There’s no denying that the Sacramento Kings have struggled to build a winning culture on the west coast. Kings fans have suffered through more than their fair share of lost seasons over the past two decades. However, against all odds, the Kings front office has quietly put together a decent offseason, which will hopefully translate into on court success in 2022-23.
Sacramento drafted Keegan Murray with the No.4 pick of the 2022 NBA draft and he figures to be an impact player for the club immediately. Some may argue the Kings should have taken Jaden Ivey with the selection. Instead, Sacramento chose the piece they thought would fit better with their team.
The Kings then traded a second-round draft pick for the rights for Sasha Vezenkov, acquired Kevin Huerter, and signed Malik Monk. All should be solid additions and help Sacramento get better, at least on paper.
Keegan Murray
Murray will help the Kings space the floor at the power forward position. He is 6-foot-8, 225 lbs, and has a 6-foot-11 wingspan. Along with his shooting ability, Murray rebounds well and has shown the ability to defend multiple positions.
The former Hawkeye played outstanding during Summer League, earning Summer League MVP honours in the process. Murray finished his sophomore year at Iowa, averaging 23.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, and 1.3 steals, while shooting almost 40% from deep and 55% from the field.
Sasha Vezenkov
The Brooklyn Nets drafted Vezenkov in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft. However the now 26 year old has remained overseas playing for Olympiacos in the Greek Basketball League. During the 2021-22 season, he averaged 14.4 points on 54.7% shooting; If Venzekov decides to come to the states to play, he could help the Kings out immediately.
Vezenkov is more than just a shooter; he can score around the basket. He’s also shown playmaking ability and is a solid rebounder. He has a high basketball IQ and has played in some of the best professional leagues around the world.
At times the forward struggles to create off the dribble and isn’t consistent on the defensive end of the court. He isn’t overly athletic but knows how to get to his spots. Vezenkov will struggle to defend quicker players, but his offensive game would help the Kings out a lot given his ability to space the floor with his shooting.
Kevin Huerter
The Kings needed shooting and got it with the addition of Huerter. Adding the former Hawk with De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis should help the Kings balance themselves out offensively. Huerter recorded a 41.9% success rate last year in catch-and-shoot situations.
The new King can play defense at a high level, as he demonstrated in the Eastern Conference Finals a couple of years ago, but he struggled to find that same level of consistency in 2021-22.
New Kings coach Mike Brown could turn Huerter into a respectable defensive player and will likely put the 6’7” 23 year old in a position to succeed. Huerter averaged 11.4 points in four seasons with Atlanta after being selected by the Hawks with the 19th overall pick in the 2018 draft. He was a starter for the majority of his time in Atlanta.
Malik Monk
Monk will give the Kings an off-guard that can shoot the basketball. With the Lakers, Monk did a good job playing next to LeBron James in what was largely a tumultuous season. Before joining the Lakers, Monk shot 34.2% in the three years was in the NBA. He also connected on 41.9% of his catch-and-shoot threes making him a good spot up shooting option for the Kings. Monk improved his three-point shooting and should play well alongside former college teammate Fox.
The former Kentucky star also improved his scoring off the dribble. At times he played the point for the Lakers. However, Monk also showed an ability to be a playmaker when called upon.
On defense, Monk is no lockdown defender, but he will compete on the defensive end of the court. He does a good job contesting shots and holding his own, which should help the Kings defensively. Defensive effort alone is something that hasn’t always been there for the Kings in recent years, so Monk at least brings that to the table.
In five seasons in the NBA, Monk has averaged 10.3 points per game, shooting 42% from the field and 35% from downtown. On offense, Monk can do a little of everything, and if he can continue to improve his game, Monk could be an excellent signing for Sacramento.
Next Year
With the additions the Kings have made, they should be able to compete for a play-in spot. They’ve improved their three-point shooting dramatically as the club ranked in the bottom ten in both three-pointers made and three-point percentage last year.
Sabonis and Fox will have to play at a high level for the Kings to succeed. Coach Brown is a defensive coach and will have his work cut out for him trying to improve Sacramento’s defense. If all goes right for the Kings, they could surprise some people this fall.
-LaMarr Fields
Twitter: @raiderway83
Photo: Alexander Jonesi. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.