Worrisome Stats Show Kings Ball Movement Has Grinded to a Halt

The Sacramento Kings are at their best when they are moving and passing the ball, but since Zach LaVine made his Kings debut, the offense has grinded to a halt.

Between Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk, they have two players who can orchestrate an offense. Throw in that DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine are both underrated passers, and the Kings have a roster and offensive scheme that should seemingly thrive with ball movement and working off of each other.

Over the three games though, the new-look Kings are averaging just 22.7 assists per contest, a decent drop-off from their season average of 26.6. While that doesn't seem like a large drop, it's more drastic when looking at the rankings.

The Kings' 26.6 assists per game rank 13th in the league. Their 22.7 over the last three games would rank second to last in the season standings.

ball movement 🙌 pic.twitter.com/u09oHlKht6
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) February 7, 2025

And it's not just the assist numbers that have dropped, which generally have the caveat of missed shots pulling down the number. While the Kings have struggled to hit their shots over the stretch of games, looking at their passes per contest shows that the lack of shot-making isn't the only reason for the drop in assists.

On the season, the Kings are averaging 290.6 passes per game, good for 9th most in the league. In the past three games though, that number plummets to 258.3, which would rank dead last in the season standings.

The Kings sent out and brought in major pieces to their offense with the swap of De'Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine, but the offense has looked stagnant and disjointed while they figure out how to incorporate the talented scorer.

Feb 6, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) and guard Zach LaVine (8) talk during a break in the action against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

It doesn't help that Sacramento has only one true point guard on the roster in Malik Monk, and even he hasn't been in the position to lead an offense on his own before.

Switching out high-usage players mid-season is never easy, but the Kings need to figure out their offensive flow as quickly as possible with the postseason looming. They have a lot of tough shot-makers on the roster, but relying on DeRozan, LaVine, Monk, and Sabonis to hit contested shots night in and night out is bound to have varying results.

The best-case scenario is that the Kings get back to their high ball-movement offense and generate easy looks to get wins and back up the standings.

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