The Sacramento Kings have clinched their first NBA Summer League title since 2014, overcoming the Boston Celtics with an impressive 100-67 win that secured their fifth win in five.
With the Summer League offering younger talents to impress it’s fair to say that the Kings may have a lot to look forward to in the future, which may be something to take away ahead of the new season.
Currently the Kings are a massive (+20000) to clinch an unlikely NBA crown, according to odds found at sidelines.io and those numbers very much suggest that a long run in the playoffs may still be a season or two away. Louis King was most effective in their rout over the Celtics, scoring 21 points and the 22-year-old (who signed a two-way contract with the Kings in May) appears to be a player with a bright future.
To better frame those odds you should take into account that of the 30 teams in the NBA, only the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder are placed longer than the Sacramento Kings.
The Kings have suffered losing seasons for each of the past 15 years but some may be tempted by their Summer League success to consider a massive outside bet on Luke Walton’s side bucking that trend.
Another impressive addition to the Kings roster comes in the form of ninth overall pick in the draft, Davion Mitchell, who’s form during the Las Vegas tournament led to much praise from Walton;
"We loved what we saw, and that's why we drafted him," Kings head coach Luke Walton said.
"We continue to try to bring a certain player in, and the front office has done a nice job. And you watch Davion play and you see him win a national championship, you get his background and how he competes and how he leads and how he works, and that's why we spent a top-10 pick on him."
While clearly the Summer League isn’t considered, necessarily, a real indicator of how things might play out during an NBA season, there are a lot of positives for the Sacramento Kings to take.
Another positive came in the inclusion, and use of, Alex Antetokounmpo who came off the bench during the tournament and will be looking to follow in the footsteps of his brothers, in particular NBA title ring holder Giannis, who played a major part in helping the Milwaukee Bucks to a first crown in 50 years.
On the downside the Kings lost the financial backing of a certain Shaquille O’Neal, who sold his unspecified stake in the Golden 1 Center side as NBA regulations meant that due to the basketball legend’s involvement with a sports betting app he is unable to retain a presence with any of it’s franchises.
Walton will hope that the feel good factor of winning the NBA Summer League can be taken into training camp, in late September, with their defense being the key area of the court where good work is being done in Sacramento.
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