How the Sacramento Kings have quietly entered the playoff picture

Injuries and an international trip led to a slow start to the season, but the Sacramento Kings have snuck into the playoff conversation without any fanfare.

The entirety of the NBA world is fixated on the Memphis Grizzlies‘ struggle to maintain their hold of the eighth seed. They’re giddy at the potential presence of Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans in the postseason. The narratives surrounding both squads are part of the reason the Sacramento Kings have managed to subtly sneak into the playoff conversation with a 12-5 record since Jan. 23.

Only the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors have won more games than Sacramento over that span, who sit just 3.5 games behind Memphis for that final spot in the west due to improvements across several key areas.

Buddy Hield originally despised a move to the bench in favor of Bogdan Bogdanovic. He may very well have the same feelings, but it’s been difficult to argue with the winning that precisely began with this controversial lineup change on Jan. 24 against the Chicago Bulls.

The move has not only given Sacramento the fifth-highest scoring bench in the league during that time compared to 17th on the season.

Hield’s command of the second unit — his numbers have remained steady with 19.6 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting from downtown — has afforded more control to De’Aaron Fox with the starters, a balancing act that’s allowed both to thrive.

An injury to Fox not 10 games into the season hampered Sacramento’s chances before they even really began. The third-year guard missed 17 straight, of which the Kings won nine.

Since the All-Star break, Fox has been having the breakout run many expected from him this season. He averaged 24.3 points and 5.0 assists per game across the six games he appeared in — missing a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder — all victories.

Sacramento’s offense has jumped from the lower-third tier to 12th through this stretch, where they’re tied for sixth in 3-point makes per game and fifth in percentage while committing just the fourth-fewest turnovers a night.

They’ve got the seventh-best defense during this run thanks in large part to a swarming perimeter that forces the sixth-most turnovers and ranks tops in loose balls recovered at that end — No. 3 on both sides.

Opponents are still shooting 37.1 percent against the Kings from downtown, but they haven’t come easy against a team that has contested the fifth-most 3-point attempts.

Richaun Holmes has been out since Jan. 7. Marvin Bagley III hasn’t played since Jan. 22. The absence of those two leave a massive hole in Sacramento’s frontcourt, and yet the Kings still allow just the fifth-fewest offensive rebounds per game.

A large reason behind the Kings’ ability to play on without two of their best players has been the emergence of Harry Giles.

Over the last six outings — all of which have seen him in the starting lineup — the former first-round pick has averaged 14.5 points and 7.8 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game. His play makes you wonder why he was severely underutilized before now and why the front office declined his fourth-year option.

Harrison Barnes might get to shave his growing facial hair after all. Getting to .500 would require Sacramento to win 14 of its remaining 21 games, a .666 winning percentage lower than the .706 earned over these last 17.

The Sacramento Kings have a 3-1 tiebreaker over the Grizzlies with the 18th-hardest remaining compared to No. 2 for Memphis.

Whether that difference in competition results in a postseason birth will reveal itself eventually. Until then, that Sacramento has subtly entered the conversation to end the NBA’s longest current playoff drought after a 15-29 start is certainly worth mentioning at the least.