To say that Zach LaVine isn’t happy with the way that the Sacramento Kings have started the 2025-26 NBA season would be an understatement.
Through 10 games, the Kings sit 13th in the Western Conference with a 3-7 record and they’ve lost consecutive games by more than 25 points. Following their 144-117 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, LaVine expressed frustration regarding the team’s slow start.
“It’s frustrating because we’ve got a lot of talented guys on the team — guys that care and are competitive. But it’s something we’ve got to work through,” LaVine said. “You don’t want it happening now at Game 8, and you definitely don’t want it later in the season. At least we have time to look at some film and try to fix it.
"Yeah, I mean, it’s frustrating. It just doesn’t feel good to get your ass whooped by 25–30 the last couple games.”
Defense, specifically, has been an issue for Sacramento early in the season. The Kings have the fourth-worst defense in the league in terms of defensive rating. They’ve allowed 123.9 points per game – only the hapless Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets have allowed more.
That’s obviously not great. But, in LaVine’s eyes, Sacramento’s struggles on defense aren’t effort related.
“We’ve all been trying. I’ve been trying my ass off on defense, but you need a team collective, the right identity,” LaVine said. “Sometimes you need the right personnel out there. … Defensively, we’ve got to be there for each other, help each other, but then on the other end, we have to take advantage of that. … I think guys are giving the right effort. It’s just frustrating that we’re not getting the right results.”
Things won’t get much easier for the Kings in the near future, as they have games coming up against the Nuggets, Wolves, Spurs and Thunder. All of those teams sit in the top six in the West and boast potent offenses. If the Kings can't turn things around defensively in short order, they could be in some real trouble.