SportSpyder - The Latest Sacramento Kings News

22 January 2025

• [Last Word on Sports] - All-Star Cases: Sengun Vs Sabonis
  The All-Star chances of Houston Rockets center teeter on a knife's edge. There's one player in particular who's balancing right there with him. That's Sacramento Kings star, and fellow cover-artist, . The knife will probably come down on the chances for one of them, and the other will be wielding the blade. So who should be a 2024-25 All-Star: Sengun or Sabonis? All-Star Cases: Sengun Vs Sabonis The Background Not so long ago, benefited from another team's situation. The Kings' season was going so badly that various degrees of regicide were on the table. For instance, Kings star point guard was in themselves. The Kings wound up settling for the NBA's favorite form of regicide though. They fired head coach . It turned out to be the beginning of a . Since former Kings player took over the coaching staff, the Kings have gone 9-2. Fans rejoiced at the rotational return of lightning rod . was well and truly lit. None of this is good news for Sengun's All-Star bid. With the Kings back in the playoff picture, the organization had no realistic shot at an All-Star spot. Now they're back in the 8th seed. Sabonis' All-Star case must once again be considered. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os63grgZXmo Sengun vs Sabonis in Stats Despite Sengun's more sophisticated scoring game, the counting stats don't look good for him. The young Turk averages 19.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists on 53.7% . The burlier Sabonis averages 20.8 points, a league-leading 14.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists on a career-high 67.4% . That's a clean sweep. But only on offense. Defensively, Sengun has separated from the Lithuanian-American this season. Sabonis fans could easily point to the rest of the roster to explain Houston's fourth-best of 108.3 compared with Sacramento's 13th-place 112.3. But Sabonis' case is counting stats on offense, so it's worth looking at the counting stats on defense. First of all, Sengun averages 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks compared to Sabonis' 0.7 steals and 0.5 blocks. Of course, "stocks" are better indicators of how flashy a player is than how valuable they really are defensively. Flashiness definitely has value too. Stocks can cause the types of momentum swings that games are decided upon. How To Measure Defense It's not as if many other defensive stats are much better. Take for instance, that seems like an important one for rim protectors. Sengun certainly has Sabonis beat in that regard. He's defended 805 shots within that range to Sabonis' 638. He's also allowed a conversion rate of only 60.9% compared to Sabonis' 63.6%. Unfortunately, it's hard to feel that the number matters when a perennial DPOY candidate like gives up 65.5%. But Davis' numbers are affected by the Lakers expecting him to bail them out of any defensive fiasco they can manufacture. Neither Sengun nor Sabonis are truly elite rim protectors like Davis, but Sengun has a definite edge. As far as defensive stats go, Sabonis is second in the league in total defensive rebounds while Sengun is down at 14th. The possession isn't over until you get the rebound. But Sengun plays with other strong rebounders like and . That goes both ways. Sabonis has more work to do as the Kings' lone rebounding presence, but he is rewarded for that work in the box score. The Old Mantra If the old mantra is true, there's only one defensive stat that matters - "defense wins games". Even after a to the (admittedly ) Detroit Pistons, the Rockets remain the second seed in the Western Conference. The Memphis Grizzlies are still in , only half a game behind despite . However, the Rockets are six games . That's a margin that should still be chunky by the time the coaches select reserves; coaches tend to value winning above all else. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFHGegx5Woc Will the Coaches Have Any Ulterior Motives? Aside from contributions to winning, there are a couple of other possible considerations for coaches. For one thing, coaches might feel a little silly about not voting for Sabonis last year. He did finish 8th in MVP voting and made third-team All-NBA. Not bad for a non-All-Star. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64_Uugg4Mls However, taking the potential biases of coaches into account, there's a far juicier ulterior motive to consider. NBA the way the Kings fired Mike Brown. Coaches really do lose locker rooms. Teams going on runs after a change of leadership is far from uncommon. The team's ceiling isn't necessarily raised. The previous coach wasn't necessarily doing a bad job (though benching Ellis was bizarre). It's just a fact of NBA life that a little jolt at the top can boost a team for a few extra wins sometimes. The other fact of NBA life is that the coaches are a brotherhood. Despite every one of them having gotten their current position from a firing they would definitely complain about if it happened today, (except who fired his predecessor ), they don't like it when teams fire coaches. Sabonis is back in All-Star consideration because of the Brown f...
• [Sacramento Kings Videos] - Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox & Coach Christie | Practice Interview 1.21.25
  Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox & Coach Christie speak to the media following practice at the Sacramento Kings Practice Facility in Sacramento, CA on January 21, 20...
• [Sactown Sports] - Domantas Sabonis number 11 jersey retired by Gonzaga
  Domantas Sabonis was honored by his former college Gonzaga this Friday by the school retiring his number 11.
• [Sactown Sports] - DeMar DeRozan passes Allen Iverson on all-time scoring list (29th)
  With 24 points in Sunday's win over Washington, DeMar DeRozan passed Allen Iverson to become 29th on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
• [Fansided: A Royal Pain] - Kings trade deadline plans are unclear despite strong stretch
  Despite winning nine of their last ten games, it is unclear how the Sacramento Kings should handle this trade deadline cycle.
• [Sports Illustrated] - Potential Sacramento Kings Target Breaks Silence on Trade Rumors
  Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma spoke on trade rumors ahead of February's deadline.
• [Hoops Rumors] - Community Shootaround: Western Conference Playoff Race
  Of the 15 teams in the Western Conference, only two are clearly focused more on the 2025 draft lottery than the 2024/25 standings. The 10-31 Jazz and 14-28 Trail Blazers don’t have realistic postseason aspirations this season, with management prioritizing the development of young players and the possibility of landing another high draft pick. Those […]
• [Deuce & Mo] - De'Aaron Fox on Kings matchup vs. struggling Warriors
• [Deuce & Mo] - Doug Christie on Kings-Warriors, Sabonis' shooting & upcoming road trip
• [Sactown Sports 1140] - Kings forward Keegan Murray speaks on what has changed so much under new coach Doug Christie
  Kings forward Keegan Murray joined "The Allen Stiles Show" to discuss where he feels he is with his shooting, focusing on rebounding, and what it's like play...