1 New Year’s resolution for every team in 2024: Pacific Division

Kings Resolution: Take the next step and become an above average defense.

Sacramento needs… to continue to improve on the defensive side of the floor and follow in the Denver Nuggets footsteps. Much like the Nuggets, the Kings are known for being one of the best offenses in the NBA. The main difference is that Sacramento is an average defensive team at best, whereas the Nuggets have improved on that side of the floor in the last season and a half and made the needed step to be a title contender. The Kings can definitely try to replicate their success.

Last season, the Nuggets improved themselves to be the 15th ranked team in defensive rating during the regular season but also made further strides as the year progressed. They finished the playoffs with the 4th best defensive rating (and are currently ranked 8th this season). The Kings were ranked 24th in defensive rating in 2022-2023 and are currently ranked 18th in defensive rating this year.

One promising sign is that they have been ranked in the top five last season and this season in clutch time defensive rating. They will need to be more consistent and defend like that throughout the course of an entire game, but they do seem capable of solid team defense even if the individual defensive talent is not quite there.