Numbers Show Kings' Season-Long Three-Point Disaster

The Sacramento Kings season has been filled with ups, downs, and changes left and right. But one thing that has stayed constant all year is the Kings inability to close the three-point scoring differential between them and their opponents.

The Kings are coming off another disappointing loss to the Orlando Magic in which they were outscored by 33 points from beyond the arc. The Kings shot just 7-of-28 (25%) from deep, compared to 18-of-39 (46.2%) for the Magic.

To make matters even worse, Orlando came into the game as the league's worst three-point shooting team. They were averaging 10.1 made threes per contest (last) on a 31.1% clip (also last).

It was yet another example of a season-long trend for the Kings. They not only struggle to hit their looks from deep, but consistently let their opponents get rolling from three. Sacramento is last in the league in three-point defense, as opponents have shot 38.6% from three against them this year.

3. Trouble with the triple. Orlando came into the game 30th in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 31.1% on the season, but against the Kings, they looked like the Boston Celtics. The Magic hit 19-for-39 from deep, outscoring the Kings 54-21 from behind the arc.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) March 29, 2025

The Kings aren't the worst shooting team in the league, making their looks at a 35.4% clip (20th), but combining that with their low volume and high opponent average creates a recipe for disaster.

The Kings have been outscored from beyond the arc in 46 of their 74 games. They've tied their opponent four times, and outshot them from deep in just 24 games. When the Kings make their shots, the results are great (17-7 (.708)), but the problem is the rarity of that event occurring.

In total, the Kings have made 929 threes this season while they've given up 1,096 to their opponents. That's good for a difference of 167. Multiply that times three, and you get a very depressing difference of 501 points over the Kings 74 games, or 6.8 points per contest.

That is the second worst mark in the league, as only the 20-54 New Orleans Pelicans have a worse point differential from three per game at -7.6. It's impressive that the Kings are still in a postseason race given the three-point shooting splits, but this season shows a larger issue that has loomed for years.

Interim head coach Doug Christie has repeatedly stated that he wants the Kings to shoot more from beyond the arc to try and close the scoring gap, but it's hard to believe the team is implementing exactly what Christie is asking for.

In the last four games, they've had three low-volume games from deep, including 28, 27, and 24 attempts. That's a far cry from the 50 attempts Christie has mentioned.

The Kings have enough talent to get hot and beat any team, and anything can happen in the Play-In tournament. It wouldn't be shocking if they won both games to earn a first-round playoff series just like it wouldn't surprise anyone if they got blown out in the first game and their season came to an abrupt end.

But no matter what happens in the season's final eight games and the postseason, the evidence is clear; they need a massive overhaul in their three-point approach next season. Either by making more threes, limiting their opponent's makes, or ideally, a combination of both.

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