SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for November: 25. Sacramento Kings

+Sacramento Kings  Overall Win/Loss Record (as of November 30th): 4-10, fifth place Pacific Division	Projected 2013/2014 Finish 23	This Month: 25
Team Statistics and League Rank Points Scored: 95.8 (22nd) Points Allowed: 99.5 (16th) Team FG%: .425 (22nd) Opponent’s FG%: .467 (24th) Team FT%: .771 (12th) Team Three Point FG%: .327 (22nd) Rebounds per game: 41.0 (23rd) Opponents rebounds per game: 42.8 (17th) Turnovers per game: 12.8 (2nd) Opponents turnovers per game: 15.1 (21st)	Individual Statistical Leaders Scoring (ppg): DeMarcus Cousins (21.3) Rebounds per game:  DeMarcus Cousins (10.5) Minutes per game: DeMarcus Cousins (30.5) Assists per game:  Greivis Vasquez (5.2) Field Goal Percentage: Greivis Vasquez (.473) Free Throw Percentage:  John Salmons (1.00) Three Point FG Percentage: Jimmer Fredette (.500) Steals per game: DeMarcus Cousins (1.7) Blocked Shots per game: DeMarcus Cousins (1.2)
SDH’s Worst of the Month: Jimmer Fredette After having a promising sophomore campaign where he averages nearly eight points in under 15 minutes of playing time, it looked as if Jimmer Fredette was ready to take that next step and finally give his fans justification for rooting for him. Unfortunately, it seems as if his career has hit another speed bump with the arrival of Greivis Vasquez and the emergence of Isaiah Thomas has shoved him out back into the cold once again.  In the month of November, Freddette had played just six out of fifteen games, but still managed to put up respectable numbers in limited minutes averaging four points, two rebounds and two assists in just over twelve minutes per game.  The most notable of his numbers was that despite shooting .360 from the field in his limited time on the court, he still managed to stroke it from beyond the arc at .500.  If he were just given the opportunity of have regular consistent, Jimmer Fredette would certainly provide fans quite a show if one were to stretch his numbers over a extended period of time; however, as long as he remains in Sacramento, he may never get that chance.	SDH’s First of the Month: Isaiah Thomas Probably one of the greatest feel good stories to ever come out from the onset of the 2013/2014 NBA season has to be the emergence of the Kings' third year point guard who was lucky to be taken with the final pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. Once considered nothing much more than an afterthought, Isaiah Thomas has exploded out of the gates as he has come of the bench to post a career high of 17.1 points per game, second on the team behind DeMarcus Cousins.   Along with his phenomenal offensive production, Thomas has also taken a greater role as a leader on the team even superseding the recently arrived Kings' starting point guard Greivis Vasquez.  If he continues his stellar performance, Isaiah Thomas will certainly be in the running for both the league's Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year Awards--that is if he does not bump Vasquez from the starting lineup before then.  One thing is for certain, her will be certainly be in for a massive pay raise come season's end as he will be be a restricted free agent who will be paid a minuscule 890$ thousand for the year.
