One Under the Radar Stat the Kings Need To Improve Next Season

The Sacramento Kings were so bad last season that it's genuinely hard to look at the stats and have any major takeaways. In the midst of a 22-win season, the Kings were, unsurprisingly, at the bottom of many of the stats in the league as they struggled on both offense and defense.

The main key to getting their offense back on track will be their three-point shooting, as they finished last season with just 10.3 made threes per contest, last in the league. Getting both their volume and efficiency back up to at least league average this season would be a huge boost, and Scott Perry has quietly put together a roster to help with Darius Acuff Jr. leading the charge from beyond the arc.

But looking deeper into the numbers, there's another area the Kings will have to improve to avoid ending up with one of the league's worst offenses for the second straight season: their shooting at the rim.

Restricted Area Shooting

Feb 1, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) dunks during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It may be simple, but it's said over and over again for a reason. The best offense relies on three point shooting and layups. And it's a well-known fact that the Kings struggled from beyond the arc last year, but they were also quietly one of the worst teams in the league at getting to the rim.

When the Kings did get all the way to the hoop, they did a good job finishing, as they shot 69.5% in the restricted area, good for sixth-best in the league. But the problem is, they only took 20.1 attempts inside the circle per game, good for second-fewest in the NBA.

That ultimately led to 14.0 made field goals in the restricted area per contest, tied with the Phoenix Suns for second-worst in the league and beating out just the Boston Celtics. While the Celtics and Suns shot enough threes (42.1 and 40.8) to make up for the lack of interior offense, the Kings, as mentioned above, did not.

The Kings had a huge drop-off from Domantas Sabonis, who shot a team-high 6.6 attempts in the restricted area per game, to Precious Achiuwa at 3.8. For reference, Sabonis ranked 5th in the league, and Achiuwa was 84th. Sabonis missing most of the season is a huge part of it, but the Kings shouldn't be reliant on him being their main interior offense with a trade possible any time this season.

The rookie duo of Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell shot 2.5 and 2.1, respectively, per contest inside, which will be key for both of the young bigs to increase their physicality and presence at the rim. Cardwell didn't take many shots in general, but Raynaud feasted in the floater area, with 4.9 attempts per game just outside the restricted area. He did a great job on those looks, shooting 54.7% on them, but that's a drastic drop-off from his 74.6% in the restricted area.

The Addition of Acuff

Oct 24, 2025; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr (5) goes up for a dunk during the second half against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 89-61. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Adding a guard as dynamic as Darius Acuff Jr. should also help naturally prop up the entire team. Acuff not only has the ability to get to the rim and finish himself, but he should also excel at setting up others in the pick-and-roll and off cuts to the basket.

The Kings don't necessarily need to win a lot of games next season, but we are reaching the point in their rebuild where they have to start showing some improvement. And increasing their shot attempts in the restricted area, along with getting up more threes, would be a great first step in the right direction.

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