The Sacramento Kings season hasn’t gone as expected, as they sit at 12-44 and last in the league on the eve of the All-Star festivities. They weren’t expected to do much this season, but few saw them as the worst team in the league.
There are ample reasons why Sacramento has plummeted to the bottom of the standings, but one of the main reasons is a continued problem from last year. They are easily the worst three-point shooting team in the league.
Bad Timing
As the NBA continues to trend towards more shorts from deep in the three-point era, the Kings are last in the league with 30.3 three-point attempts per contest. Pair that with their 34.2% clip from deep (29th), and they make just 10.4 threes per game.
For reference, the Golden State Warriors lead the league with 45.1 attempts and 16.3 made threes per game. The Kings don’t need to be that high, but getting closer to the league averages of 37 attempts and 13.3 made threes would do wonders for their offense.
Sacramento doesn’t have many direct stats that impact winning, as they’ve been bad nearly everywhere on the court this season, but if there is one single stat that points to wins, it’s three-point shooting. In the nine games they’ve made at least 14 threes, they are 5-4. That’s not a world-breaking number, but it’s miles ahead of their 12-44 record on the season.
Constant Disadvantage
Feb 9, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III (25) shoot a three over Sacramento Kings forward Precious Achiuwa (9) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
The issue that the Kings are running into on a nightly basis is trying to keep up with teams from beyond the arc. In their 56 games, they’ve been outscored from deep 38 times, made more threes than their opponent 16, and tied twice. That means that in nearly 68% of their games, they’ve been outscored from three-point range.
Looking at the totals on the season is even more eye-opening when you do some quick back-of-the-napkin math. On the season, the Kings have made 580 total threes and given up 718. That’s good for a difference of 138 threes, or a 414-point deficit from deep. When factoring in the 56 games, the Kings give up 7.4 points per contest on average from beyond the arc.
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That’s a lot of math to say something very simple. The Kings need better three-point shooters, specifically those with higher volume, and they should focus on acquiring them this offseason.
DeRozan’s Departure
DeMar DeRozan is still under contract with the Kings for next season, but it wouldn’t be shocking if he were moved either in this season with a buyout or during the offseason with either a trade or the Kings using the non-guaranteed contract to get off the contract for $10 million.
But regardless of how it happens, DeRozan joining a new team should be a natural course corrector for the Kings. They desperately need him to score in any shape and form, and right now, a contested mid-range shot from him is their best option, but that can’t be the case next year.
Scott Perry has a hard job in front of him and a long to-do list for the offseason, but bringing the Kings back to the modern NBA should be near or at the top of the list.
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