With a relatively quiet offseason behind them, the Sacramento Kings are gearing up fore year one of the Darius Acuff Jr. era. General Manager Scott Perry is feeling good about the progression of the franchise's rebuild.
The Sacramento Kings have made some significant changes to the roster this offseason, as General Manager Scott Perry continues to build out the future of the franchise.
But, Perry is remaining patient, as he explained at the Phil Oates Celebrity Golf Tournament on Sept. 14.
"You don’t just speed your way to success or to the top," Perry told FOX 40's Kirsten Moran-Kellar. "It takes a little time. We’re making sure that we build a solid foundation."
Darius Acuff Jr. is one player they are hoping is in Sacramento for a long time, selecting the reigning SEC Player of the Year with the No. 7 overall pick.
So far, Acuff has checked all the boxes this offseason, with members of the coaching staff saying that he will be a key building block for the future.
Later in the draft, Perry added two culture-builders who could argue they had the top two college resumés in the class.
Alex Karaban, who is one of the most successful collegiate players in the 20th century, made three National Championship appearances, winning two.
Houston forward Emanuel Sharp was one of the Cougars' most valuable players over his four-year tenure, with the Cougars making it to the Sweet 16 or beyond each season he was there.
Sharp left Houston as the all-time leader in 3-point makes, adding additional spacing to a Kings unit that was among the league's lowest in perimeter shooting.
Adding experienced two-way players through the draft was by design, as Perry explained back in July.
"We want to be the hardest working, hardest playing team in the league," Perry said. "That’s got to be our north star."
Outside of the draft, the Kings didn't make many moves in free agency.
But, the recent additions of Ben Simmons and Elfrid Payton give head coach Doug Christie additional options for bench point guards.
Last season, Russell Westbrook manned the ball-handling duties for the majority of games, but opted for retirement over a lessened role back with the Kings.
Simmons, who spent last year away from the NBA, has reportedly looked healthy and confident in his recent workouts.
After rumors began surfacing about his mutual interest with the Kings, Christie and Perry went down to Florida to watch Simmons work out, where they were very impressed.
NBA Writer Marc J. Spears reported that Christie only needed to see minutes of Simmons' workout before signing off and pursuing the former Rookie of the Year.
At the golf tournament, Perry confirmed his belief in a Simmons resurgance.
"He’s back healthy for the first time in a couple of years," Perry said. "I know how hard he’s worked."
With these additions and key players like Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis returning from injury, the Kings should see improvements.
But, the Western Conference remains extremely deep and talented, and the Kings will have some growing pains as the new-look starting five gains continuity.
