Zach LaVine ended the Sacramento Kings’ season with a clear message about where his priorities stand. “Where I’m at in my career is we want to win,” he said on Monday, April 13, after a year in which Sacramento finished 22-60 and missed the postseason.
LaVine said the season did not meet expectations individually or collectively. “This isn’t the year that we wanted,” he said. “It’s not the year that you want individually, but you take the cards that you’re dealt and you keep moving forward.”
The veteran guard said the next step is reflection and adjustment, not excuses. “You go into the offseason, reevaluate, and you go from there,” LaVine said. “You look back on the season and a lot of things we did wrong. A lot of things we could have corrected earlier.”
Health was a major factor in Sacramento’s uneven year, and LaVine said that reality still leaves room for growth. “I think it’s hard not to play what-ifs,” he said. “What if you had been healthy? What if the team had been healthy? How different things can be.”
LaVine, who averaged 19.2 points in 39 games, also pointed to the positives inside a difficult season. “The camaraderie obviously the team aspect,” he said. “This team actually was a group of really good guys that really got along and never really quit.”
He added that the locker room stayed engaged even when results did not. “Everybody was pulling for each other,” LaVine said. “Everyone worked hard. There wasn’t a lot of days off in here where people were just checked out.”
With his player option looming, LaVine made it clear that his next move will be evaluated carefully. “I have a lot of control,” he said. “I’ll go back and talk to my representative and figure out what’s the best course of action.”
LaVine also noted the personal value of playing alongside veterans such as DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook. “Me and D have known each other for a long time,” he said. “I’ve known Russ for a while and actually being able to play with him and not just see him in the offseason was great.”
The Kings’ injuries opened the door for younger players, and LaVine said that development mattered. “Max is really talented, very skillful,” he said. “Dylan’s energy and him being able to how he can affect the game just with how he almost became a fan favorite in two days, it’s cool to see people coming to their own.”
LaVine closed by stressing structure and fit as Sacramento looks ahead. “We could do a lot better job with having a rhythm out there and figuring out the right rotations, lineups,” he said. “Everyone wants to be the best version of themselves.”
