The Kings ended the 2023-24 NBA regular season 46-36, but they very well could’ve surpassed the 50-win mark and avoided the NBA Play-In Tournament had they enhanced one key aspect.
Despite finishing the season ninth in points per game (116.6), Sacramento made a league-worst 74.5 percent of its free throws. The Utah Jazz led the NBA at 83 percent.
Star Kings guard De’Aaron Fox knows his team would have a completely different outlook on its season if it were at least just average at the charity stripe, a topic he discussed with reporters on Wednesday at his youth basketball camp.
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“At the top, I think if we make free throws, we probably win 52 [or] 53 games,” Fox said (h/t Sactown Sports 1140). “So, do we need to make a big swing? I don’t know. These are small, minor tweaks, here and there -- maybe. I don’t have those answers.
“But I do know that if we weren’t the last team in free-throw percentage, then we’re looking at this season like it’s an entirely different season.”
Fox himself shot 73.8 percent from the line this past season. Interestingly, he made 78 percent of free throws in 2022-23, and the Kings made 79 percent overall.
NBA
Fox also led Sacramento in free throws made (4.2) and attempted (5.7) per game in 2023-24, leaving points on the table nightly. Fellow star Domantas Sabonis finished second on the Kings in free-throw attempts per game (5.1), yet he made a subpar 70.4 percent of them.
Sacramento found a way to discount the “free” in free throws. And it hurts more for a team such as the Kings, who often are hacked in the paint after finishing 12th in the NBA in drives to the rim (50.6).
It is easy to think about the necessary improvement Sacramento must see at the line next season -- except for Fox. The 2022-23 NBA All-Star still dwells on what could’ve been this past season, which ended Apr. 19 in a 105-98 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in Round 2 of the play-in.
“Not at all,” Fox said about how well the Kings’ free-throw percentage sits with him. “Even just a little bit below average, we have 50 wins, and we’re not even in the [NBA Play-In Tournament].
“I’ve spent more time reflecting on this season than going into next season.”
Fox and Sacramento have their work cut out for them, as their 16-year-NBA-playoff-drought-snapping 2022-23 season now feels far away.
Fortunately, the Kings reportedly have locked down a key cornerstone in Malik Monk for the next four years. That should make the locker room vibes more hopeful.
However, the Kings have got to get in the gym.
Head coach Mike Brown, who recently signed an extension with Sacramento, shouldn’t let anyone leave practice without sinking tons of free throws -- consecutively.
And, of course, no one should ever leave on a miss.