Have you heard? The Sacramento Kings have won FIVE (5!!!) games in a row. After what felt like an endless nine-game losing streak prior to the All-Star break, followed by some trade deadline moves, and an easier back end schedule, the Kings have done it again – they are making us hopeful. The addition of the play-in tournament has given this late-blooming team something obtainable to strive for in the second half of this season.
Beyond the growth in their win column, the Kings have also shown some major growth in the formation of their identity as a team. As expressed by Harrison Barnes after their buzzer beater win over Cleveland:
“Just to be able to celebrate with my teammates, to have that joy, I think that kind of embodies where we’re at as a team right now. Not only are we winning, but it feels like we’re building something.”
The rarity of such an exciting night, followed by such a wholesome quote warmed my heart, ignited some nostalgic feelings, and thus made me reflect on the identity of the Kings. For the past 10+ years, the Kings have largely portrayed an image of dysfunction and haphazard handling. Now, with a point guard playing out of his goddamn mind, a franchise jackpot in their rookie, an upgraded bench, and the unprecedented chance to get into the playoffs at the 10th seed, the Sacramento Kings have finally begun to shed free of this cursed identity and build anew.
As I tried to find the words to describe this new identity the Kings are forming, I considered some other successful teams and their established identities, and I recognized a pattern. So here’s my thesis: Successful teams inherit an identity that is cultivated by the traits of the city in which it resides. Some examples include: (1) 2020 Los Angeles Lakers sinking into their hometown identity of big-time celebrity with the acquisitions of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, (2) 2020 Miami Heat solidifying their success as a team that is gritty, tough, fearless, and above all else, swaggy as hell, much like their city, (3) 20-Teens Golden State Warriors imitating the fast, exciting, and innovative culture of the Bay Area by revolutionizing the potency of the 3-point shot, and last, but certainly not least, (4) 2002 Sacramento Kings embracing the small-market cow town jokes and flipping them into an identity of tight-knit camaraderie and beautiful basketball.
Following this same trend, the Sacramento Kings have begun to build a new identity that mirrors the best parts of its city. Sacramento has begun to emerge out of its cow town cocoon and its identity feels ever-evolving. A brand spankin’ new arena can do that to a city. With our city’s new landscape and development, what are the Kings using from it to build a new identity to push them back to success? Here are my three cents:
- Youth: Sacramento has always felt like a family place to me, but in recent years, with the migration of Bay Area techies and increase in college attendance in nearby Sac State and UC Davis, the everyday crowd I see around the city feels much younger. This observation is supported by the boost in apartment-style housing and commercial development all over downtown – the city is looking to house young people and provide them with new restaurants, bars, and entertainment. The Kings’ roster perfectly mirrors this identity, as they are looking to build around their young backcourt of De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. The Kings are looking to capitalize on this young core by utilizing it as a fresh start. If managed correctly, Fox, Haliburton, & Richaun Holmes can conceivably play in Sacramento for many years to come. A strong identity now as a young and fresh team can later develop into a seasoned and successful one.
- Energy: Prior to lockdown, I loved walking around downtown because there’s always a low buzz of energy everywhere. We aren’t Los Angeles or New York, but we have our own unique low-key energy that is palpable without being overwhelming. It is one of my favorite things about Sacramento and something the Kings are learning to build into their new identity. De’Aaron Fox obviously has some of the quickest limbs in the league, but he uses his quickness in a way that is smart, balanced, and so you never tire of seeing it. It isn’t full-blown, in your face, running as fast as he can at all times. It’s methodical, sneaky, and always entertaining. The Kings are beginning to learn how to play and flourish in De’Aaron’s nuanced pace and it’s given us all some beautiful basketball to watch.
