​Defense has been a weakness for the Sacramento Kings for several years, but Keegan Murray and De’Andre Hunter could be the foundation for change next season.Sacramento hasn’t finished better than 15th in points allowed per game since drafting Murray in 2023. The team consistently gives up 115 or more points, and last season, it recorded the third-worst defensive rating in NBA history.Murray, who dealt with a torn UCL and lingering ankle issues, and Hunter, whom the Kings traded for at the deadline, underwent season-ending surgery, compounding the defensive issues.A lengthy offseason has given both ample time to recover and raise the team’s defensive floor. They won’t suddenly turn Sacramento into one of the NBA’s best defenses, but it’s a start.Hunter and Murray give coach Doug Christie the ability to implement a switching scheme. The two forwards have the lateral quickness to guard the best on-ball scorers, and both on the floor let Christie hide a weaker defender on a corner shooter.Matt George, host of the “Matt George Podcast,” used Stephen Curry as an example of how the duo gives the Kings defensive versatility the team has lacked.”Curry looks for a screen to try and force a switch so he can go one-on-one against Darius Acuff Jr. or Zach LaVine or a weaker defender,” George said on Thursday’s episode. “Now DeAndre Hunter is there to switch and potentially take some of that pressure off of Keegan.”Curry is a superstar who can make tough shots look easy, even on the best defenders. Murray or Hunter aren’t the best players to guard him, but they’re better than Acuff or LaVine.They are bigger bodies and can disrupt Curry’s rhythm, forcing him to pass and relocate or take a contested shot.Possessions like that should be a win in Sacramento’s book. Changing the defense is a multi-season work in progress, and general manager Scott Perry is taking the necessary steps.Perry has bolstered the team’s defensive depth by signing Ben Simmons and drafting Emanuel Sharp this offseason.Simmons, a 6-foot-10 point forward, can guard the perimeter and has the core strength to absorb contact against big men.Sharp earned a rookie superlative from Chris Cenac Jr., his former teammate at Houston. He said his former teammate is the best defender in the rookie class.The 22-year-old was part of an elite Houston defense that held opponents to 62.3 points per contest, the fewest in the Big 12. He averaged 1.1 steals throughout his college career, including a career-high 1.5 in the 2022-23 season.Sacramento has the pieces to raise its defensive floor, far from the “worst defense in the NBA” criticism it has received from the media.