Sacramento Is Proving To Be NBA's Most Improved Team
What’s purple, brings joy to the faces around it and lights up the sky at night in Sacramento?
You guessed it – the Sacramento Kings victory beam!
One of the best things to come out of the 2022-23 NBA season so far has been the Kings’ new victory beam that shoots out of the top of Golden 1 Center when the Kings win.
What makes this even better is the fact that the Kings have actually been quite successful to begin the new season and all of a sudden, they are looking like a legit playoff team in the Western Conference.
Obviously a lot of credit needs to be given to the front-office for improving this roster with talents like Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk and rookie Keegan Murray in the offseason, but perhaps the biggest change to this team has been the energy and culture created by new head coach Mike Brown.
From the moment he joined Sacramento, the dull mood and dark clouds that surrounded this team suddenly disappeared and hope finally presented itself to this organization, one that has seen nothing but darkness over the last decade.
From his infectious smile to his limitless energy he brings to practice every single day, Brown has really brought out the most in the Sacramento Kings and through 14 games this season, the Kings find themselves with an 8-6 record, currently tied for seventh in the Western Conference standings.
Looking at their six losses, one came against the Miami Heat due to a buzzer-beater by Tyler Herro and another came against the Golden State Warriors as a result of the Kings not getting a foul call that the league pointed out the next day and sided with Sacramento on in their last two minute report.
This team could easily be 10-4 right now, but overall, the Kings are sending a statement to the rest of the league this year.
They not only want to put an end to what has now ballooned to a 16-year playoff drought, but they want to make the playoffs and prove that they can contend with anyone in this league.
De’Aaron Fox is certainly playing like a player who could earn All-Star honors for the first time in his career, Domantas Sabonis continues to do a little bit of everything and adapt to his teammates on the floor around him, Kevin Huerter is one of the best three-point shooting threats in the league right now and the Kings have a ton of other key pieces in Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, Malik Monk, Terence Davis and Davion Mitchell that all play their respective roles to perfection.
This is the most improved team in the league mid-way through November and currently on a five-game win streak, they will continue to have chances to prove themselves.
“I think we're just trying to bring a good vibe to this city, bring a positive atmosphere to these games, trying to play free and tonight just happened to be in front of a national audience,” Kings’ wing Kevin Huerter said after the team’s recent win over the Brooklyn Nets. “It's fun. You keep winning and people want to come see you play. It's a national TV game, they're giving out towels, they're coming off a really big win, we've got good momentum here right now.”
De’Aaron Fox, one of the young leaders of this team, has also embraced this passionate fanbase and has really bought into what his new head coach has been selling the team.
“It's electric,” Fox said. “Whenever you're winning in this city, it's a very different feeling. For us, we want to continue to put on a show, continue to win -- not only for ourselves but for this fanbase.”
Every NBA season is full of surprises and so far this year, there is no surprise bigger than the success of the Sacramento Kings.
They are young, energetic and very exciting to watch, which is why they are no longer a team to be looked down upon in this league.
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