- Humility: To me, Sacramento has never been gritty like Miami or “showtime” like Los Angeles. For me, the best parts of Sacramento have always been its feeling of comfort and its down-to-earth people. We aren’t overly flashy in appearance and we aren’t out to pick any fights. We just want to mind our own business and work our way to success together, and in an honest way. Much of the Kings’ roster already embodies this sense of humility and togetherness. We see the quiet leadership of De’Aaron Fox, the unselfish play of Tyrese Haliburton, and the humble hard work in Richaun Holmes. Most recently, we all got a heavy dose of feels as we watched the Kings hug, smile, and celebrate together after Harrison Barnes’ buzzer beater to lift the Kings over the Cavaliers for their fourth straight win. It is this type of pure, supportive joy for one another that feels so… Sacramento. The scene took me right back to the 2002 team and watching them laugh, love, and uplift each other every night. This same family mentality that the 2002 team had feels ingrained in Sacramento, no matter how much the city may change.
I love this city and I love this team. But recent years have shown me that there is a disconnect between how I view each of them. Sacramento is evolving into some big city vibes, but still maintains its unique humble energy. On the other hand, the Kings have suffered from a lack of a discernible identity for the past decade. I know we’ve said it a million times before, but there are a lot of good things coming together for this team, their identity being one of them, and this just might be the start of what we’ve all been so desperately waiting for. Tyrese Haliburton added more fuel to this flame of hope in my heart following Monday’s win against the Spurs:
“We’re all here to help change the Kings culture, get the Kings back to the playoffs, do special things here in Sacramento. Things that they haven’t done in a long time.”
What are some things you love about Sacramento that the Kings could embody in their identity as a basketball team?
Just excellent doing an overlay with the Kings and Sacramento in order to highlight the similarities between the town and the team. Delightful and creative writing.
Very well done, Mirann!
Thank you! It was fun to find similarities between what I love about this city and what I’m starting to love about this team!
Very nice article.
Having said that, I have this deja vu feeling, as if we had several of such “the Kings may have finally turned a corner” articles in the past decade, when the Kings hand a nice run for a game of 12.
I hope it is sustainable this time. Signs are looking positive, but let’s see where we stand at the end of the season.
Ugh, I hate to concur, but I can’t help it. Fox + Haliburton gives me hope that this is more sustainable than past dalliances with respectability, but the dismissive little shadow of Vivek still looms over this franchise until further notice. Also, trading for a domestic violence perpetrator to push for a fringe playoff seed feels very Kangzy as well. That said, I will appreciate the W’s and try to ignore the misgivings.
Yes, I think it is a bit of an illusion.
I really like this team (minus Bagley). I really like Barnes.
But as the Kings Herald podcast stated, the playin is bogus.
What is ignored in the recent victory over the Cavs is that Walton was outcoached. Cleveland controlled most of that game. If a few Cavs hadn’t made mistakes toward the end and if Barnes had missed, the Kings would have lost to what is considered a lesser team.
Meanwhile, a game later the Jazz dissected the Cavs. Great coaching, great execution.
Kings are nowhere near the level of the better teams in the league.
If a few Cavs hadn’t made mistakes toward the end (They did), if Barnes had missed (He didn’t). Kings won, case closed.
The coach puked on himself on that last play, just put a long armed defender in front of fox and it’s a win for the Cavs…was crazy to watch them crap their pants like that haha
The Kings’ recent improved play may yet be an illusion. But in last night’s game, Sacramento controlled most of the game. And the Spurs lost to what many consider a lesser team by 15 points. Does that mean Pop is finished?
I don’t think the play in is bogus. To me, it’s more of a way to gauge where they are in the process. They’ll either not get in, lose in the tourney, or advance to the field of 16. There’s value in having that sort of benchmark when it comes to free agency. One of the biggest tools the Kings will have to improve their team is the non-taxpayer MLE. The maximum first year salary is the same for all teams that use the exception. That means stuff like “desire to contribute to a good team” can be an important factor in the decision making process for free agents. It’s not the only factor obviously, but it is a factor that’s worked against this team in the past. Finishing this season strong may help to start change that perception.
I can’t really disagree with anything you’ve said here. I think that I just have a fundamental problem with a league that already puts more than half its teams into the playoffs, then add another four. I mean, two-thirds of the teams? Those are hockey-level ratios.
I’m not really sure how much cache there is in getting bounced out in the play-in game, in regard to appealing to players. They could throw a dart at list of teams and have a 63% chance of hitting one that did better that season.
