# The Kings need more shots at the rim

> Sacramento’s offense cannot survive on poor three-point volume and too few easy looks inside.
- Title: The Kings need more shots at the rim · Sacramento Kings On SI
- Summary: Sacramento’s offense cannot survive on poor three-point volume and too few easy looks inside. The Kings already finish well at the rim, but they need far…
- Keywords: nba, kings, offense, shooting, rebuild, sports, need, more, shots, rim, Sacramento Kings On SI
- Source: Sacramento Kings On SI — https://si.com/nba/kings/onsi/one-under-the-radar-stat-the-kings-need-to-improve-next-season
- Published: 2026-09-15T19:00:01+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: nba, kings, offense, shooting, rebuild, sports
## The season was ugly
Sacramento won just 22 games, and the numbers reflected it. The Kings sat near the bottom of the league on both ends of the floor.

> it's genuinely hard to look at the stats and have any major takeaways
## Threes are problem one
The Kings made only 10.3 threes per game, last in the NBA. Getting back to league average volume and accuracy would change the offense fast.

> just 10.3 made threes per contest, last in the league
## But look closer
Three-point shooting is not the only gap. Sacramento also failed to create enough shots right at the basket.

> there's another area the Kings will have to improve
## Modern offense is simple
Good attacks usually live on threes and layups. Sacramento struggled from deep, then compounded it by rarely reaching the rim.

> The best offense relies on three point shooting and layups.
## They finished well
When the Kings got into the restricted area, they converted 69.5% of their shots. That ranked sixth in the league.

> they shot 69.5% in the restricted area
## They barely got there
The issue was volume. Sacramento took only 20.1 restricted-area shots per game, the second-fewest mark in the NBA.

> only took 20.1 attempts inside the circle per game
## The math hurt
That left the Kings at 14.0 made restricted-area shots per game, tied for second-worst. Boston and Phoenix could offset that with threes. Sacramento could not.

> 14.0 made field goals in the restricted area per contest
## Sabonis carried too much
Domantas Sabonis led the team with 6.6 restricted-area attempts per game. Precious Achiuwa was next at 3.8, a huge gap.

> Sabonis ranked 5th in the league, and Achiuwa was 84th.
## Depth must matter
Sabonis missed much of the season, and his future may not be settled. Sacramento needs more interior pressure from the rest of the roster.

> the Kings shouldn't be reliant on him
## The rookies need force
Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell took 2.5 and 2.1 restricted-area shots per game. Both young bigs need to play stronger and more often at the rim.

> increase their physicality and presence at the rim
## Raynaud has room
Raynaud leaned on floaters, taking 4.9 per game just outside the restricted area. He hit 54.7% there, but 74.6% at the rim is a far better shot diet.

> that's a drastic drop-off from his 74.6%
## Acuff can unlock it
Darius Acuff Jr. should help by attacking the rim and setting up teammates on rolls and cuts. More threes plus more layups would be real progress.

> a great first step in the right direction
## Key takeaway

The Kings already finish well at the rim, but they need far more attempts there, especially from players beyond Domantas Sabonis.