3 Alarming Takeaways Following Kings' Loss to Timberwolves

The Sacramento Kings fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night in a crushing 110-98 loss. While Minnesota is a phenomenal team, and the Kings should not beat themselves up over the loss, there is certainly clear room for improvement.

The Kings were led by De'Aaron Fox with 27 points and six assists, but the star point guard struggled to knock down good looks, shooting just 3-11 from deep. Fox got help from All-Star teammate Domantas Sabonis, who posted a 17-point triple-double against a tough Rudy Gobert matchup.

Outside of Fox, Sabonis, and Keegan Murray, the Kings practically had no offensive help. The team shot a combined 8-33 from long range, including 2-15 from players not named Fox or Murray. Sacramento failed to put up 100 points for just the fifth time this season, all coming in losses.

The Kings move to 17-11 on the year, as here are three quick takeaways following Saturday's loss:

Kings cannot win on back-to-backs

The Kings have 11 losses this season, and four of them have come on the second leg of back-to-backs. Each time, the Kings have won the first leg of the back-to-back but lose the next night. Whether Sacramento has a back-to-back curse or what, the Kings need to figure it out because it can cause problems.

The Kings still have ten more back-to-backs scheduled this season, and at the rate they are going, that is ten automatic losses for Sacramento.

Sacramento's depth is questionable

While the Kings made some moves in the off-season that were supposed to boost the depth of the team, the majority of those depth pieces have fallen apart.

The backup point guard heading into the season was Davion Mitchell, but the 25-year-old has vanished from the rotation. His spot has been taken by two-way guard Keon Ellis, who has not been overly impressive either.

The Kings acquired Chris Duarte from the Indiana Pacers, but that trade has turned out to be pointless. Despite Duarte being hyped up heading into the year, the Kings have failed to use him correctly, resulting in him being a non-factor.

The reigning EuroLeague MVP, Sasha Vezenkov, has been incredibly streaky, and his strong showings might not be enough to make up for his disappearing acts.

The Kings were without sixth man Malik Monk in Saturday's loss, resulting in a more obvious lack of depth as the second unit was without their leader. Sacramento has proven they can compete with the best teams in the league, but it is on the backs of their stars, not relying on their depth.

It might be time to talk about Kevin Huerter...

Kings sharpshooter Kevin Huerter has had his fair share of cold streaks to begin the 2023-24 season, but none have been more painful than his current struggle. In his last nine games, Huerter averaged 6.4 points on 27% three-point shooting.

While most shooters have streaks where they cannot put the ball in the basket no matter what, Kings fans should start to worry about Huerter. Huerter has been incredibly valuable to the Kings' success, but they have gotten to the point where they cannot rely on him.

Huerter played just 15 minutes in Saturday's loss, contributing two points and one assist on 1-7 shooting. In a game where Monk was sidelined, and the Kings lacked guard depth, Sacramento desperately needed Huerter to step up, but he failed.

If Huerter does not turn his season around by the trade deadline, Kings fans must be prepared to say "goodbye" to Red Velvet.

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