Sacramento Kings
2017-18 record: 27-55
2017-18 season series: 2-0, Kings
2018-19 advantage: Sixers
The Kings are bad. Like, even their preseason basketball is bad. Marvin Bagley is spending time at small forward and nothing looks good. It’s genuinely ugly basketball. And that’s preseason, which normally makes lesser teams look passable.
Bogdan Bogdanovic‘s return will help the Kings, but expect them to compete with Atlanta for the league’s worst record. There just isn’t enough developed talent to make any notable improvement this season. It’s about committing to the rebuild and creating a positive learning environment.
Bagley is an exciting prospect who will put up numbers in Sacto. Harry Giles, a former No. 1 recruit in high school, will finally make his NBA debut. That, combined with De’Aaron Fox‘s penchant for electric plays, should at least keep the games watchable.
The blowouts will rack up quickly, though, and the Kings will be cemented toward the bottom of the Western Conference standings. That’s how it’s supposed to be, and Sixer fans can look forward to another high-stakes lottery drawing.