Worst Stat of the Week: Kings Offensive Shot Profile

A look at how the Sacramento Kings' shot profile has landed them the worst offense in the NBA.

Nov 20, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan (10) shoots as Memphis Grizzlies forward Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (3) defends during the first quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

It's no secret that the Sacramento Kings are bad on both sides of the ball. The defense was expected to be bad coming into the season, but the offense was supposed to carry the team enough to keep them competitive. But so far, the offense has actually been worse than the defense.

And today, in this new 'Worst Stat of the Week' series, I try to figure out why the offense is struggling so much. Every Friday, we'll look at some of the worst stats for the Kings (don't worry, I'll do the best stat of the week as well). So let's dive into why the Kings have the league's worst offense.

Shot Profile

Even as the mid-range game has come back into the mix more in the last few seasons, layups and threes continue to reign supreme in the modern NBA landscape. And unfortunately for the Kings, they are near the bottom of the league in both of those areas.

Sacramento is taking 20.1 field goal attempts in the restricted area per game, good for the third-fewest in the league. With their 67.1% clip at the rim, that puts them at 13.5 made field goals inside per contest, second-fewest to only the Boston Celtics.

What really stands out is when you look at the player's shooting splits. Domantas Sabonis is leading the team with 7.1 attempts in the restricted area per game, but he's only played 11 games this season. Zach LaVine is second on the team with 3.5 shots at the rim per game, which is a huge drop, especially when taking into account Sabonis' lack of minutes. They just don't have anyone consistently putting pressure on the rim from either their guards or their bigs.

The Kings are also taking the fewest three per game at 30.5 attempts and shooting 34.3% on them, good for 24th. That puts them at 10.5 made threes per contest, last in the league.

So again, the Kings are making the fewest threes in the league, and the second-fewest field goals in the restricted area. It's no surprise that that lands them the worst offensive rating in the league.

Where the Kings are leading the NBA is in both the floater area and mid-range. They take 23.4 field goal attempts in the non-restricted paint area (floater area) and 15.2 mid-range attempts per game, both of which lead the league. They have talented players who can operate in those zones, with DeMar DeRozan continuing to be one of the best mid-range shooters in the league and Maxime Raynaud showing great touch with the floater, but it's just hard to keep up with other teams with that combination.

Lack of Great Looks

Apr 13, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) takes a three-point shot over Phoenix Suns guard Monte Morris (23) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | John Hefti-Imagn Images

The other issue plaguing the Kings is there inability to generate great looks, especially from beyond the arc. Doug Christie talks a lot about driving and kicking the ball out, but the Kings are getting just 15.2 'Wide-Open' three-point attempts per contest. Once again, that's last in the league.

They are making them at a 37.7% clip, which is decent (21st in the NBA), but that low volume puts them at 5.7 made Wide-Open threes per game, second-fewest to only the Dallas Mavericks.

Russell Westbrook leads the team with 3.5 Wide-Open three-point attempts per game, which is not much of a surprise, as he's likely open for a reason, as defenses let him shoot. He's making them at a 42.0% clip, but the Kings' best three-point shooters aren't getting good looks.

This all stems back to roster construction. The Kings don't have shooters on the roster, so opponents can sag off and stack the paint. Then, as the Kings can't get to the rim, they can't create good looks. It's why when they are in games, they rely so heavily on defense and getting out in transition to get easy looks, rather than having to generate offense in the half-court.

I know wins don't matter this year and that Christie is attempting to build a defensive identity, but at some point, there has to be more focus on offense and creating a scheme that works long-term. I think it's safe to say that what the Kings are doing currently just isn't going to cut it going forward.