Despite the the rather poor 4-10 start, there is a much more bright and positive outlook for the city of Sacramento as it began the season with the knowledge that their NBA team that has been with them for more than 30 years is here to stay and a front office that has a new devotion to winning.  No longer will their team be cruelly dangled in front of them only to be pulled away once they got too close and gone is the poisonous atmosphere that was spawned by the previous regime who schemed to rip the team out of its home for three decade.  Now with new ownership who is not only committed to keeping the team in the Californian state capital but also determined to make this team a winner at the same time, there is not only a great sense of relief, but also joy that good times are just around the corner.  No bigger sign there to show the commitment of the team's new direction was when they committed in the off season signing the talented and much maligned center, DeMarcus Cousins, to a maximum contract extension making him the official face of the franchise.  Now with their key piece in the fold, the Kings can focus on the future as both the team and the city of Sacramento have been infused with a new breath of life and a light of hope as they have been literally given a second chance. So far, the results have been less than spectacular as the new look Kings still look more like the old tired Kings the previous season as they did not look that much different losing seven of their first ten games and ending the month of November, losing three of the team's last four games.  Nonetheless, despite the poor start, the atmosphere still remains positive and upbeat instead of the team simply looking down upon themselves and accepting their fates as perennial losers, they look at each game as a chance to better and that attitude reflects both on and off the court.  The story has not been so much about the Kings struggled at the start of the season as most of the talk has been about the improved chemistry and increased camaraderie among the players, coaching staff and front office.  There has yet to be any stories about player in fighting, selfish play or any sign of the poor chemistry that had been rotting the team from the inside for much of the past four or five years as everyone has essentially put all that toxic past behind them and are pushing forward to a brighter tomorrow.  In addition, it also seems that the players have started to buy into the new pervasive team culture and it has benefited them in ways that probably neither they or anybody thought could have ever been possible. The biggest change had to have come from DeMarcus Cousins who had gone from being labelled a spoiled selfish brat and team pariah to becoming a true leader and beacon for his team to follow, both on and off the court.  He has already stepped up his performance on the court as he is posted the best numbers in his career leading the Kings on both sides of the court--in points, rebounds, steals and blocked shots per game--and his teammates have followed suit.  Now tabbed as the focal point of the team's offense, DeMarcus no longer needs to force and take bad shots because he is all but certain to get the ball in the places he wants and has been able to take higher efficiency shots than he did.  In turn, the rest of the team have diminished the number of turnover committed from the previous season as there is a clearer focus on what needs to be done, instead of simply winging it and having the ball be turned over once again because of careless play on their part.  Instead of every player trying to make a play off isolation, there is actual ball movement which has led to better play on the offensive end and a better chance at getting back on defense when they get caught in transition. Although it has been evidently clear that the team has taken strides in not only improving their offensive execution and strengthening the defense, there still remain some wrinkles that certainly need to be ironed out if there are to go anywhere further.  For starters, the Kings still remain one of the league's worst defensive teams when it comes to their opponents' field goal percentage as they allow opposing teams to shoot an incredibly high at nearly .470.  Not only do they allow their foot to out shoot-them .470 to .430, the Kings also allow opposing team to beat them on the glass, albeit by a rather slim margin; nonetheless, as long as the Kings allow teams to beat them both at the basket and on the boards, do not expect them going very far especially in the Western Conference.  One glimmer of hope for Sacramento has been the team's ability to take care of the ball as can be seen by their rather low turnover rate at less than 13 per game, which is second in the league, and their assist to turnover ratio has vastly improved from the previous season as well.  Another good point is that they also force more turnovers than they commit them making team's lose possession at an average of 16 times per game--a plus 3 margin; and despite allow teams to shoot at a high percentage, the Kings have thus far kept the scoring low allowing those who face them to score just 99.5 point while keeping the games relatively close as they have lost by an average of four points thus far this season.  All point to signs that although they still have a long ways to go before they are anywhere near to taking on the best in the west, the Sacramento Kings seem to be heading towards the right direction. Although it is certainly a forgone conclusion that the Kings will most definitely return to the lottery at the end of the season as they have done for the past few seasons, one thing remains starkly different: and that is that unlike those season, there is a greater sense of hope for a brighter future.  The team is now bound to their city for the long haul and has committed itself to a culture of excellence instead of allowing itself to remain the laughing stock that it has been for the last few years.   What is also very apparent is that unlike past seasons, the Kings are not going to stand idly by and allow their losing continue; instead they have been continuously searching for ways to improve the team in order to get them on the right track.  Recently, the Kings had already made two big trades sending swing man Luc Richard Mbah a Moute to the +Minnesota Timberwolves in return for Derrick Williams and swung a deal to get +Rudy Gay from the +Toronto Raptors. And don't think that the Kings are finished wheeling and dealing because with three months left until the trade deadline, it is almost certain that Sacramento is far from finished at tweaking the roster as they continue on their quest to return to relevancy.