Advanced Rating Show Bottom Line - Kings Are the Worst Team In The NBA

The Sacramento Kings came into the season with extremely low expectations, with many expecting them to miss the playoffs for the third straight season, but I don't think many thought they would be this bad.

After three straight blowout losses, they sit at 8-28 on the season and 14th in the Western Conference, far below where they thought and hoped they would be after an encouraging training camp. Yes, injuries have decimated the team throughout the year, and continue to as we still wait on an update for fourth-year wing Keegan Murray, but Sacramento's issues run far deeper than just injury woes.

They have a roster that has never made sense together. It's guard-heavy, old, and filled with players that clash on the court and make it hard to put together cohesive lineups. That, along with the injuries, is a big reason why the Kings are sitting at the bottom of the standings.

But even if the standings doesn't have them as the worst team in the league, the advanced numbers are even less kind to Sacramento. According to NBA.com, the Kings are now boasting the worst offense in the league, the 28th-ranked defense, and the worst net rating as a result at -11.5.

The defense isn't much of a surprise, as the Kings came into the season with a roster devoid of defensive stoppers and length. That combination was always going to lead to defensive struggles.

But what is a surprise is that the Kings are owners of the worst offense in the league with a 108.3 offensive rating. With talented veterans in DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Russell Westbrook, they have talent on the roster who can lead an offense. And that's not even counting Domantas Sabonis since he's been out most of the season with injuries.

The hope was that the Kings offense could prop up their defense, and as the season has gone on, it's actually been the other way around.

Defense Leading to Offense (at times)

Nov 5, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook (18) attempts to steal the ball from Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

The Kings are at their best when they secure stops and get out in transition to generate easy looks. The problem is, they don't do that consistently enough to be able to rely on that to win or stay in games.

They get in lapses where they can't stop teams and can't score, which takes them out of close games in minutes. You can see the vision for what Doug Christie is working for, but the team has a long way to go before they make it their identity.

Bad Everywhere

The other hard part about the Kings' season on offense is that they have glaring holes all over the court. They're bad in almost every facet of the game, so when they do get stuck in half-court sets, they can get reliant on isolation basketball.

As an example, here's a list of the Kings offensive stats and their league ranks:

FG%: 45.9% (23rd)

3P%: 34.5 (24th)

3PM: 10.5 (30th)

FT%: 76% (26th)

FTM: 17.9 (24th)

Assists: 25.1 (23rd)

Off Reb: 10.3 (23rd)

It's hard to find something the Kings are good at, which is a hard thing to say at this point of the season. They didn't get to the worst net rating in the league by accident or as a fluke, they generally are just a very bad basketball team.

Again, that's not necessarily a bad thing as Scott Perry is working on reshaping and rebuilding the roster, but it is still a bit of a shock to see what was the best offense in league history just years ago sit at the bottom of the offensive rating ranking. It's also a good reminder of how much work Perry and Doug Christie have ahead of them to get back to the playoffs and build a contender.

Defense Leading to Offense (at times)

Bad Everywhere

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