I don’t really agree when people say that the regular season is meaningless, and only the playoffs matter, but additional watering-down of the tournament doesn’t help the counterargument.
I don’t necessarily think making the best play-in is an achievement. To me, it’s more about changing the narrative. The Kings need to convince rookies to do in person workouts here. They need to compete with other teams to sign impact players using the same exceptions. They may need to convince Richaun to take a slight underpay to re-sign here. All of that stuff is easier to accomplish if the perception of the team is that they’re building something.
Goddamn you Rory. How dare you make me agree with you, you dolt?
I promise to come up with some real shitty takes moving forward
Appreciate that. I was beginning to feel inferior to you.
Dude why so negative? Don’t you know a five game win streak transforms a team, front office, city, and region? Although we need to keep this to ourselves so other franchises don’t figure this out.
So much dunking after so few wins.
Yeah I feel like we need to be in a seven game playoff series before I’m ready to say anything has changed. That said, I like Fox and Haliburton a lot and they’re legitimately good.
I’m with you. We’ve been here before where things have felt great and on the upswing only to get thrown back down with another losing streak. I’m sure there will be more bumps ahead, but I’m hopeful that they can hang on to the good things they’ve built so far and we will see these same attributes in them when they do get to the promised land!
Longtime reader. 1st time commentator. Mirann, exceptional piece. Nostalgia is flooding back to me. Like most, I guard my emotions from this team from being let down so much. Maybe this is the tide turning?
Thank you! I felt pretty nostalgic writing this. Watching the team celebrate together after Barnes’ buzzer beater especially put me in my feels! I’m right there with you – I still feel guarded, but after so many years of turmoil, it’s hard not to get a little hopeful when there are bright spots.
Mirann I am a 3rd generation Sacramento person and 4th gen northern Californian and old at that. I’ve lived in SoCal, Fresno, DC and Iowa for meaningful stretches and I think you’ve captured something here. Good job.
John
Thank you, John! And glad to have you back here in Sac after doing some moving around there!
Having grown up in the Meadowview area in the 1970s and near Oakpark in the 1980s, I always thought the “cow town” label was a misnomer. Sure, Sacramento didn’t have the cultural cache of the Bay Area or LA, but we had our moments (Club Minimal, etc.). I’m sure it’s better now.
But I grew up in a rather gritty city full of violence and riots. This was back in the day.
Fans ringing the cowbells behind the Lakers bench and Phil Jackson (who calls himself a Buddhist yet talks shit about an entire city). To me, that is Sacramento. Talk your shit, Phil, and we’ll cause you some ear damage.
Gritty.
Great point. I agree that Sacramento does have that fire inside that can be unleashed when necessary. Cowbell ear damage is one of my personal favorite forms of revenge.
Fox, Hali and Holmes are the straws that stirs my Kings drink ! Great writing !
Rockbottoms up! Cheers!
Zach Lowe posts this article every season that highlight the players that aren’t the star of their team, and never have been, but still figure out a way to make a positive contribution. I’ve always felt the Kings could find some success if they built a culture/identity around the concept that our team is going to beat your team by playing better as a team.
If I was going to create a roster that fit that identity, then I’d want guys like Fox, Tyrese, Holmes and Barnes leading that team. I think McNair is now starting to find players that have shown they can contribute to winning by filling a specific role. Wright has consistently shown he’ll do whatever the team needs from him to help win. Up until a few years ago Harkless was the epitome of the solid role player, so maybe he can get back to that. The biggest challenges moving forward, in my mind, are a) replacing Buddy in the starting lineup with a true 3&D role player, and b) how to convince Buddy to embrace the super sixth man role off the bench.
If they can do those two things, and get a couple more “take your lunch pale to work” role players, then I think the Kings will be in a good place moving forward. They’ll also need a head coach that embodies that overachiever mindset Zach Lowe highlights each season that can impart those values on the team.
Is there a way to assemble a team on NBA2K that has Michael “The Animal” Smith and Richaun Holmes on it?
