15 reasons to watch the Kentucky basketball players in the NBA Playoffs
Kings are a Kentucky Wildcats haven
A trio of former Kentucky Wildcats are also three of the most important players on the Sacramento Kings.
It starts with De’Aaron Fox. Now in his sixth season in the NBA, Fox has turned into a superstar, earning an All-Star nod for the first time in his career. He’s the main catalyst on a Kings team that reached the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2006. Could this year start a run of eight straight playoff appearances? It might start and end with Fox.
Fox’s scoring and playmaking abilities are second to very few in the NBA. Despite facing Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, Fox won’t back down from anyone.
Fox is joined by Malik Monk. The two Kentucky Wildcats played with each other in college. Both were lottery picks, but Monk, who went 11th to Charlotte, had fallen below his potential before joining the Kings.
Now, he’s just short of a career-high in points per game and is a key contributor to the Kings’ offense. Monk can also get hot in a moment’s notice from deep, opening up the possibility for some pretty big offensive explosions.
Trey Lyles is the other former UK star on the Kings. A bit more of an NBA veteran, this is his fifth team in eight seasons. He’s still a key factor, averaging over 15 minutes per game and pulling down over 4 rebounds per contest.
All three Kentucky basketball players on the Kings are rotation players that have helped make Sacramento’s season one of the most entertaining in the league.
The Kings and Warriors start their series on Saturday night:
- Game 1: Warriors at Kings, Apr. 15, 8:30 p.m. on ABC
- Game 2: Warriors at Kings, Apr. 17, 10 p.m. on TNT
- Game 3: Kings at Warriors, Apr. 20, 10 p.m. on TNT
- Game 4: Kings at Warriors, Apr. 23, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
- Game 5: Warriors at Kings, Apr. 26, TBD
- Game 6: Kings at Warriors, Apr. 28, TBD
- Game 7: Warriors at Kings, Apr. 30, TBD