Sacramento Kings are in deep trouble even after firing their head coach. The team just lost a game to a bunch of backups and Andre Drummond.
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The Sacramento Kings recently fired their Head Coach Luke Walton. The third-year coach was relieved of his duties following their 7th straight loss that came against the Utah Jazz.
That game in which a drunk Sacramento fan puked his guts out defines the Kings’ season thus far. They started this season on a decent note with a 5-4 record.
But in most games they lost till then and even after that, the Kings looked like they are on the court to win in the first half but become a totally different team in the second.
As a team their net rating averages +4.5 in the first half, which is even better than the Chicago Bulls, but a -8.6 in the second half. Only bottom dwellers New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets average less than that.
After their last night’s performance against Philadelphia 76ers’ backups, things look pretty difficult for them if they decide to keep this squad.
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Luke Walton was not the problem in Sacramento
Firing the head coach should have been the least of their concerns. Sacramento Kings are the only team who hasn’t made the Playoffs since 2006. This 15-year drought is the longest in NBA history. Luke Walton might be the only thing in the management side of things that they had right, the former head coach has the second-highest win percentage in their franchise history at .422.
Firing that coach just 17 games into seasons seems far too harsh. But it was imminent since the ownership overhaul of the team.
The face of the franchise De’Aaron Fox has struggled to continue his last season’s All-Star caliber performance. He’s averaging 19.9 points a game far less than last season’s 25.2, not just that his overall productivity has come down from the last two years.
The Kings’ primary ball-handler, Fox already has a career plus-minus of -2.9 and a net rating of -4.72 which is far lower than any point guard of a winning franchise.
Kings might have to look for alternatives in every position except for their two young guards Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell and maybe their ever-so-consistent veteran Harrison Barnes. They can start with the exchange of guards with the team they lost the match last night, the Philadelphia 76ers. Or even a multiple-team deal like this.
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An unproductive perimeter shooter De’Aaron Fox packaged with few shooters in exchange for a 6’11 point guard who never attempts a 3-pointer or a jumper but can do everything else on the court, doesn’t look like a bad deal for both the teams. But Ben Simmons and his agent would surely not like this trade.
