This offseason, we at Gino's Jungle would like to think we have covered everything from A to Z when it comes to the Boston Celtics. With the regular season tip-off quickly approaching we decided it was time to take a look at the enemies. For the next five weeks we will be giving you the down low on all thirty teams in the NBA. We'll be doing this somewhat in conjunction with Celtics Blog's NBA team previews.
Team Name: Sacramento Kings
Last Year's Record: 25-57
What did they do this offseason?
The Kings made a few moves this offseason to become a better team, but didn't do enough to become a good team. Sacramento used the 5th pick in the NBA Draft to acquire DeMarcus Cousins, a guy who is expected to have an instant impact in the league. In the meantime, they also acquired another solid big in Samuel Dalembert via trade.
These two players should combine to provide decent interior depth for the Kings, while they rely on guys like Tyreke Evans and Omri Casspi to provide the bulk of the scoring.
This offseason, the Kings also decided to give up Spencer Hawes, a guy who was considered a project for the Kings since being drafted.
What will they be good at? Bad at?
With the acquisition of the two bigs mentioned above, the Kings should be a solid rebounding team. In a league that is short on quality big men, the Kings do seem to have a decent frontline. They also have a good group of young talent on the team, if Evans and Cousins can establish themselves as lethal threats the future can be considered a strength for this team.
Although the Kings do have Tyreke Evans they seem to have a lack of scoring threats on the roster. Defense does win championships, but you have to score points to win games. The Kings could struggle with that.
What should we expect from the Kings this season?
Slight improvement from last season's team. You can't expect miracles with a team like this. They are young, they aren't over-loaded with talent, and they lack veteran leadership. Like with a lot of teams, the goal this season for the Kings is to show improvement and develop their younger players. Tyreke Evans has the potential to be a star in the league, and DeMarcus Cousins has the potential to be a very solid big man. The goal for the Kings is to make sure both of these guys can live up to their potential.
The Expert's Take: (Zach Harper from Cowbell Kingdom)
Progress is the goal. They hit rock bottom two years ago and found their potential star. Then they increased their win total by eight games last year and found another potential star. Now, the Kings have to crack 30 wins. They don’t have to make the playoffs. They don’t have to be the next Oklahoma City Thunder. The Kings just have to make more progress. And it’s not about just winning games either; it’s the way they win more games, which is the key. The Kings defense has to get better, they have to start shooting well from the outside (Omri, Donté, I’m looking at you guys) and they have to get better at fourth quarter execution. If they improve in these areas, the wins will start to come and they won’t be such a horrible road team. That’s progress.
Final Prediction: 27-55 (13th in Western Conference)
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