The Kings' Resurgence is the Best Storyline in the NBA

It's been 16 years since the Kings made the playoffs, the longest missed playoff stretch in the NBA as of today. That Kings team was led by players such as Mike Bibby, Brad Miller, and Ron Artest (yes, they were the eighth seed.) Despite the Kings legacy of losing, they are not only going to make the playoffs this season, but they are also one of the top teams in the league. So how did they do it? For them to make such a drastic turnaround in only one season they had to have found a way for a few all-star free agents to make the move to Sacramento, right? Actually no. Over just a few years the Kings were able to use the draft and the trade market to create their team of the future.

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The Kings have been trying to compete for years only to fail year in and year out. Moves such as trading for Harrison Barnes after he won a championship with Golden State showed that they weren't ever interested in truly tanking, even though that would serve their best interests. Despite this, they still got top picks every year because they were so bad, and this is why they're in such a good position today. In 2017 they drafted De'Aaron Fox with the fifth overall pick, a pick that put this team on the positive trajectory they've been riding for years now. The next pick that put the Kings in their current situation was drafting Tyrese Haliburton with the 12th pick in 2020. Haliburton was so good in his rookie season that the Kings were forced to pick between him and Fox, and ultimately they chose Fox and decided to trade Haliburton away. They traded Haliburton and sharpshooter Buddy Hield for multiple-time all-star Domantas Sabonis, basically setting their future in stone.

In addition to those two major moves, there are two smaller moves that I believe have made a massive difference this season. The first was drafting Keegan Murray with the fourth pick in this year's draft. It was widely recognized before the draft that Keegan was the most win-now prospect in the class, which is why I think the Kings decided to go with him with their top pick. He's been great this year, and is already a major contributor to a winning team. The second move was trading for Kevin Huerter, formally of the Hawks. The Kings traded basically nothing for him, and he's been fantastic. At times this season he's looked like one of the best third options in the league. All in all, these two moves have bolstered this roster and allowed for this Kings team to elevate their play to the next level.

What makes this team the best storyline in the league this year isn't just the high level of play that we aren't used to seeing, but the support of the fans and NBA community. The "Light the Beam" craze has become the best post-win tradition in the league in only a few months. If you don't know what lighting the beam is, it's exactly what it sounds like. Every time the Kings win a game they hit a massive purple button courtside that triggers a purple light beam to shoot out of the top of the stadium and into the sky over Sacramento. The Kings could suck and lighting the beam would be just as fun, that's how great it is.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to performance. All the major players on this team are having great years. Fox and Sabonis should both be all-stars and I don't think there's any question about that. Keegan Murray should be on the all-rookie first team. Kevin Huerter should get serious looks in the most improved player race. The rest of the roster has been the glue that has held it all together. The Kings, for the first time in nearly two decades, is a well oiled machine. Not only are they winning games, but they are crushing teams. They may have the best offense in the league and it has shown. They score the ball at a ridiculous rate, and I personally think that that alone makes them a legitimate playoff threat. When this team makes the playoffs, and they have an incredible amount of fan support, and they're having fun while scoring 140 points per game everyone will see that they are incredibly scary.