Old school with Basketball players?
Not sure what the ball was actually supposed to be, but where I’m from, it was a little ball of dryer lint.
Miami did it last year, it’s certainly possible.
And a team filled with players like that would contain movable pieces for whatever improvements the team would need to hit whatever next step was in front of them.
Each of those players (maybe not Barnes until this season and Harkless for prior seasons) is also liked to some degree by advanced stats. The basis for evaluating these players is not to start with their counting stats or what you think they might be if only they improved A, B and C. It’s statistical performance on the floor either now or in the recent past.
Thoroughly enjoyed the article. As someone who grew up a military kid and then military myself, I have lived all over the country and world. Never more than 6 years in any one place. Moved to West Sac in 2007 and although I still miss some of the East coast, I fully embrace living here. Not a fan of the politics and dysfunction of our state government (bad roads, EDD, DMV), but the weather, food, topography and big city amenities in a smaller, accessible city are why I love it here. I appreciate the optimism in the article, but I’m not sure the Kings have turned the corner yet. Hope they get to the 8 seed. Then I’ll be a believer. I think it’s too bad Bagley is either always injured or hasn’t developed as we’d hoped. He has improved, and is still basically a kid at 21 so there is hope. The Lakers moved on from their #2 picks, Lonzo and Ingram pretty easily, so I don’t see why the Kings feel compelled to keep Bagley if he can’t contribute on a consistent basis. He’s clearly a second unit player. Will he accept that role?
I’m not sure why I play devil’s advocate for Marvin, but here we go…
In his previous two seasons, Marvin was injured often enough to miss the equivalent of an entire NBA season (around 79 games). Before the latest injury, he was essentially playing in his second season and showed improvements offensively and hints of progress defensively.
In watching the few weeks before the latest injury, you could see that he was playing better and buying into playing within the team’s offense. It looked like Marvin had realized that he wasn’t the center of the basketball universe. Learning that you aren’t as great as you’ve always imagined is a tough pill for anyone to swallow, especially a 21-year-old.
It seems like the market value for Marvin right now is a late first-round draft pick. Why trade a player who has shown improvement and glimpses of potential for a player that you’re going to have to wait to see any growth from for 2-3 seasons. Why not let Marvin play out his contract, see if he continues to grow, look at what another team offers him in restricted free agency, and either match that offer-sheet, sign him on a value contract, or let him go.
I agree with you. He has shown improvement, and the injuries he’s had aren’t chronic, more like getting hit by lightning. Bagley had been making real contributions, and the only way I’d trade him for pennies right now would be to free up some dough for Holmes. And any suggestion that it would be very easy to do is ignoring the realities of the NBA.
Assuming Holmes can be retained, Bagley has one year left, and could be very valuable as the first big off of the bench. If he doesn’t shine, off he goes. It’s a low-risk option.
Of course, if you can get something decent in return, you must look very hard at it, whatever form that it takes.
I agree with what you are saying, and after re-reading what Mike120 posted, it’s essentially calling out the same idea.
I got lost in the comparison to the Lakers moving on from young talent. Ball and Ingram are coming into their own after being in the league for 4-5 years. I wonder if Marvin will make that same leap.
And yes, retain Holmes!
I appreciate the sentiments written but disagree with the premise. Good owners hire good managers to find good coaching and talented players and you work to develop both and adjust both going forward
In short guess what ensures getting fans in seats (Covid aside), winning basketball
Great article Mirann! You are making it difficult for Greg to keep threatening to fire you.
I always think of Sacramento as the underdog city in California. I grew up in Elk Grove in the 90s and left to Colorado seven years ago. I am a school counselor and my kids laugh at my Sacramento Kings stuff all over my office. Many don’t know where the city is located, don’t know it is the capitol of California, and they constantly reference that we are not the bay area, LA, San Diego, etc. In the early 2000s I always saw the team as the stronger younger brother coming to beat the big brother’s ass. When I meet others who grew up in Sacramento, there is always a sense of pride and a familial bond. I am excited for when that culture gets put on display nationally when the Kings become a good team again. I have no idea when that will be, but it will be a great day when it comes.
