SACRAMENTO – There are numerous ways the Kings can get their season back on track and salvage what remains: Better ball movement, improved interior defense, boxing out for rebounds and knowing the proper assignments on any given play.
The list is long, although point guard De’Aaron Fox believes there’s more to it than just fixing the fundamentals.
“At some point – and this is something we talked about before the game – you have to find a sense of like enjoyment playing the game,” Fox said after the Kings lost their third consecutive game Saturday, coming up short against the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time in three days at Golden 1 Center. “Obviously we all want to win. Everybody needs to do whatever it takes to win, whether it’s make shots or doing the little things.
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“But at some point, you have to have enjoyment winning or enjoyment playing. You enjoy playing with each other, you enjoy going out there and doing the hard things, and then comes winning.”
It’s no shock that a lot of the Kings' shine has worn off. They came into the season with high hopes that were fueled by the re-signing of Sixth Man guru Malik Monk and the marquee addition of DeMar DeRozan.
Those moves added to an already strong core of players like Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray, giving hope to fans in the state capital that this year’s Kings squad might be capable of winning an NBA playoff series for the first time since 2003-04.
Instead, it’s been one gut punch after the other.
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Sacramento has had serious problems starting games on the right foot, often digging a hole that’s been impossible to climb out of.
If it hasn’t been rough beginnings, it has been awful finishes. The Kings have had a handful of heart-breaking blown fourth-quarter leads, and their execution down the stretch in a lot of games has been iffy at best.
That wasn’t the entire situation against the Lakers on Saturday. Sacramento trailed by one with 12 seconds remaining but failed to box out properly after Anthony Davis missed two free throws, allowing Laker teammate Rui Hachimura to grab the rebound which led to a pair of clinching free throws by Austin Reaves.
Situations like that make it more difficult for Mike Brown to maintain a bright and shiny outlook.
“It’s going to be hard for me to do anything to get them to have fun if we miss a box-out like we did after AD misses two free throws,” Brown said. “I don’t care who you are. I don’t know what I can do to get them to feel better after something like that.”
Brown said he’ll continue to emphasize the positives that he sees with his players. He was happy with the Kings’ shot selections over the final few minutes, even though they missed nine of their final 15 shot attempts.
The season clearly is taking a far larger toll on Sacramento’s players than anyone envisioned.
Saturday’s loss to the Lakers dropped the Kings to 3-10 in games decided by five points or fewer during the 2024-25 season. A year ago, they had a 13-15 mark in such games – by no means a dominant showing but far and away better than what they’re doing in clutch time this season.
Fox said the fun will return on the court once the players embrace the peace of simply playing basketball and playing it with each other.
“You have to enjoy playing the game, period, and then you have to enjoy playing with each other,” Fox said. “We have to find that sense of enjoyment. At some point, we have to be able to be consistent in taking care of business.”
