NBA Notes: Kings, Zach LaVine, Mavericks, Daniel Gafford, Pacers

Sacramento Kings Struggles

The Sacramento Kings' early season challenges continue after a 126-113 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. As Sam Quinn of CBS Sports observed, the old joke about the Kings “turning into the Bulls” no longer fits. Chicago’s team is younger, faster, and more modern, led by a youthful rotation aside from Nikola Vucevic. In contrast, Sacramento remains reliant on mid-range shots, ranking 22nd in attempts at the rim and fifth worst offensively overall. Their style resembles an All-Star nostalgia team rather than a progressive NBA offense.

“Teams are not exactly lining up for LaVine,” noted Quinn.

Sam Amick of The Athletic added on The Carmichael Dave Show that he cannot “name one team” definitely monitoring Zach LaVine at this moment.

While Keegan Murray’s return will provide some boost, Sacramento requires much more than incremental improvement. The Kings appear to have lost their identity after trying to maintain success with older players instead of evolving.

Daniel Gafford and Injury Updates

Daniel Gafford is expected to make his season debut Saturday in Mexico City against Detroit, according to reports by Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News and Christian Clark of The Athletic. Gafford has been sidelined since spraining his ankle on the first day of training camp. D’Angelo Russell remains questionable, and Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Dante Exum are still out with injuries.

Despite pockets of talent, the Kings are struggling to adapt to the modern NBA pace and style, highlighting an urgent need for a refreshed team identity and roster strategy.

Hoops Wire — 2025-11-02