Despite the Sacramento Kings making a leap being one of the biggest surprises of the NBA season, they still sit on the outside looking in as far as the playoff picture goes in the Western Conference.
The West has historically been the better conference in recent years and it’s loaded yet again this season. However, the Kings have been playing inspired basketball throughout the 2018 campaign, and guard Buddy Hield is maintaining that they’ll clinch a playoff berth.
“Very confident. I’d bet my house on it,” Hield told ESPN Wednesday when asked about the Kings’ playoff chances.
“I’m just confident,” Hield said. If I don’t say it, [reporters] will say, ‘He’s not confident enough.’ That’s how I was raised. I trust in God, and hopefully, he favors us.”
The Kings are currently ranked ninth in the West with a 30-28 record which is already good for more wins than they had all of last season. They’re just two games out of the eighth and final playoff spot which remains occupied by the 33-27 LA Clippers.
Even with their newfound success this season, this doesn’t change the fact that the Kings have been putrid for the past decade-plus. Sacramento hasn’t made the playoffs in 12 years so earning a postseason spot with Western Conference competition stronger than ever would be a major accomplishment.
The most encouraging part of this season for the Kings has to be how well their core players have performed at such a young age. Buddy Hield is leading the charge and developing nicely after many had given up hope on him, posting impressive per-game averages of 20.5 points and 5.2 rebounds on a shade under 45 percent shooting from three-point range. Along with Hield, De’Aaron Fox is one of the most electrifying young guards the game has to offer while Bojan Bogdanovic and rookie Marvin Bagley III have provided consistent production from their forward spots.
Now with the addition of Harrison Barnes bringing another reliable scorer to the table plus invaluable playoff experience, there’s no reason this unit can’t make a late-season playoff push. As they continue to play inspired basketball under head coach Dave Joerger, the Kings are already one of the most promising teams in the league, even if Hield’s confidence in them this season doesn’t prove to come to fruition.
