Hoops Habit
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Hoops Habit’s favorite moments and stories from the 2022-23 NBA season

By Leocciano Callao

Feb 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) hugs agent Rich Paul after breaking the all-time scoring record in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) hugs agent Rich Paul after breaking the all-time scoring record in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 20: De’Aaron Fox #5 and Domantas Sabonis #10 of the Sacramento Kings celebrate after a three-point basket in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Golden 1 Center on November 20, 2022 in Sacramento, California. 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 Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 20: De’Aaron Fox #5 and Domantas Sabonis #10 of the Sacramento Kings celebrate after a three-point basket in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Golden 1 Center on November 20, 2022 in Sacramento, California. 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 Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Cal Durrett: the Kings shattered expectations.

After a fourteen-year NBA playoff drought, the Sacramento Kings ended that unflattering streak in a big way this past season. Led by all-stars De’Aaron Fox and Domontas Sabonis, the Kings shattered expectations.

They won an impressive 48 games and finished with the third-best record in the Western Conference. That was a far cry from an almost comical decade-long stretch of ineptitude and missteps that had tarnished a once-good franchise. Fortunately, with the help of their two best players and Mike Brown, who won Coach of the Year, the Kings quickly turned things around. Thanks to a high-powered, record-setting offense, they were often too difficult for other teams to stop.

While the Golden State Warriors ultimately did end their season, they were the then-defending champions and better than a typical sixth seed. That playoff experience could prove useful going forward as the Kings look to build off their best season in 20 years. They will have tough competition with the newly crowned champion Denver Nuggets, but with a lot of question marks surrounding other teams in the Western Conference, Sacramento can build off their successful 2022–23 season.