What seemed like a fever dream just a few months ago has become a reality. The Sacramento Kings are the 3rd seed in the Western Conference. A team that was the laughingstock of the league for over a decade has emerged as an elite team. The Kings are currently ahead of the Warriors, Clippers, Suns, Pelicans, and Mavericks. All of those teams were expected to be miles better than the Kings, but the stars are aligning this year for them. De’Aaron Fox, who’s been overshadowed by other guards in the West for his entire career, is finally getting his moment. He’s averaging 24 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists a game. He should absolutely be an All-Star this year.

Last year the Kings traded a young rising star in Tyrese Haliburton for All-Star Domantas Sabonis. When this trade happened, the Kings were ridiculed for trading away their future in Haliburton and just added it to the list of poor management decisions. But right now the trade seems like a win for the Kings. Sabonis is averaging 18 points with a ridiculous field goal percentage of 60. He’s also averaging 12 rebounds and 7 assists. Sabonis should also absolutely be an All-Star this year. Complimentary pieces such as Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter have been very good for the Kings. Barnes is a NBA champion and his experience is something the Kings need. Huerter was an offseason pick up and he has been great for Sacramento. Huerter is a sharpshooter and opens up the floor for Fox and Sabonis to drive to the hoop. The Kings also seem to have found a stable head coach in Mike Brown. Brown has been a proven veteran coach in the league and it is no surprise that he’s the guy for Sacramento.

Another surprising development is that the Kings have one of the best home crowds in the league. It actually makes sense as Kings fans haven’t had something to cheer about in over a decade. Now that they finally do, the Golden 1 Center is one of the loudest stadiums in the league. The biggest flaw in this roster is that most of it hasn’t been in the playoffs in a while. Fox has never been in the playoffs and Sabonis was last in the playoffs in 2020. Barnes hasn’t been in the playoffs since he left Golden State in 2016. Huerter has been to the playoffs as recently as last year but he’s not a guy you should count on. The rest of the roster is full of spark players such as Malik Monk and Richaun Holmes. They’re players that can give the team energy but are fairly inconsistent.

The Kings look like a sure fire playoff team as of right now but they have to keep home court advantage. If they drop below the 4th seed, they lose the huge advantage of having more playoff games in Sacramento. This team is just not ready to go on the road and win lots of playoff games. If they do keep home court advantage, they will be a tough out for any team. The fans will take it up to another level just like Knicks fans did in 2021. Whatever the outcome is, people can say something that could not be said in such a long time: The Sacramento Kings have a bright future.