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Kings fans are disappointed. At the end of the 2025-26 season, Hector finished third in the MVP Ranking behind Giannis and Luka Doncic, who got his second MVP in a row. With a huge season for Hector punctuated by a third place in the Western Conference, he lost by a narrow margin to the Mavs player.

The Mavs have one more win than Sacramento, but the community voted for Doncic. The Kings finished a 50-win season for the first time since Hector's draft: 52 wins and 30 losses. The Mavericks had one more win than Sacramento.

Hector's season was memorable. He didn't break his steal record but became the 5th fastest player to get 1,000 steals in 423 games. The only leads are Chris Paul (420), Michael Ray Richardson (383), Michael Jordan (362), and Alvin Robinson (351).

He has reigned in the rebounding category for three years and is the winner of his second DPOY this season. A mammoth season where he averaged 25.8 points, 15.3 rebounds, 6 assists, 3.66 steals, and 2 blocks.

No one would have been yelling if he was MVP. But the season's big event is the retirement of the great LeBron James. He always wanted to play with or against his son in the NBA, but his heart attack in 2023 ended his career before it even began.

After a season in which the Kings finished in 3rd place in the Western Conference, they faced the Lakers of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. LeBron James wanting to end his NBA career with a title saw Hector and the Kings send him out of the first round.

The Kings sweeper the Lakers by a very slim margin. The wins have a differential of 12 points overall, which is the lowest of any playoff sweep in NBA history.

The Kings won the first contest by two points and followed up with wins by only, three, three and four to finish the series. They lost to the Mavericks, who lost in the NBA Finals, to Giannis' Bucks, who won their second title.

The Milwaukee Bucks are champions in the 2025-26 season with a mind-blowing Giannis in the Finals and swept Dallas. The duo of Giannis and Middleton defeated the Miami Heat in the Conference Finals. It reigned supreme during the regular season and logically put themselves in an excellent position to win a ring.

For the first time in his career, Giannis' Bucks reached 60 wins. They had the second-best season in their history with 64 wins, and the best was the 1971 season with 66 wins.

They lost the NBA Cup to the Lakers in the Finals, but they won the NBA title.

Giannis is anchored among the legends of the league. It is in these conditions that the shadow of the 2026-27 season arrives. The Kings roster still has the same core, and Keegan Murray has secured his new contract.

Same for De'Aaron Fox, who extended for another four years. There are two years left on the contract of Malik Monk, who is satisfied with his role in the team. But sacrifices had to be made, and Huerter paid the price.

His defense was problematic in the playoffs, and Ewing preferred Duarte, who also extended his contract in Sacramento. There are at least 2 years left on each player in the Kings' core, and all have a collective experience together.

The collective experience is one of the main factors for the title in the NBA. With a set of players strong in age, without contract problems, and united as ever, one thing needs to be added for this team to qualify as a favorite for the title.

If there were an NBA player tier, Hector would be in tier 2. Tier 2 is where these players live where the question "Can he be the best player on a winning team?" Tier 1 players have proven that the Tier 2 question is yes.

They are great players of all time who have proven their ability to lead their teams to an NBA championship. Lebron, Giannis, Jokic, Curry, Kawhi, that's what the Kings lack, and the Tier 2 issue weighs heavily. The Kings are missing a Tier 1 player, according to specialists.

That impression will be swept away this season, as in the dark, the Kings dazzled the league with a Mexican from almost nowhere. No one thought it so strongly.