Kings G LaVine Keeps it Real About Defensive Struggles

Starting shooting guard Zach LaVine was a player discussed as a potential trade target for the Sacramento Kings throughout the offseason, but the front office opted to keep their former multi-time All-Star and see how he gels alongside new pieces.

Thus far, the backcourt duo of LaVine and rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. have been effective on offense, ranking third in the NBA amongst scoring pairs (48.7 points per game).

But, the defensive end has been a struggle, as illustrated by Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Dončić's 40-point explosion on Wednesday night.

While Dončić is one of the toughest covers in the NBA for anyone to cover, he got whatever he wanted against Sacramento's defense, while getting to the free-throw line 13 times.

Following the 116-103 loss, LaVine was blunt about what went wrong.

"They’ve got some bad defenders on their team, but so do we, so they exploited them," LaVine said.

Heading into the season, the Kings' defensive shortcomings were well-noted, with the season-ending injury to Ben Simmons accentuating these issues.

Simmons had turnt heads throughout the offseason with his play, and was expected to be a part of head coach Doug Christie's starting five, but without him, the Kings' defense remains one of the weakest units in the NBA.

Back in late-September, The Athletic's Michael Pina gave his take on just how bad Sacramento's defense could be, calling the roster "one of the worst defenses ever assembled."

While this may be a bit harsh, the Kings are giving up the third-most points per game to their opponents through the early season, surrendering 123.3 on average.

Being without second-year big men Dylan Cardwell and Maxime Raynaud through the opening six games has thinned out the Kings' front court.

Cardwell, who made his season-debut in Wednesday's defeat, should provide a big boost on the defensive end, coming off a rookie campaign as Christie's spark plug off the bench unit.

Despite playing just 13 minutes against Los Angeles, Cardwell made a big impact, scoring four points while adding six rebounds and a steal.

As the Kings look to find ways to win games, getting Cardwell back adds a different element to the center position unit.

He will have his hands full in Sacramento's next time out, taking on Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.

Wembanyama is coming off of a historic performance on Wednesday night, scoring 52 points while adding 24 rebounds and swatting away eight shots.

The Kings take on the Spurs on Friday, Nov. 6 at 10:00 p.m.