The Sacramento Kings have impressed plenty of people this season.
They caught plenty of criticism for trading Tyrese Haliburton last year, but it seems like that might as well be one of the few cases in which both sides end up winning a trade.
Domanatas Sabonis has been a beast since arriving in Sac-Town, and he looks like the perfect complement for De’Aaron Fox.
But more than that, Mike Brown has turned the team around in no time, leading with his tough-love philosophy and helping them take that much-needed step forward.
That’s why Shaquille O’Neal believes that Brown should be the leading candidate to take home the Coach of the Year honors right now.
The Big Diesel praised the Kings on TNT, stating that they play “the right way” and that they’re “for real,” and lauding Sabonis for dominating for them this season.
“Mike Brown, Coach of the Year.”
Shaq says the Sacramento Kings are “for real” under Mike Brown. Give the man his flowers, he’s doing something special in Sactown. The Warriors are certainly missing his presence right about now. #beamteam #dubnation pic.twitter.com/R9d80ZIcdw
— Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) March 10, 2023
The Kings have proven that their early-season success wasn’t a fluke.
They’ve beaten contenders throughout the whole campaign, and it doesn’t seem like they’re slowing down any time soon.
Notably, some people expected them to fall from a cliff and slide all the way to the sixth or seventh spot in the Western Conference.
Instead, they’ve passed the Memphis Grizzlies and currently hold a 39-26 record, trailing just the first-seeded Denver Nuggets.
The Kings are on the verge of putting an end to a league-worst 17-year playoff drought.
And barring a major disaster, they might not even be done with just making the playoffs; they can compete for real.
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