Zach LaVine has never been one to hold back, and this week he delivered one of the most honest assessments of the season. After the Sacramento Kings fell to the Los Angeles Lakers, the veteran guard admitted his own team has “bad defenders”, owned up to his own mistakes, and left no doubt about how frustrated he is with the Kings’ dreadful start. Days later, he was benched for the entire fourth quarter against Miami, adding another twist to a difficult week.
Here is the latest news on Zach LaVine, his form, his comments and what they mean for the struggling Kings.
LaVine’s brutally honest verdict after the Lakers loss
The flashpoint came on Wednesday, 4 November, when the Kings lost 116-103 at home to the Los Angeles Lakers and fell to 1-7 for the season. Luka Doncic dismantled Sacramento’s defence with 40 points, and after the game LaVine did not hide his feelings.
“They’ve got some bad defenders on their team, but so do we, so they exploited them,” LaVine told reporters, in comments that quickly spread across social media. He also pointed to the turnovers, saying: “We gotta cut down on turnovers. I had a couple of dumb ones, and we had just a couple of unfortunate plays too.”
It was a striking admission from a senior player, and it was backed up by the numbers. The Kings lost the turnover battle 18-12 and allowed the Lakers to score 23 points off turnovers. LaVine himself had a team-high six turnovers on the night, even as he scored 21 points.
A defence in deep trouble
LaVine’s comments reflected a wider problem. The Kings rank 28th in the league in defensive rating this season, allowing 119.4 points per 100 possessions, and they are giving up 123.3 points per game. Doncic’s 40-point night was the sixth straight game in which he had scored 40 or more, and Sacramento had no answer for him.
The Kings began the season with six straight losses before recording their first win against Dallas, and the Lakers defeat sent them straight back into the loss column. With Ben Simmons out for the season after Achilles surgery, the roster is thin on defenders, and LaVine’s honesty only underlined what everyone watching could already see.
LaVine’s strong scoring form
Despite the team’s struggles, LaVine himself has been scoring well. He is averaging 23.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game this season, shooting 49.6 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from three-point range on 7.6 attempts per game, and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line.
He started the season in fine form, scoring 50 points across Sacramento’s first two games and recording his first 30-point game of the season in the opening week. He scored at least 22 points in each of the Kings’ first four games, and against the Spurs he made 70 percent of his shots from the field.
This is a contract year for LaVine, which makes his form doubly important. A strong first half of the season could put him on the radar of contending teams ahead of the February trade deadline, and his scoring has been one of the few bright spots in a dark start for Sacramento.
Benched for the fourth quarter against Miami
The latest twist came on Sunday, 8 November, against the Miami Heat. LaVine scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting in 25 minutes, but he was subbed out with 4:03 remaining in the third quarter and did not return. Head coach Doug Christie instead played rookie Darius Acuff Jr. and Malik Monk in the backcourt for the entire fourth quarter.
The Kings made no injury announcement, and LaVine had only one foul, so foul trouble was not the reason. It was an eye-catching decision, and it raised questions about LaVine’s role as the Kings hand more responsibility to Acuff, their seventh pick in the 2026 draft, who has led the team in scoring five times in the first eight games.
LaVine has dealt with right elbow inflammation this season but has not missed a game, and there has been no suggestion that fitness was behind the early exit against Miami.
What comes next for Zach LaVine
The Kings are 1-8 and in the middle of a rebuild, with a rookie running the offence and two of their highest-paid veterans, LaVine and Domantas Sabonis, getting fewer touches than they are used to. That is a difficult mix, and LaVine’s blunt comments suggest the frustration is real.
For LaVine, the path forward is clear enough: keep scoring efficiently, look after the ball, and stay healthy. If he does that, he will either help the Kings steady their season or become an attractive option for a contender before the trade deadline. Either way, the coming weeks will say a lot about where his future lies.
For now, the Kings need their veteran guard. The defence may be a problem for the whole roster to fix, but LaVine’s scoring is one of the few things keeping Sacramento competitive, and his honesty this week showed a player who still cares deeply about winning. For more celebrity and sports news, visit the Celebrity Hub homepage.