3 reasons why the Sacramento Kings aren't a laughing stock anymore

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 23: NBA commissioner Adam Silver (L) and Keegan Murray pose for photos after Murray was drafted with the 4th overall pick by the Sacramento Kings during the 2022 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2022 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

3 reasons why the Sacramento Kings aren’t a laughing stock anymore: 2. Their recent draft history

Ok, maybe we lied. Already this summer, there were plenty of people taking shots at the Kings selecting Keegan Murray with the fourth overall pick. Especially when Jaden Ivey was still on the board, where he was taken fifth overall by the Detroit Pistons. If reports are to be believed as well, then the Kings could have secured a sizeable return for that fourth pick, such was the admiration other teams had for Ivey.

Now, we are not about to overreact to Summer League, but… Keegan Murray, alongside Paolo Banchero, were the best two players on display in Las Vegas. Will that translate to the league? Maybe not, but when you consider this interview with Chris Haynes, Murray is also saying all of the right things.

He appears to want to be in Sacramento, and while Tyrese Haliburton also spoke similarly before being moved in the Sabonis deal (something that, at this stage, is still hard to defend), getting players to the Kings who want to be there is not easily done. This feeds into the bigger picture here, which is that the Kings have now seemed to draft well in the last two years.

Last season they picked Davion Mitchell, and right away, he contributed. His defensive play had media members raving at a time when there wasn’t much going on in Sacramento. Fox had taken a step back to the point his trade value is lower than it ever has been, and Sabonis was still finding his feet.

Yet there was Mitchell, making winning plays and impacting the game in the right way. When you consider the absolute stinkers the Kings have had in the draft from 2010 – 2020 (outside of Cousins (read it yourself, it is basically unforgivable), then this is a hugely important development.

Even drafting Haliburton in 2020 led to them getting Sabonis, a legitimate All-Star. Their luck is going to start to turn sooner rather than later, and drafting well will be a huge reason why.

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