Managing expectations will be at the forefront Saturday when the Houston Rockets play host to the Sacramento Kings.
After finishing with the third-best record in the Western Conference last season, while snapping a playoff drought that covered 16 seasons, the Sacramento Kings have not opened this campaign like a house ablaze.
The Kings led the NBA in offensive rating a year ago at 118.6 but have slipped to eighth thus far in the early stages of this season at 113.3, with a ranking that is quality but not quite otherworldly.
The Kings have dropped a pair of games to the Golden State Warriors — including a 102-101 decision on Wednesday — to mute talk of a budding rivalry. Now comes the opener of a back-to-back set at Houston, with the rematch set for Monday.
While it is too early in the season to determine exactly who the Kings will be, the opening four games have shown areas where work needs to be done.
De’Aaron Fox leads the Kings with 31.3 points a game, but he missed Wednesday’s defeat with a right ankle sprain. The team is hopeful he can return Saturday.
The Rockets shot a robust 52.4 percent in their 128-119 home win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday for their first victory of the season. Houston made 21 3-pointers after making at least 20 from distance just once last season.
The Rockets also had 35 assists — their highest total in a regulation game since they posted 36 assists on May 7, 2021, against the Milwaukee Bucks. It was an exceptional all-around offensive performance that the Rockets will be hard pressed to mimic with regularity this season. The desired result was achieved via their exceptional shooting, but how the Rockets approach the process of manufacturing those shots is critical.
