NBA Power Rankings Preseason Edition: Lakers moves lead the way

Last Season: 31-41, T-11th in Western Conference

Someone needs to let the poor Sacramento Kings into the postseason. They can’t seem to find the winning combination of players, coach and general manager, so they of course went out this summer and….largely kept all of those things the same. They swapped out Delon Wright and Hassan Whiteside for Tristan Thompson and Davion Mitchell.

The Kings have talent, and De’Aaron Fox continues to improve every season. Harrison Barnes is a solid veteran at the forward spots, and Richaun Holmes was a legitimately good center last year. Unfortunately, the head coach, injuries or just the normal bad luck of the Kings will likely descend at some point and destroy the fans’ optimism.

Key Offseason Move: Drafting Davion Mitchell. Last season’s Kings were ranked 30th in the league in defense, and the team decided to do that in a curious way, drafting a tenacious defensive guard in Davion Mitchell. He should step in immediately and have an impact picking up the opponents’ most dynamic backcourt player.

What’s curious is that the Kings’ two best long-term players are likely Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, two point guards. Can this team survive playing three point guards in one lineup, as their Pacific Division brethren the Phoenix Suns tried a few seasons ago? He’s a great player, but the fit seems tricky.