NBA Rumors: Sacramento Kings center calls out team for lack of effort

The Sacramento Kings have been a mess this year, and the same can be said for the better part of the last decade. The team is under .500 right now and doesn’t look like a playoff team at all.

The drama regarding forward Marvin Bagley III dominated headlines to start the year, and recent NBA rumors suggest that head coach Luke Walton’s job is in jeopardy (subscription required).

NBA Rumors: Sacramento Kings center Tristan Thompson calls out team for lack of effort

Now, the Kings have even more drama on their hands, as center Tristan Thompson has seemingly called out the entire team. After a recent loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the veteran big man had this to say:

"“No one should ever need a coach to inspire them. If you don’t get inspired in a game, then you shouldn’t be on the court” He then followed that up by saying, “losing teams, losing players, they need to get inspired by their coach.”“No one should ever need a coach to inspire them. If you don’t get inspired in a game, then you shouldn’t be on the court” He then followed that up by saying, “losing teams, losing players, they need to get inspired by their coach.”"

The Kings are a very young team, with star point guard De’Aaron Fox (23 years old) and sophomore shooting guard Tyrese Haliburton (21 years old) leading the way. Veteran forward Harrison Barnes has been playing very well, too, this season.

Thompson has been on competitive teams for the ladder half of his career and has been known to be a very competitive player. He always brings a ton of energy and intensity to the court.

Based on his recent statement, the Kings don’t seem to be very invested in the game right now. If what he’s saying is true, then the team could have some serious issues on their hands.

Players not staying motivated is a huge problem, especially when most are earning millions of dollars a night. Thompson is completely right in his statement.

That being said, saying this sort of thing to the media is not the best play. Organizations typically like to handle this sort of drama in-house to avoid NBA rumors or scrutiny.

Well, Thompson clearly didn’t get that memo, and if he did, he probably just did not care for it. He wants to see his team fire up every night, and if they’re not doing that, he’s more than willing to expose them to the press.

While he didn’t name names, the simple fact that the team doesn’t seem inspired to play is a problem. For a team that has struggled as much as the Sacramento Kings have, it’s not okay at all, and NBA rumors could certainly arise from this.

It will be very interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out for the Kings. Will they make a push for the playoffs, or will it be another season in the lottery for Sactown?