Post Game Summary – New Look Kings

Kings vs Pelicans: February 8, 2025

The Kings edged out a close victory against the second worst team in the NBA, the New Orleans Pelicans, with a final score of 123 – 118. Far from a pretty game, the Kings had to fight for this victory after a terrible start that saw them down 20 points in the first quarter. The defense and energy of the bench unit helped flip the game around, closing the 20 point gap by halftime to just 11. The third quarter was a near perfect, all-around effort marked by an offensive barrage from the starters and defensive energy from the key bench players. The Kings found themselves up 18 points in the early stages of the 4th quarter. A comeback led by Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum reduced the lead to just a single point with a few minutes remaining, but some clutch free throw shooting helped the Kings hold on to victory. It was the first home victory for the three latest additions: Zach LaVine, Jake LaRavia, and Jonas Valanciunas. So how did the new acquisitions perform in their first lighting of the beam?

LaVine finished with 22 points 4 rebounds and 5 assists, close to his season averages. The talented guard still has plenty of meshing to do, but he certainly looked more comfortable and played closer to his normal self compared to his first two games with the Kings. Zach was more aggressive attacking the rim, which is where he earned the bulk of his points. Not only was he finishing with both hands, and in traffic, he was drawing fouls and finished a perfect 7/7 from the stripe. The only part of his game yet to arrive in Sacramento is his three point shooting. He struggled again from deep, only nailing one of his seven attempts. As Malik Monk jokingly said in his post game interview, “[LaVine] ain’t hitting no threes like he do with everybody else.” Besides being a cursed franchise, the fans shouldn’t worry much about Zach’s ability to get it going from deep, as he has been one of the league’s premier three point shooters this season, and has consistently been a good shooter throughout his career. LaVine will look to further integrate himself in the offense on Monday versus the new-look Dallas Mavericks.

LaRavia made his Sacramento Kings debut with a few minutes left in the first quarter, and might have earned the world record for quickest time to become a fan favorite. Seconds after entering the game, Jake earned a hustle steal and finished the layup on the fast break. Less than half a minute later, he knocked down a three off a Monk assist. After the fans were just booing the team for their lack of effort and shockingly bad start, the LaRavia sequence made the crowd erupt, and for good reason. In just under a minute, the young wing showed that he can provide the team with everything they’ve been dearly needing: defense, hustle, size, and three point shooting. The young forward finished with two blocks as well, in just 12 minutes of game time. The Kings were on a huge run when a different lineup was in the game, so it’s understandable Coach Christie didn’t want to mess with the rotations at that time. However, the fans will certainly be hoping to see much more action of LaRavia in the coming games.

Valanciunas, who debuted against the Portland Trailblazers a day after getting traded, also seems to be quickly turning into a fan favorite. He is another player who is now helping the Kings in key areas which they were sorely missing: size, rim protection, and bench support. The Lithuanian plays with an energy and love for the game the fans haven’t seen in years. When getting stops in the paint, something we also haven’t seen in years, Valanciunas will keep his arms raised up for several more seconds, so as to mock the opposition and tout his defensive positioning and technique. Jonas didn’t shoot much, but he did nail two free throws which helped ice the game. On top of that, he still provided plenty of use on offense, setting constant screens for Malik Monk as well as the other ball handlers. The big man is listed as 6’11” and 265 pounds, and that seems to undersell how huge he is. Every screen he set seemed to free up the Kings ball handlers for a handful of seconds.

It’s only the early stages of the new-look Kings, but the team has already found plenty of value in their three new additions. It’s early, but there may be a glimmer of hope in the post-Fox era.