Three Reasons To Believe In The Sacramento Kings
With a 131-109 victory over the Nuggets last night, the Kings improved to 4-1 on the season - their best start since the 2001-02 division title team. It's just five games out of 82, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic that they can keep the pace and stay competitive this season in the fiercely contested western conference.
1. Commitment To Defense
Head Coach Michael Malone has preached defense since his hiring prior to last season, but had little to show for his philosophy - the Kings finished last season ranked 23rd in the league in defensive efficiency, surrendering just over 106 points per 100 possessions. This year has been an entirely different story, as a defense led at the point by Darren Collison currently ranks 9th overall this season, cutting their number down to just over 98 points per 100 possessions.
2. Know Your Role
One of the most glaring weaknesses for the Kings over the last several years was a lack of a consistent rotation by the coach. Much of that had to do with the fact that the Kings had very few standout players that earned consistent playing time, and even fewer that were willing to take a diminished role in order to help the team. Those malcontents, however, have been removed (hello there, Marcus Thornton), and this year's version offers a solid rotation at power forward and along the perimeter, with Ramon Sessions, Nik Stauskas, Ray McCallum, and even Omri Casspi having found a valuable role to play on any given night.
3. DeMarcus Cousins Is Just Really Damn Good
DeMarcus' win totals haven't matched up with his talent level in his first few years, but a team with a player that talented would be hard-pressed to stay terrible forever. Cousins is, arguably, the best center in the league, posting a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 30.03, good for sixth-best in the NBA. He averages 24 points and 10 rebounds per game in just 29 minutes each night, which means he can pretty much turn in a double-double just by showing up.
The Kings are not perfect, and may not even make the playoffs - but, through five games, they've given fans an exciting product. Here's hoping they can keep it rolling through the next 77 games.