Members of Sacramento Kings garner top rankings in annual survey of NBA general managers
Several members of the Kings organization received high praise from NBA general managers in the annual survey of the league’s top executives.
The Kings garnered recognition in a number of categories in the 50-question survey. Kings head coach Mike Brown, assistant coach Jordi Fernandez and All-NBA point guard De’Aaron Fox earned first-place finishes in their respective categories. The results came as the Kings prepared to play their second preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday at Honda Center in Anaheim.
Brown was identified as the head coach who runs the best offense with 33% of the vote, finishing ahead of Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr (23%), Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone (17%), Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch (13%) and Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle (7%). Brown became the first unanimous winner of the NBA Coach of the Year award last season after leading the Kings to 48 wins and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, ending the franchise’s 16-year playoff drought.
Fernandez was named the league’s best assistant coach by a wide margin with 31% of the vote, topping the Milwaukee Bucks’ Terry Stotts (10%), Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Young (10%) and Boston Celtics’ Sam Cassell (7%) and Charles Lee (7%). Fernandez, who served as an assistant in Denver before joining Brown’s staff in Sacramento last season, was a candidate for a number of head coaching jobs over the summer. Kings assistant Jay Triano also received votes in this category.
Fox was selected as an overwhelming winner as the fastest player with the ball in his hands, garnering 57% of the vote. Fox topped Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant (37%). Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks and Jaden Ivey of the Detroit Pistons also received votes.
The Kings, who set an NBA record for offensive rating and led the league in scoring in 2022-23, were No. 2 in terms of which team will have the league’s most efficient offense this season. The Denver Nuggets (34%) were No. 1 followed by the Kings, Golden State Warriors (14%), Celtics (10%), Bucks (7%) and Suns (7%).
Sacramento was No. 3 in terms of which team is the most fun to watch with 20% of the vote, finishing behind the Nuggets (30%) and Golden State Warriors (23%). The Kings were also third in response to a question about the best home-court advantage with 13% of the vote, trailing only the Nuggets (37%) and Warriors (17%).
NBA general managers were not as high on the Kings when asked to predict the Western Conference standings. The Nuggets were No. 1 followed by the Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Grizzlies with the Kings and New Orleans Pelicans tied for seventh.
