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Kings GM Monte McNair Named NBA's 2022-23 Executive of the Year

Doric Sam

The Sacramento Kings may have been eliminated from the playoffs in a seven-game first-round series with the Golden State Warriors, but they still have reasons to celebrate.

The NBA announced Wednesday that Kings general manager Monte McNair was named the 2022-23 NBA Executive of the Year.

McNair received 16 first-place votes and a total of 98 points. Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman finished second with 63 points, followed by Utah Jazz GM Justin Zanik and Denver Nuggets GM Calvin Booth, who each received 20 points.

McNair's award was the latest in a slew of postseason honors for Sacramento. Head coach Mike Brown was unanimously named Coach of the Year after leading the team to a 48-34 record and its first playoff appearance since 2005-06 in his first year at the helm. Star point guard De'Aaron Fox received the inaugural Clutch Player of the Year Award, while big man Domantas Sabonis led the league in total rebounds and rebounds per game.

McNair helped assemble a roster that ranked first in the NBA with 120.7 points per game during the regular season. Six players on the team averaged more than 12 points, and the team shot 49.4 percent from the field, second in the league.

McNair is the second Kings executive to win the award, joining former president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie, who was named Executive of the Year following the 1998-99 and 2000-01 seasons.

While Sacramento's playoff ousting might have been disappointing, the franchise can be optimistic about the future. If McNair addresses the team's deficiencies in the offseason—namely a defense that ranked 25th in defensive rating, according to Basketball Reference—the Kings will have a good chance to duplicate this year's success and he could be in the running for Executive of the Year once again.

   

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