11. Sacramento Kings
Coming off an impressive showing last season in which they finished as the third seed in the Western Conference, the big question heading into the season was if the Sacramento Kings could build off of that success. And through the first few games of the season, there was growing concern that the Kings were going to take a sizable step back. The Kings opened the season 2-4 through the first six games.
However, they’ve won five games in a row to reassert themselves as a possible contender in the West. Perhaps the biggest story about this team is tied to De’Aaron Fox. In the six games he’s played in this season, the Kings are 5-1. When he’s missed games due to injury, Sacramento is just 2-3. He is clearly the key to their success.
With Fox and Domantas Sabonis, who is off to another excellent start to the season, the Kings have one of the best offensive 1-2 punches in the West. If they can continue to get consistent contributions from their bench, the Kings should very much be a dark horse contender once the playoffs come around.