The Kings can point to a much improved defense for their surprising start to the season.
The Sacramento Kings beat the Denver Nuggets on the road Monday night, taking them to a surprising 3-1 start. After falling to Golden State in their first game of season, the Kings have won three straight, having beaten Trailblazers at home, and the Clippers and Nuggets on the road. Considering who they have played in their first four games, it is hard to imagine Sacramento starting this well before the season began.
The biggest difference so far for Sacramento has been their improvement on defense. The Kings currently have the 7th best defensive rating in the league (100.1) and rank 9th in points allowed (96.5). Last season, the Kings had a defensive rating of 108.8 (ranked 23rd) and allowed 103.4 points per game (ranked 24th). This improvement on the defensive side of the ball was sought after by head coach Mike Malone all of last season, but the team struggled to consistently buy in on that end. That has changed so far this season, and it’s made a difference when you consider the Kings are only averaging 97 points a game, which puts them at an average 18th best in the league.
Credit must also go to Rudy Gay, who is averaging 23.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. While his shooting percentages are roughly the same from last season, the biggest difference has been the amount of times he has gotten to the foul line. Gay is averaging 9.0 free-throw attempts per game, way up from the 5.4 attempts he averaged last season, and he’s making the most of those attempts with a free-throw percentage of 86.1 percent. Getting to the free-throw line and converting can often be a difference maker, as was the case for the Kings against the Nuggets, as they made 40 of 47 from the free-throw line.
The play of DeMarcus Cousins can’t be overlooked either. Cousins is in All-Star form, averaging 22.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Against the Clippers, he had 34 points on 15-23 shooting, along with 17 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. He’s also yet to be charged with a technical foul, which is something he couldn’t avoid last season as he was tied for the most technical fouls in the league with Blake Griffin at 16.
The addition of Darren Collison is making a difference as well. Collison is averaging 16.3 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game. The loss of Isaiah Thomas figured to hurt the Kings, but so far Collison has thrived, suggesting that despite what Thomas brought to the Kings last season, Collison may be the better fit. He’s less of a shoot-first guard than Thomas (though he isn’t afraid to shoot himself), and that may work better with Gay and Cousins, who are the two most ball-dominant players on the team.
Last season, the Kings didn’t get a lot of scoring help beyond the trio of Cousins, Gay, and Thomas, and that hasn’t changed much this season. The return of Omar Casspi has been positive however, and while Reggie Evans likely believes rebounds count more than points, he’s grabbing a lot of them, averaging 6.8 in nearly 15 minutes per game off the bench.
It has been a nice start for the Kings, but they are about to be really tested. Their next seven games include a four-game road trip against Phoenix, OKC, Dallas, and Memphis, before returning home to play San Antonio, New Orleans, and Chicago. A 4-3 record during that stretch would be a minor miracle. Still, the Kings have already surprised many to this point in the season, and if they continue playing strong defense they may continue surprising teams in the West.
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