Will the Kings' Lack of Defense Be Their Achilles Heel?

The Sacramento Kings' new-look roster has given head coach Doug Christie some much-needed offensive firepower to work with, but the other side of the ball has some major question marks.

Getting Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis, and Zach LaVine back from injury adds 3-point shooting and shot creation to a lineup featuring rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr.

However, with the exception of Murray, these four players are not strong defenders, and present some serious challenges on that end of the floor.

On Oct. 8, ESPN's Ben Golliver noted each NBA team's biggest hole, with "plus defenders" bring the designation for Sacramento.

"Sacramento ranked 28th in defensive efficiency last season and could drop even further this season with a roster that's light on point-of-attack stoppers and rim protectors..." Golliver wrote. "Sacramento should focus on surrounding the talented Acuff with as many young, versatile defenders as possible."

With LaVine and Sabonis making close to $100 million combined this upcoming season, the front office has some decisions to make regarding the future plans of the franchise.

Both former NBA All-Stars have perhaps the lowest trade value of their career due to recent missed time, but remain premier trade targets if the Kings decide to make a move.

For Acuff, he has talked about making the defensive end of the floor a priority, and continuing to work on becoming a stronger defender.

While Acuff does have a way to go before being labeled a lockdown defender, the additions made by the front office through free agency and the draft should help early on.

Emanuel Sharp and Alex Karaban, the Kings' other two rookies, are both strong perimeter defenders.

While playing at Houston and UConn, both players were expected to be premier-level players on that side of the floor, which will pay dividends heading into their NBA careers.

In late-September, Longtime play-by-play announcer Mark Jones forecasted Sharp's defense on SacTown Sports.

Jones talked about his defensive pressure displayed at Houston and in the Summer League, joking that opposing teams will need a "restraining order to keep him off people defensively."

Signing Ben Simmons adds another strong defender to the lineup, with the former Rookie of the Year earning multiple All-Defensive team honors with the Philadelphia 76ers.

With recent reporting pointing towards Simmons potentially starting on opening night, he will be expected to play high-level defense and anchor an otherwise offensively-focused unit

The Kings are back in action on Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. against the Portland Trail Blazers..