Sacramento Kings: Crowded frontcourt complicates 2019-20 outlook

Storyline 3: What happens at the end of games?

Theoretically the offensive hierarchy works. Everyone in the starting lineup can complement each other in a vacuum.

When the game gets tight, though, things change on a dime. De’Aaron Fox can’t force a quick bucket every time (though he’ll try his damnedest). Buddy Hield can somewhat create for himself, but it’s not the best option in a close game.

Ultimately it looks like the team trusts Harrison Barnes to become that guy. His most notable attribute is indeed scoring and he has a reliable 3-ball now too. He can feasibly create at all three levels.

The problem with Barnes, though, is his passing. Even with a usage rate of 23.9 percent over the last three seasons, his assist percentage never reached double digits. He’s a scorer through and through, but doesn’t seem to make others better.

Can the Sacramento Kings fix that? Maybe, but seldom do you feed a leopard and then expect him to change his spots. Barnes has been this way essentially his whole career and probably will stay that way.

If that remains true, the team better hope Fox becomes the true No. 1 option. Otherwise it’ll be quite difficult to crack the top eight in the West.