The NBA is coming back July 30 and not a moment too soon for basketball fans who have been deprived a proper conclusion to the 2019-20 season since Rudy Gobert’s positive coronavirus test March 11 that set off the worldwide cascade of sports league cancellations. Now, the NBA will look to finish what it started with a 22-team “bubble” at the Disney Resorts in Orlando, an eight-game finish to the regular season and four best-of-7 playoff rounds to determine a champion. We take a look at each of the teams involved as we move closer to the official return and today we’ll look at the Sacramento Kings team in our Sports Intel preview:

Sacramento Kings Team Preview 2019-2020 Re-Boot

(28-36, 11th in West, 3.5 behind No. 8)

Where we left off: The Kings were seeing mixed results ahead of the NBA’s halt in March.  The team won seven of its last ten, with the final game against the Toronto Raptors on March 8 ending in a loss.  However, there were definite signs of power and talent in that game.  The team appeared to be finding its rhythm, but took a tumble because of COVID-19.  It’s going to have a difficult time recovering from the league suspension, especially after the recent return of the coronavirus to the team’s training facility.

Remaining schedule: July 31, San Antonio Spurs; Aug. 2, Orlando Magic; Aug. 4, Dallas Mavericks; Aug. 6, New Orleans Pelicans; Aug. 7, New York Nets; Aug. 9, Houston Rockets; Aug. 11, Pelicans; Aug. 13, LA Lakers.

Projected starting lineup: PG De’Aaron Fox, SG Bogdan Bogdanovic, PF Harrison Barnes, C Richaun Holmes, fifth TBA, possibly Marvin Bagley III

Key injuries, absentees: C Alex Len (COVID-19), Buddy Hield (COVID-19)

Odds to Win Title: 2,000-1

Can they win it all? The Kings have the final playoff spot for the Western Conference, which shows how well they were doing when the season stopped.  If the team has any chance of making it all the way, they have to play tight and keep within reaching distance of the Memphis Grizzlies while, at the same time, racking up victories against the Trail Blazers, the Pels, the Spurs and the Suns – not an easy feat.  Can they?  Possibly.  Will They?  Probably not.

That’s it for our preview of the Sacramento Kings team ahead of the NBA regular season re-boot, come back soon to see what we think of the rest of the teams involved in Orlando.