Kings Fall In Latest NBA Power Rankings After Back-To-Back Losses

After starting the season 16-9, the Sacramento Kings dropped three of their last four games, with the three losses by an average of 18 points. Outside their All-Star duo of De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, the Kings have exposed their weaknesses as fans urge the front office to make depth upgrades.

In last week's NBA power rankings by ESPN, the Kings ranked as the 8th-best team in the league, but after their rough stretch, they fell three spots to 11th. Kendra Andrews gave her reasoning behind the drop:

The Kings' offense is still working its way back to their elite level from a year ago. A good sign? Sacramento is plus-4.6 in transition -- fifth best in the league -- but in their two losses last week, they struggled on the move. It doesn't help that Kevin Huerter has struggled to knock down shots (a career-worst 35.7% from deep), and Keegan Murray has been inconsistent, too. But lucky for the Kings, they still have De'Aaron Fox, who gives them the spark they need.

The most significant concern around the Kings has been Huerter, who remains in the starting lineup despite an abysmal stretch of games. In his last ten outings, Huerter averaged 6.3 points on 34.8/26.3 shooting splits. While all shooters have their cold streaks, Huerter's poor performance may force the Kings to make a tough decision as the trade deadline rapidly approaches.

The 17-point loss to the eight-win Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday was the tipping point for many Kings fans watching their team get pounded by a bottom-tier squad missing two of their best players. As the season progresses, the weaknesses in Sacramento's lineup become more apparent, as they can only rely on Fox and Sabonis for so long.

Fox is having an MVP-caliber season, and his impact on the Kings is evident. Fox's level of play this season has been spectacular, averaging 30.2 points and 6.1 assists on 48.7/39.6 splits. The All-NBA point guard is carrying Sacramento's offense on his back, but the Kings need their supporting cast to step up to get to their expected level of play.

The Kings should find their groove soon enough, but if not, then changes need to be made. Until then, Sacramento will be floating around the 8th to 12th range in the power rankings.

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