Sacramento Kings: Biggest strengths and weaknesses for 2017-18

Weakness No. 1: All things defense

When it comes to the defensive end of the floor, the Kings have historically been underachievers.

As NBA.com’s John Schuhmann noted in his season preview on the team, the Kings have had a below-average defense for the last 11 years. It shouldn’t come as much of a coincidence that they have missed the playoffs in each and every one of those seasons as well.

Anyone wishing for that trend to come to an end this season looks to be employing a little wishful thinking at this point, considering the inexperience that lies all across the roster.

That doesn’t mean the Kings don’t have intriguing defenders on their roster though. Veteran Garrett Temple stands as an underrated perimeter defender, Willie Cauley-Stein possesses plenty of mobility to act as the last line of defense and both rookie De’Aaron Fox and George Hill can certainly disrupt the opposing team’s point of attack.

But becoming a defensive force doesn’t happen overnight and with all the moving pieces that have come and gone for the Kings this offseason, they have a ways to go in developing the chemistry that will be needed to thrive on that end. Whether they can learn from the many mistakes that are sure to be made this season will be the key.