No one should be there. Who in their right mind would turn up to watch a 4-13 basketball team that just snapped an eight-game losing streak? Sacramento Kings fans would.

Many questions popped into my head after the Kings beat the Timberwolves 117-112 in overtime last night. Why do a group of players who are being publicly shopped still care this much? Why does Malik Monk still care this much after being in trade rumors for 3 months? Where was this version of Keegan Murray last year? And finally, why is Zach LaVine celebrating despite being benched in clutch time?

The answer to all these questions is: This is the Sacramento Kings, it’s not supposed to make sense. This organization, under the (crap) leadership of Vivek Ranadive, has chewed every good thing it’s found or created and spit it back out. 

Yet, despite that, last night felt different. Last night, it felt like there was no more pretending about expectations. Everyone on the team, barring Keegan Murray, could be traded. Everyone on the team, barring Keegan Murray, should be traded. The Kings are in rebuild mode; everyone knows it. Now, instead of sulking and giving up, the Kings have given some effort and heart. That’s all the fans want.

The Case for a Potential Turnaround

The last two games were against the Nuggets and Timberwolves. Both wins and both high effort performances. The last two games looked like the Kings actually cared. This is the bare minimum, but this season has felt as if effort is a bar that is quite high.

It won’t appear on the stat sheet at all, but just look at Malik Monk’s effort to keep this ball in play, trying to help his team secure the OT victory. pic.twitter.com/Bi6FsWAr9s

— Chris Watkins (@ChrisMWatkins) November 25, 2025

Sacramento welcomed back Keegan Murray from a hand injury that forced him to miss the first 15 games of the season. Keegan Murray is and has been the only wing defender on the Kings for what feels like years, but only since the start of last season.

Murray has looked energized and motivated after receiving a 5-year $140 million extension before the season.

Murray’s return has evened out the roster a bit. Now, that’s like saying you threw paint on a rusty car that barely works. Yeah, it looks better, but there are still many issues under the hood.

The whole team looks to be playing more freely, as if the burden of expectations is gone. Head coach Doug Christie isn’t angry anymore and has figured out player roles. The Kings’ next 15 games aren’t as difficult as their previous 15. 

Using the energy, hustle, and effort they showed in their last two wins could be a catapult for this team to make the play-in, or at least lead to their players being valuable enough to be traded.

Case Against the Turnaround

They are still the Kings. Vivek Ranadive still owns them. A broken clock is right twice a day. DeMar DeRozan had a seriously insane game last night. He turned back the clock and won’t be able to score 33 points every game.

The Sacramento Kings are still in the Western Conference, meaning several teams are competing to win ahead of them. Those teams are better at trying to win and have assembled rosters that make sense. Not a mish-mash of the 2018 All-Star roster.

photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images

Keon Ellis and Devin Carter are both promising young guards. Neither is getting much playing time on a team full of OG’s. For there to be a real turnaround, the Kings would need to have a future. This team is still devoid of a promising young player.

Two games don’t constitute a turnaround. The Kings are eight games below .500. Their roster is still old, their coach is still new, and their owner is their owner. A series of blowout losses wouldn’t be a surprise to fans.

Conclusion

So what if Kings fans want to have hope? Is that okay? Nobody is asking this team to make the playoffs or the play-in. In fact, many believe that it’d be better if they lost and put themselves in a position to get a high draft pick. However, one thing we do ask is that they care. They care as much as the fans do. When the fans decide to show up for a team that is 4-13, all we ask is that they show up too.

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Featured image: Thearon W. Henderson via Getty Images