“
I have no idea when that will be”,“TODAY” will be a great day when it comes”.There…I fixed it for you. We want all the smoke and we’re getting ready for a 1st round upset. And btw, FREE METU & FREE GUY!!!!
KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGS
Haha thanks for the edit and some improved optimism!
Thank you! I’ll keep pushing to see how far Greg will let me go, but for now, I survived another day.
I love your description/perspective on Sacramento! It’s very similar to how I feel and tried to portray in this article. I agree that we all carry a unique “little brother” pride in Sacramento.
There’s a saying about Los Angeles: Everyone who lives here is a transplant. (This isn’t true. It just seems like it if you’re in the entertainment industry.)
I think it fits the L*kers, though, since they can seemingly assemble a championship roster through free-agency.
Sacramento on the other hand, has to grow their talent mostly from the draft…farming……..farm-to-fork capital!
We’re farmers! Ring those cowbells and find a way to draft Scottie Barnes. We’ll be farmers ringing cowbells and rooting for our Barnes’s.
Sacramento Kings identity for the last 14+ years:
(Also, I’m starting a Change.org petition to get Will to watch Ladybird)
I am excited to see the progression of Fox and Halliburton! I think this team still has a ways to go, but I feel good about giving the keys to those two and letting them ride.
We shall see.
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I love that movie, everyone in it was so good.
Diversity. Sacramento is one of the most diverse cities in the nation. I think that’s an underrepresented quality of the 2002 team.
Great point! I also love the diversity of the city. Even here at TKH, we get a lot of diverse voices/perspectives and that’s what makes it so great.
TKH even employs a giraffe!
I don’t know any other sports blog that employs a giraffe.
Seems like a lot of them employ bulls, if the content is any clue.
Not only does Sacramento have one of the most diverse populations, but it also is one of the most integrated cities in the U.S. I think it is the 2nd most diverse/integrated city in the U.S.
Integration is an important point. Chicago, for example, has a very diverse population; however, it is very segregated.
The diversity stats I saw were specifically focused on race/ethnicity. So there are other factors that should be considered when talking diversity.
Economics, for example. I would argue that Sac is more economically diverse than bigger cities in California, like SF and LA. I’d bet the economic diversity in those big cities these days is super wealthy and extremely poor, not much of a middle class.
Stats prove you correct. Also, who down voted my comment?
There’s someone that downvotes everything, which is sort of democratic, and sort of hilarious. I myself wouldn’t take the time, especially since each of us is born with a finite amount of clicks before we die.
When companies who have a new product to launch, they often use Sacramento as a test-bed due to the diverse population. This is usually done by restaurant chains, but other companies do it too.
OT (kinda), but the Kings currently have the most efficient transition offense in the NBA. They’re scoring 1.19 points per transition possession.
My eyeballs tell that’s largely due to Fox’s ability to finish at the rim.
Fox is good, and gets a ton of transition opportunities, but Holmes/Buddy/Tyrese are super efficient in transition. It’s one of those things in which the threat of Fox driving scares opposing teams so much, that it creates a ton of easy looks for his teammates.
Now somebody tell Luke Walton.
I think that’s a bit unfair. The Kings are 10th in transition possessions, 1st in transition efficiency, 5th in total transition points, and 9th in overall offensive efficiency. I feel like Walton/Gentry/Mermuys should get some credit for creating a system that fits the players on the roster.
He didn’t create it so much as revive Joerger’s system that he shitcanned last year.
if anything Joerger probably borrowed a lot of Gentry’s transition concepts.
This team was sprinting down the court in DJ’s last year here, then Walton turned it into a crawl.
We are back to running because Walton just got around to watching last year’s tapes.
I love Sacramento – it is home and a place of many fond memories in Arco and in my life.
However; to say that the influx of Bay Area money, younger people living in midtown, rising attendance of CSUS and UCDavis equates to a 5 game winning streak…it just doesn’t add up.
This team has been terrible for many years due to the multitude of poor decisions running the team. That’s like saying that the Chicago Cubs or Boston Red Sox were losers because of the city…even though the Bulls and Celtics were consistently winning.
