Just a week into the new NBA season, there’s been a lot of surprise teams. The Chicago Bulls have feasted on some weak ass competition (all their wins are against teams that didn’t make the play-in game) to convince a delusional fan base they’re alllllll the way back. The Golden State Warriors are also off to a hot start, but their play also has illustrated major flaws with this team. And the Hornets are maybe the most pleasant surprise of all, off to their first 3-0 start in franchise history and making Papa Michael Jordan proud.
But there’s another team that’s surprising me that is definitely flying under the radar.
The Sacramento Kings.
What??? The same team that is almost universally seen as not just the worst franchise in the NBA but maybe in all of sports?
Yes, this same Kings team is actually playing some fun and interesting basketball.
I can’t believe I’m even writing this. But this all starts with Luke Walton, maybe the universally acclaimed worst coach in the league.
I’ve written about Luke Walton’s failings before but something interesting seems to be happening.
Luke Walton is like a tenured professor who doesn’t give a rat’s ass any more. He’s like you can’t fire me, so I’m going to do whatever I want. Try new things. Screw it, let’s draft that undersized guard out of Baylor. Who cares that we already have three point guards. Why not?
Because the Kings are so incompetent they can’t stretch out Walton’s payments if he’s fired; they owe him ALL of it in a lump sum.
Speculation is that this is the reason that he hasn’t already been fired, because COVID has hammered the King’s bottom line so much they can’t afford the $11.5 million they’d owe him if he got canned.
And guess what? Walton’s IDGAF attitude might be working. Having no pressure to be good at your job seems to be very liberating. You have the freedom to experiment, have fun, and literally have no stress. And if what you try doesn’t work right away? What’s the worst that can happen?
They dump a trailer full of cash in your front yard, that’s what.
Tremendous. Maybe more owners should employ this method.
The Kings are 1-2 but they’ve played three playoff teams out of the blocks, and took it to ALL of them. Walton has been experimenting with a FOUR guard line up and it’s wrecking teams.
In the opener, they beat Portland on the road when they were 6 point road dogs. They put up 124 on their heads… impressive.
Then they took the Jazz down to the wire in a game that was a lot closer than the final score.
After the game, Donovan Mitchell just fellated the new look Kings. He praised their home crowd, their “newfound physicality” as he called it, and their exciting rookie Davion Mitchell. “This might go down as one of, I wouldn’t say one of our best (wins), but one of our biggest because of the perseverance. ... It’s a playoff atmosphere.”
And Davion Mitchell? They are calling him the new Kyle Lowry. 17 off the bench in the first half against the Warriors.
I have to say… my initial scouting report on Davion was, how shall we say, slightly off:
Wrong. Wrong. And Wrong.
It’s taken all of three games for him to get the greatest nickname in the NBA: Davion “Off Night” Mitchell. Because everyone has an off night when he’s guarding them.
And he’s getting thrown to the wolves EARLY. In his first three games, he’s had to guard Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Donovan Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson, and Steph Curry. Next up? CP3 and Book.
Can’t get tougher than that.
Steph Curry called him a “pest” which is maybe the best compliment you can get from him. Then Curry said, "All that hype about his defense, that man was an offensive assassin tonight." Did I forget to say Davion had 20 off the bench?
Let’s break this down even more.
Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, and Jordan Clarkson when defended by Davion Mitchell:
- 75 possessions
- 20 points
- 7-for-27 FG (25.9%)
- 3-for-10 3P (30%)
- 3 turnovers
These are ELITE scorers we’re talking about. Davion is basically a more fluid Lou Dort who can pass and score.
I have a new favorite for rookie of the year. It’s not Cade, it’s not Jalen Green, its not even Chris Duarte… It’s Davion OFF NIGHT Mitchell the Stat Killer.
The Kings are becoming must watch TV and may just become my League Pass team of the year. A lot of that has to do with Fox, Hailburton, Hield, Holmes and the gang … but right now?
This is why I love the Kings:
About 70% of the earth's surface is covered by water; the rest is covered by Davion Mitchell.
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