Despite getting key contributors back from injury and adding Darius Acuff Jr., the Sacramento Kings still project as one of the bottom teams in the loaded West.
The Sacramento Kings are entering this season looking to build some sort of positive momentum with their young core going forward.
But, it will be a work in progress after losing key leadership pieces like Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan, while jumbling around lots of players who missed significant time last season.
In The Athletic's most recent NBA Power Rankings, Law Murray tabbed the Kings at No. 27, finishing just one spot ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans for the worst team in the Western Conference.
While this is of course not where Sacramento wants to be, it is a two-spot improvement from the last addition of the rankings.
Murray noted the key departures, while being optimistic that the Kings' front office can exact it's wrongs with recent backcourt decisions, and keep Darius Acuff Jr. in Sac Town for as long as possible.
Acuff, the No. 7 overall pick in this year's draft, is the clear cornerstone for the Kings' rebuild going forward, as members of the coaching staff and front office have hailed him as a franchise guy.
Alongside the talented rookie, Sacramento will get back a lot of players who missed significant time last season.
Murray noted that Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, De'Andre Hunter, and Zach LaVine combined for just 83 total games last season, which derailed Sacramento's depth.
Getting these key player back should help head coach Doug Christie have a bit more consistency with his lineups and minute allocation.
One question mark that remains, however, is who will be Acuff's backup.
After trading Devin Carter and Westbrook's retirement, there is not true point guard on Sacramento's bench.
Malik Monk is one player who has shown improvements as a playmaker over the past few seasons, with General Manager Scott Perry suggesting the former Kentucky guard could transition to a full-time point guard role behind Acuff.
"I think Malik Monk has played it in the past. We've seen him do it a little bit," Perry said. "You know, Nique Clifford, we auditioned him a little bit toward the end of the year. You know, in today's game, you need multiple ball handlers on the floor who can just initiate offense. They may not all be "pure point guards", and I think Darius is showing you quickly that he's going to be able to be that."
Last year was a bit of a down year for Monk, who averaged the least points (12.5) and assists (3.0) per game of his Sacramento tenure.
But despite the slight dip, Monk has shown the ability to be a high-level playmaker over the past two seasons, averaging over five dimes per contest in each year.
Nique Clifford is another player who could be used as a point forward, as the second-year wing showed improvements as a ball handler in the Summer League.
With the depth on Sacramento's roster improving, and former All Stars returning to full health, the Kings should finish higher than No. 27 in the official NBA standings, but it may take some experimentation to get there.
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