NBA: 30 reasons to be excited for 2019-20 season

(Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
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23. Sacramento’s budding backcourt

For the first time since the days of Chris Webber, things are looking bright for the Sacramento Kings franchise, thanks in large part to the backcourt duo of De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield, each of whom took noticeable steps forward in their development last season.

In just his second pro season, Fox was named a finalist for the Most Improved Player award with averages of 17.3 points and 7.3 assists per game. The former top-five selection improved his shooting at all three levels, most noticeably a 3-point shot that increased over seven percentage points to 37.1.

Hield was the leading scorer in Sacramento with a career-best 20.7 points per game. The lethal shooter took a whopping 7.9 threes per game, yet still managed to convert those looks at a 42.9 percent clip.

The Kings put forth their best season in years in 2018-19, winning 39 games with a realistic chase for the eighth seed out West. The 12-win increase is a testament to the growth of Fox and Hield as individuals. Given their trajectory and complementary skill sets, there’s no telling what’s to come in pursuit of ending the longest playoff drought in the NBA.