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The Sacramento Kings season is off to a precarious start, to say the least. Not only are they winless through four games, but they look terrible on both ends of the floor.
With the 28th-ranked offense and 29th-ranked defense, the Kings have the second-worst net rating in the league at -17.0 to only the Chicago Bulls. But at least Chicago has a win under their belts, compared to the Kings feeling like may never get their first victory of the season.
Injuries are a big part of it, but a closer look at the numbers shows the Kings' problems run deeper than missing players. A huge reason the Kings are so bad on both sides of the ball shows as clear as day in the numbers if you look in the right place, and spoiler alert: it's not good.
Coming into the season, there was a lot of talk about the Kings needing to take fewer mid-range shots and try to generate better looks in their offense. They've dropped their mid-range attempts by a little, but the problem is that they aren't replacing them with the best options, and even worse, Sacramento is giving up great looks to their opponents.
Almost anyone who follows the NBA, even casually, knows that layups/dunks and wide-open threes are the best shots in the game. And unfortunately for Sacramento, they are struggling in both of those area while their opponents are feasting.
Looking at the restricted area, the Kings are getting destroyed inside as teams get to the rim with ease. Opponents have shot a scorching 77.9% at the rim against the Kings, tied for the second-highest mark in the NBA. Conversely, the Kings are making their restricted area field goals at a 61.8% clip, good for the sixth-lowest clip in the league.
From a three-point perspective, the Kings have generated just 10.0 wide-open three-point attempts per contest (defender 6+ feet away). That, as should come as no surprise, is the worst mark in the league. On the flipside, they are giving up 22.5 wide-open threes per game, again, the worst in the league.
Doing some simple math, that means the Kings have shot 40 wide-open threes to 90 for their opponents, putting them in a 50-shot deficit just four games through the season. Averaging that out to a season-long trend, that would total 820 attempts for the Kings and a whopping 1,845 for their opponents. Just let that sink in.
CHAMPAGNIE 8 THREES IN THE FIRST HALF 😯🔥
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 28, 2026
JULIAN CHAMPAGNIE IS ON FIRE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qNGZZ9uLSM
It really could be worse through the four games, too, as opponents have made just 34 of their 90 attempts (37.8%). When those start falling at a higher clip, Sacramento will be in even more trouble if they can't change the trend.
This season was always going to be difficult for the Kings. They may have had some internal expectations and goals, but there's a reason no one thought they would win more than 20 games. And so far through four games, they are showing us exactly why.