defenders. And that is why I continue to believe this team makes the playoffs, barring injury. You can listen to my breakdown in depth on the latest episode of the CK Podcast.
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Projected Record: 42-40
Projected WC Finish: 8th
Matt George
The Sacramento Kings will be a 35+ win team this season so you can go ahead and take the over on the Vegas betting line. However, different from year’s past, it will be the tremendous defensive improvements that will spark the Kings’ success.
They will be in the top 10 defensively, potentially even top five if everyone buys in. Offensively, DeMarcus Cousins is a good enough scorer to carry the team, but their point per game totals will drop rather drastically from year’s past. Expect 96 points per game and 95 points per game allowed.
They will finish on the cusp of the 8th seed, but will not make the playoffs. They just aren’t there yet. Between the inevitable loss of Rudy Gay and the absurd talent in the West, the Kings don’t have enough to get it done.
Their chances may increase, however, should teams like the Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz struggle with injuries. Cousins will once again be an All-Star (except this time he will be a starter), and will make NBA first team over Marc Gasol.
Arron Afflalo will have his best scoring season since his 2013-2014 season in Orlando, where he averaged 18 point per game. Finally, the Sacramento Kings will make at least two, possibly three trades before the end of the season. Gay, Ben McLemore, and Kosta Koufos will not be on the roster when the season ends.
Projected Record: 38-42
Projected WC Finish: 9th
Manny Vieites
DeMarcus Cousins is entering the second to last year of his contract and Rudy Gay has already said that a return to Sacramento is not likely. Therefore, what should Kings fans look forward to?
The Golden 1 Center! This new arena gives fans a glimpse of hope and every single night, the opposing team will feel and hear the #SacramentoProud chants and cowbells, making it a very tough place to play in like in the early 2000’s.
Behind Cousins and Gay lies a revamped roster. They added Arron Afflalo, Garrett Temple and Anthony Tolliver, which should bring defensive versatility. Last season they were an NBA third best scoring team and defense was a huge issue. With Dave Joerger at the helm, expect this team to be much improved. I predict the Kings to be the 15th most efficient defense in the league.
Cousins and Gay will have career best seasons in the scoring department. Cousins will most likely make the All-Star roster this season and look out for him to be a starter as well.
Sacramento strengthened its defense this offseason but don’t break the bubble of the elite, which makes me believe the Kings fall just short of the .500 mark.
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Projected Record: 40-42
Projected WC Finish: 10th
Dominic Urrutia
As painful as it sounds, there will not be a playoff game for the Sacramento Kings in their first season playing at the new Golden 1 Center.
The Kings have way too much roster instability and inconsistency to be a top-8 team in the Western Conference this year. While DeMarcus Cousins is a sure bet for 25 and 10 every night, there is a laundry list of guys that are question marks on a night in and night out basis.
Which Rudy Gay is going to show up? Which Ben McLemore, Kosta Koufos, or Ty Lawson?
Gay could be on another team before the trade deadline, and after reports surfaced last week that Sacramento will not reach a rookie-scale extension (ESPN) with McLemore, the same could be said about him.
What will be most important for the Kings if they want to prove me wrong is a good start to the year. If losses start piling up early on, you can forget about it.
The early portion of the schedule doesn’t favor the Kings either, with 10 of the first 21 games on the road against the East.
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Projected Record: 38-44
Projected WC Finish: 10th
Emmanuel Basulto
The Kings made major upgrades on defense simply by hiring Dave Joerger during the offseason. Then when you add guys like Garrett Temple, Arron Afflalo and Anthony Tolliver, all who are not great players by any means, but they understand their roles and pride themselves on being solid NBA defenders.
That’s key for any team trying to set the tone on defense and that’s something we haven’t seen in the past decade.
Projected Record: 44-38
Projected WC Finish: 7th
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