We love this team and they do show some characteristics that us as Sacramentans display and love. However; the changing Sacramento landscape has no effect on the team’s on court success.
Also, we’ve seen winning streaks before. This league is about consistency, and they need to show more than 5 games to have a culture changed.
I don’t feel the author was attributing the success on the court to those characteristics, but highlighting similarities between the town and the team in a search for an identify.
I agree with a lot of your points, mainly in that the Kings are still far from being a good team in this league! My point was in noticing a trend that successful teams often build an identity that mirrors that of their city, not that the city influences the performance of the team. I agree that it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to try and say that a rise in the younger population explains the Kings’ wins. Instead, I argue that the Kings are starting to cultivate an identity that resembles things I love about this city and this may be seen as a factor that is adding to their recent success.
Good thoughtful article.
“successful teams often build an identity that mirrors that of their city”
While the statement is a bit deterministic, there is a truth there. Detroit Piston teams mirrored Detroit vibe. Same with Knicks. But do we se what we want to see?
Sac = youth, energy and humility. True that. and the Kings team seems like that as well. How and why does this occur?
Away from existential questions – TD for a second round pick (Memphis) seems fine. The price for Delon was a bit higher- CoJo +Kings 2024 second round and this year’s LAL. A 2024 second round might be 45 or so or even 50. Then good deal.
Harkless was temporary found money
Reserves play with a bit more intensity now.
Keep writing. I like to think.
I definitely thought about Detroit in this trend as well – they’re another great example. I don’t think a mirrored identity between city and team is necessary for success, but has shown to be a helpful factor. I think, especially for smaller markets, it helps bring a city and team together. When a team feels unified and connected with the values of its fans, I think that can be influential in how they approach and play the game – maybe just an added motivation/inspiration factor.
OT: Where did that STAMP IT person go?
Just heard the Ramona Shelburn interview on DeLo and KC and the unintended takeaway is that Luke may be sticking around for a while.
She spoke unequivocally about Fox’s loyalty to Luke.
I may need some time to process this … ð¬
I hope Fox was talking about this dude:
Actually except for Hali this is still Vlade’s group ! Sorry, just the facts !
I heard it as well. She was adamant that Fox has bonded with Fluke.
Stockholm Syndrome?
That’s probably the headline, but I definitely think everyone should listen to the full interview. Ramona does a good job of giving us a behind the scenes look at the role that De’Aaron’s fiancé plays in supporting his development. I knew Recee Caldwell played at Cal, but I didn’t know she was also an assistant coach in Golden State.
If you have ESPN+ then Ramona’s full article on Fox is worth read. Matina actually makes a cameo appearance.
Fox has talked a lot about how his fiance helps him improve in the offseason. She was his personal trainer and had him running all sorts of drills.
I don’t know if that has been the case in other offseasons, but the Kings could always use another development coach.
Guess I didn’t realize how involved she was. It sounds like she an extension of the coaching staff, and Matina has taken her under her wing as a mentor of sorts. That’s actually a very Sacramento vibes kinda thing when you think about it.
Yeah, there was a lot of good stuff in that interview!
I grew up near Sac, in Dixon (25 minutes away, west toward the bay), and now live in San Diego. But I loved reading this piece and how you perceive the city feel and team culture!
I absolutely agree, each time I visit the city for a game when home for the holidays, I can feel exactly what you described. The city is changing compared to when I grew up.
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For me, it’s Hali who is giving the hope for a culture turnaround. From day 1, he’s talked about winning and putting in the work to make it happen. Fox and Buddy grind, and Holmes as well. Barnes is steady (and a bit overpaid but it is what it is at this point). I hope this core can prove the doubters wrong. But not expecting too much.
Let’s just please keep playing better defense and get out of last in defensive rating.
I’m late to replying to this post (was out the whole day because I drove over two hours to get a leftover COVID vaccine when the called me yesterday morning off a leftover waitlist), but I have really enjoyed your articles, Mirann. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! And congrats on getting your vaccine!
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