Last season was a banner year for the Sacramento Kings, as they finished third in the NBA’s Western Conference and made the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
So far this season, they’re 13-9 and in sixth place in the Western Conference, making it a somewhat lackluster start for a team that was hoping to build on last season’s unexpected success.
In order to bolster their frontcourt strength, they’re signing forward Juan Toscano-Anderson, per Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Sacramento Kings are signing F Juan Toscano-Anderson to a one-year deal, sources tell ESPN. Toscano-Anderson — who’s had stops with the Warriors, Lakers and Jazz — has been playing with Mexico City of the G League.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 14, 2023
Toscano-Anderson won an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors just two seasons ago, and while one may look at his stats and feel he’ll only make a marginal impact on his new team, he could be more impactful than his numbers may indicate.
He is an energetic, if not a great, defender, and he is an unselfish player who can fit in well with Sacramento’s second unit.
Toscano-Anderson hasn’t played yet this season after the Los Angeles Lakers traded him to the Utah Jazz last February.
Last season, Sacramento was an offensive juggernaut that averaged 120.7 points a game, but this season, they have fallen to ninth in scoring and 14th in offensive rating, even though star guard De’Aaron Fox is averaging 29.5 points a game.
Their big weakness is defense — they’re just 20th in defensive rating, and last year they were 24th in that category.
On Thursday, the Kings will start a six-game homestand with a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are in second place in the Western Conference, and after a three-game road trip to end December, they will host four more in a row at Golden 1 Center.
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