In October, the Seattle Mariners broke their vaunted playoff drought and finally secured a playoff spot. They hadn't been to the postseason since 2001, leaving many baseball fans in the Emerald City wanting October baseball. The team that took that longest drought title? The Sacramento Kings.
No one would've expected the Sacramento Kings to be fifth in the Western Conference. Yet, they're sitting pretty with a 12-9 record. What's more surprising is they play in a tough Pacific Division, where they're usually relegated to being the cellar dweller. Not anymore. Now, there's a bright light cast on Sacramento's future.
No one saw the Kings being the second-best offense in the NBA, yet here we are. They've made 49.3% of their field goals, creating magic in the paint. Six players are in double figures scoring-wise, including De'Aaron Fox.
Speaking of which, he's been the focal point of Sacramento's offense. His stat line (24 PPG, 6 APG) has been solid and he's done a good job directing traffic for the Kings. Fox has shown his quickness to be too much, displaying his athleticism for everyone to see.
It's not just Fox, though. It's also Domantas Sabonis (16.7 PPG, 10 RPG) and his size. It's Kevin Huerter (15.9 PPG) being a good pure scorer and wingman. Overall, it's a great team effort for a squad that has been dysfunctional for the past couple of decades.
Will this be the year Sacramento breaks its own playoff drought? That's a great question. The Pacific Division has plenty of solid teams. The Suns are NBA title contenders. The Clippers can be a threat if they don't get hurt. The Warriors are your defending NBA champions. But with the way the Kings are playing, they can surprise some people in the NBA.
