Injuries are to be expected in every NBA season, but it’s not common for a team to have over half the roster unavailable.
For the Sacramento Kings, that’s the current situation right now for their latest showdown against the Hornets. In a shocking development, at least 10 players will be unavailable in the game, including all of their usual starting lineup.
Russell Westbrook (Foot Soreness), Nique Clifford (Foot Soreness), Precious Achiuwa (Back Soreness), Killian Hayes (Foot Soreness), (Foot Soreness) Domantas Sabonis, (Knee Surgery) Keegan Murray, (Ankle) Zach Lavine (Pinky Surgery), De’Andre Hunter (Eye Surgery), Drew Eubanks (Torn UCL in Thumb), and Isaiah Stevens (G-League Two Way) are out for the game, marking 11 absences for the Kings.
Sacramento doesn’t have much left to play for this season, and it’s likely why they see no disadvantage to resting some of their most important players. Besides giving their most important (and most tradeable) players some rest, it also helps ensure they stay last in the standings.
At 15th in the West (19-53), the Kings are in a race for the NBA’s worst record, and the Jazz are right on their heels at 21-51. These next few weeks will determine the lottery odds, and we could see more games like this before the end of the season. Of course, that’s not to say some of these injuries aren’t real, but the Kings are clearly beyond trying to be competitive right now.
By trading Tyrese Haliburton and De’Aaron Fox and parting with Mike Brown, the Kings halted all their momentum and redefined their identity. With DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Russell Westbrook, they tried to assemble a roster built on work ethic and hustle, but it was an awkward fit on the floor.
Internal turmoil, growing doubt, and long losing streaks have resulted in quick failure for the Kings, who are now facing the prospect of a massive rebuild. While they lack a young prospect to build around, they can start the process of finding one by flipping guys like Sabonis, LaVine, and DeRozan for either young players or draft picks.
Until they start to follow a long-term vision, things are going to get ugly before they get better in Sacramento. For a team that showed so much promise a few years ago, reality has hit them hard, and there’s not much left to do but wipe the slate clean and start over once again.
So, in the time they have left this season, the Kings are going to be doing everything they can to throw these games and maximize their chances for a top lottery pick. With the NBA expected to crack down on tanking, this could be the last chance for teams to exploit the system, and they have already (suspiciously) ruled out some of their best players for the season.
The most important thing for the Kings, however, is not where they land in the draft, but which players they pick with whatever pick they have. With a horrible track record over the years, things will not get better for the franchise unless they can start having more success in the draft.
