(Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images)
Unlike last season, when the Sacramento Kings were the talk of the NBA and were able to secure one of the top seeds in the Western Conference standings heading into the NBA playoffs, this year, the team is hoping to secure the sixth seed and avoid the Play-In Tournament.
Unfortunately, things aren’t looking good with the red-hot Los Angeles Lakers sitting right behind them in ninth place and the Dallas Mavericks also coming on strong while looking like the team that will lock up the sixth spot.
That said, the Kings can’t afford to play poorly in the final stretch of the regular season, or they could risk missing the postseason altogether.
Along with being in a tight race to the finish line for seeding in the West with no room for error, the Kings just suffered a big blow with sharpshooting guard Kevin Huerter set to undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerter will undergo season-ending left shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. Huerter is expected to be fully recovered for the start of the 2024-2025 season. pic.twitter.com/coLqxvIHhR
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 29, 2024
Although losing Huerter isn’t comparable to losing De’Aaron Fox or Domantas Sabonis, the loss of arguably one of the team’s best shooters is costly, especially at a time when the team needs to be playing its best basketball in order to give them the best chance of being successful in the playoffs.
In 64 games played during this regular-season stint with the Kings, Huerter averaged 10.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game, shooting 44.3% from the floor and 36.1% from beyond the arc.
The Kings will have to adjust to the absence of Huerter and try to keep their foot on the gas pedal moving forward.
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