The national media hasn’t exactly acknowledged the Kings’ existence heading into the NBA restart, seemingly forgetting Sacramento altogether in discussions regarding the Western Conference no. 8 seed.
As a result, it’s not surprising that ESPN has a low opinion of the Kings relative to the other contenders for the final playoff spot. Out of the 22 teams that will be in Orlando, ESPN has Sacramento ranked 18th, ahead of only San Antonio and Phoenix in the West. It’s worth noting that the Kings were already ahead of both the Spurs and the Suns in the conference standings, and that those teams are missing LaMarcus Aldridge and Kelly Oubre Jr.