Stephen A. Smith declares Kings as the ‘potential sleeper’ of the upcoming NBA season

Ever since coach Mike Brown landed in Sacramento, a whole new era started for the Kings. Not only did they qualify for the playoffs in their first season together, ending a sixteen-year drought, they continued to show progress this past campaign. This is why experts around the league believe they will continue on this road. 

One of the NBA insiders who is convinced this will happen is Stephen A. Smith, as he recently went on his own podcast show to say that the club from Northern California can surprise many onlookers this season.

Just last Tuesday he revealed the reasons why this revamped Kings squad could make the biggest leap this upcoming year, instead of selecting other more obvious choices like the Houston Rockets or even the New Orleans Pelicans.

Stephen A. Smith says the Kings are potential sleepers next season.

Agree? 👀 pic.twitter.com/OGqXzzsqZj

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 1, 2024

The curious thing is, the ESPN icon didn’t even mention the addition of star DeMar DeRozan to further back his claims, but instead dedicated his time to compare De’Aaron Fox with legend Magic Johnson through a special anecdote.

“You know who I think the potential sleeper is?” he asked on The Stephen A. Smith Show. “The Sacramento Kings. This brother De’Aaron Fox. Now, I love my man Magic [Johnson], who we talked about earlier.”

According to Smith, it was a crucial decision to draft for him instead of other stars back in 2017. “The only basketball argument we ever got in was pushing him to draft De’Aaron Fox,” Stephen kept at it. “He drafted Lonzo Ball. Because I saw what De’Aaron Fox did to Lonzo in the NCAA tournament.”

Now more than ever the broadcaster explained how the Lakers missed out on selecting a more secure and long-term superstar like De’Aaron, as he has become a cornerstone athlete for the Kings ever since he was chosen with the No. 5 overall pick.

After 74 games played this past campaign, Fox has averaged 26.6 points per match. “And I knew what he was going to do on a pro level, and Lonzo Ball hasn’t been healthy,” Smith added. “But even healthy, he ain’t had that type of game that Fox got on him. So, I’m of the mindset Sacramento,” Smith concluded. “I’m thinking along those lines. I could be wrong, but I’m thinking Sacramento.”

Players like Domantas Sabonis have expressed their excitement over this upcoming campaign and even praise the team’s summer trades

Not only has the Sacramento franchise been able to maintain their core through extending stars like Malik Monk, they have also brought in powerhouse veterans like DeMar DeRozan, a player who many other clubs were trying to sign this summer.

This is one of the reasons why team stars like Domantas Sabonis can’t help but express their excitement for the season ahead, almost anticipating that the squad is poised for success. “DeRozan’s arrival definitely exceeded my expectations,” Sabonis said last week to reporter Sean Cunningham.

“DeRozan is a very smart player, he’s been in the league forever and i’m excited to learn from him, I hope the other guys are excited too,” he continued to address his admiration for his new teammate, after years of playing for the Chicago Bulls.

Domantas hopes this move will bring more versatility to their game. “He will make us move and think differently, we are used to playing a certain style of game, but he does some things at Hall Of Fame level, so we will have to get used to him, it will be much harder to defend us because we can score from all positions,” the center explained.