4 NBA teams in desperate need of a big November

Team No. 4: Sacramento Kings

Record: 2-6, 14th in West

Remaining November Schedule: at ATL (11/8), vs. POR (11/12), at LAL (11/15), vs. BOS (11/17), vs. PHO (11/19), at BKN (11/22), at WAS (11/24), at BOS (11/25), at PHI (11/27), vs. DEN (11/30)

Throughout the offseason, observers were left to estimate just how awkward 2019-20 would be should the Sacramento Kings have left Buddy Hield hanging on his contract extension. A day before the season, the Kings beat the deadline, offering their talented guard a highly incentivized four-year, $94 million extension.

In locking up an All-Star caliber backcourt, it appeared the Kings — confusing payroll and all — were on the rise. Since then, smiles have been difficult to come by.

Perhaps the most telling of all stats comes from Schumann’s description: Sunday’s win over the New York Knicks marked the first time in seven tries in which the Kings posted more 3-point makes than turnovers. After an 0-5 start to the season — one in which the Kings dropped games by 29 and 32 — the Kings have opened up the new month on a 2-1 start.

https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/1191203415008800769

Can they sustain that level of play when they aren’t playing the likes of the Knicks? We’ll find out shortly, as the Kings close out an interesting stretch of games to end the month. Of the final 11, seven of those will be played on enemy territory, which began with a four-point loss at Toronto and still includes the Lakers, Boston, Philadelphia and Brooklyn.

How the Kings manage to work through temporary life without Marvin Bagley III, and apparently now Harry Giles — who came to training camp out of shape and has yet to impact the 2019-20 season — will also be worth watching, if you can stay up for the late-night Kings games, especially for the upcoming run of games.

But, there are winnable games within that stretch. Atlanta and Portland are wounded, the Suns are still only seven games into their Cinderella run and most of all, Sacramento is beginning to finally look like the 39-win surprise of a year ago. Defensively, they’ve stepped it up, ranking sixth among opposing fast break points.

On the other side of the ball, they’ve gone to what’s tried and true: get the ball to De’Aaron Fox: in the open floor, in the pick-and-roll, in a house, with a mouse, whatever the case may be. Fox’s shooting efficiency has regressed to his rookie season form, but his free throw rate — 56.6 percent — right now, usually points to Kings’ victories.

Over the last two seasons, the Kings have worked to the tune of a 64-win team (granted, just a 14-game sample size) when Fox is aggressive and gets to the line at least nine or more times, per Sactown Royalty’s Tim Maxwell. When he gets to the line less three times, they’re basically the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats.

Six days in, the Kings have managed to operate around the adversity. Sacramento is relatively cool these days, but some wondered just how hot Luke Walton’s seat was becoming after an 0-5 start, and his abandonment to the Kings’ once-successful philosophy of pushing the ball.

According to Forbes, the Sacramento Bee ran a poll, with 75 percent of fans expecting Walton to be fired, and over one-fourth saying that the Kings’ head coach wouldn’t survive November.

Two wins in a row should be enough, for now at least, to cool some of that chatter. However, it feels safe to say, the 11-game stretch to end November still feels like an audition, for both Walton’s coaching future and the Kings’ postseason aspirations.