The Sacramento Kings had an impressive comeback win last night over the Indiana Pacers that brought up some mixed emotions. On one hand, them getting the epic win in front of their home crowd was much needed, but at the same time, it put them behind the Pacers in the draft lottery standings.
The Kings have both 16 wins on the season and 16 games left to play, but an easier schedule than they’ve had all year long. With the seventh-easiest schedule remaining, it’s going to be hard for them to keep pace with the Pacers and Washington Wizards, so the Kings could very well find themselves dropping in the lottery odds at the tail end of the season.
That’s not ideal after spending much of the year as the worst team in the league, but it’s also not the worst thing in the world.
Culture and Identity
Mar 10, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Nique Clifford (5) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
The Kings set out this season with a very specific goal in mind: to build a strong culture and identity, particularly with defense and moving the ball. And in the last two games, they’ve shown just that.
In the win over the Chicago Bulls, they had 33 assists to just four turnovers, playing the beautiful brand of basketball that Doug Christie often talks about in his press conferences.
Last night against the Pacers, they had just 22 assists and 11 turnovers, but they used defense and hustle to get back into the game. They never gave up, fought their way back in, and came out victorious. It’s just hard to be mad at that type of effort.
This season has been an unmitigated failure on so many fronts, especially for a team that had playoff aspirations (even if they were lofty) to start the year. They thought they were going to compete, but instead found themselves on a sinking ship before they could even get out to sea. They may not be in a postseason hunt, but they are still playing hard on most nights, which is the ultimate goal of the year.
Young Player Development
The other key aspect of the last stretch of the season is that it’s all on the young guys. Yes, Russell Westbrook led the charge against the Bulls, but it’s just him and DeMar DeRozan that are left as the older veterans on the team. Even Precious Achiuwa, a standout player of late, is on the younger side at 26 years old.
Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell (if he’s able to make a return to action) are the three most important players on the team, and they are getting all the chance in the world to go out and show what they can do.
If the Kings want them to be part of their future, which all indications are that all three will be around for the long run, they need to go out and build that culture and identity from the ground up. And those three are the perfect trio to lead the charge.
At the end of the day, losing would be easier to stomach and help ensure better lottery odds. But even that isn’t certain. The Kings could very well finish with the worst record in the league and the fifth pick in the draft. At least by going out and playing hard, they are taking their future into their own hands.