Injuries paved the way for fresh talent. Veterans praise the burgeoning stars' remarkable progress, a promising sign for the Kings' future.
The Sacramento Kings this season dealt with many injuries to key players, which opened up opportunities for their younger teammates. Despite being sidelined, the veterans had front-row seats to witness the growth of the young guys.
Sacramento held its exit interviews on Monday after the team ended the season with a 22-60 record, tied with the Utah Jazz for the fourth-worst record.
Russell Westbrook, Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan complimented their young counterparts' seasoning and maturity as they all made the best of an injury-riddled year.
Westbrook focused on Maxime Raynaud, the Kings' 42nd pick in the 2025 draft. Raynaud ended the season averaging nearly 18 points in March and April, including winning Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors in March.
"His challenge now is just getting better each year," Westbrook said. "That's the goal in this league: to be able to try to be consistent and be better each and every year and find ways to be able to fine-tune his game. But I'm not worried about Max. He works on his game."
Raynaud recorded a career-high 32 points against the San Antonio Spurs, adding nine rebounds and three assists to his stat line.
Westbrook and his 7-foot-1 rookie showcased their two-man game in the pick-and-roll. Seventeen of Raynaud's 32 points were assisted by Westbrook, finding him in the short roll and even once in the corner, nailing a 3-pointer.
The next step in the French big man's development is his three-point shooting. He shot 32.1 percent from beyond the arc for the season, but increased his percentage to 44.4 percent in March and 41.7 percent in April.
Sabonis' comments centered around the two bigs lineup with Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell, a combination he was supposed to play, but injuries sidelined him for the year.
"They're playing two bigs, you know, it's something I thought I was going to do this year, but they didn't have the chance," Sabonis said. "So, that's all very exciting. They're playing the right way, and you can see the progress throughout the year. So, I only expect bigger things for them next year."
The two big lineup that coach Doug Christie employed consisted of Cardwell, Raynaud, Daeqwon Plowden, Nique Clifford and Devin Carter -- all young players.
In 36 minutes played, the lineup sported a 114.6 offensive rating and a 101.2 defensive rating. The offensive rating of that lineup is at the league average, while the defensive rating is elite.
It is a small sample size, but it shows that the Kings have a solid foundation with the young players in their organization.
DeRozan's comments highlighted his perspective on seeing the young players grow. From witnessing them hit the rookie wall and complain about the first long road trip to seeing them get better at something he told them to improve on months ago.
He said it brings a different excitement when young players ask the right questions or learn something in the game.
"That excitement gives us the energy that we need," DeRozan said. "Makes things fun, you know? You've got to find things like that throughout the season, especially a tough season where you can lean on and kind of build off that for yourself and for them as well."
Sacramento's injury-hobbled season sidelined the veterans and kick-started the tanking journey. They now have an 11.5-percent chance to earn the No. 1 pick in this summer's draft.
However, the silver lining for the Kings is the development of the young players toward the end of the season. Sacramento's veterans are excited to continue seeing the young guys develop next season.
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