Following the Kings third loss of its four-game road trip, Tristan Thompson delivered some of the most forthright comments in his postgame press conference that we have ever seen in Sacramento. The 10-year veteran sounded off on a variety of things that need to be fixed.
Thompson, who finished with 8 points and 9 rebounds in 17 minutes of action in the loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, said his frustration is from a place of tough love because he cares, wants to win, knows what this team is capable of and cares about his teammates.
“If I thought this team wasn’t shit or had no potential then I probably wouldn’t feel the way I feel,” he said. “What guys have got to understand is that those little things over the course of 48 minutes, the my bads, after the my bads after the my bads is what’s going to cost you the game in the fourth quarter and the reason why we got a loss.”
Thompson highlighted a number of things the team needs to do, including:
- When shots aren’t falling picking it up on defense.
- Saying, “the one area where you can be selfish and no one can get mad at you is rebounding.” He said all five guys on the floor need to rebound and have an understanding of what kind of shots result in where the ball might bounce off the rim – particularly how missed threes will come back to around the free throw area.
- Knowing how to break zone defense: “When teams go zone, just give it a second. When you get the ball, just take your time, survey, throw a pass fake a shot fake, and see how they react.” He said the middle of the floor was wide open against the Timberwolves.
“All that stuff is like, you can fix that stuff. It’s not a talent, or you don’t have the right personnel, it’s just a want and make it a priority,” he said.
Thompson said the Kings should have went 4-0 on this road trip, 3-1 at the best, because 3 of the 4 of the teams they played don’t really want to win because the franchises want to get a high pick in the draft. Yet, he’s going to keep doing what he can to help and noted that no one is coming to save them, specifically any players from the Kings glory years.
“I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that we keep pushing, man. No one is going to feel sorry for you. This is the NBA, no one is going to feel sorry for you. C Webb and Bibby aren’t walking through that door, so you’ve got to keep pushing each and every day. Keep getting better in practice, keep watching the film, learn from the mistakes. If we all can just get 1 percent better each and every day, then we’ll get our fair shares of wins.”
This is all a matter of basketball fundamentals, effort and things we have been hearing for years in Sacramento. Thompson’s intensity fully came out when he was asked about where the vocal leadership is coming from when opponents go on runs and if it’s on the coaching staff or the players:
“No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them. … You can put that in all capitals. Me personally, no one should ever need a coach to inspire you. If you don’t get inspired in a game, then you shouldn’t be on the court. Losing teams, losing players, you need to get inspiration from your coach, and I’m not with that shit. My teammates better not be; my teammates aren’t with it because I know guys want to win, they want to win badly. So, it’s not about coach Walton inspiring you, this is not no freaking glory road shit; no, you’ve got to be ready to play. Your number is called, you’re in the damn game, I don’t need no fucking coach to inspire me. Never that, never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I’m fucking retiring. I’m going to play with my kids in the park. I speak for my teammates with that quote, so we don’t need no coach to inspire us.”
He then elaborated on the troubles with defense that still linger, and pivoted to an interesting comment about not having a go-to guy…
“I know [Karl-Anthony] Towns is a good player, but we had a game plan for him and, yes you want to force him left, but if he gets right you’re teammates got to have your back. You’ve got to help your teammates. The same way where if I get beat and I want my teammate to be there, I’ve got to be there for him. That’s part of being on a string and that’s how you build a defensive mentality. And the league is fucking hard. It’s hard to win. We don’t have the luxury of having that go-to guy like a Lebron [James], a Kawhi [Leonard], or a PG [Paul George], or a Jayson Tatum, or Luka [Doncic]. We’ve got to win collectively. So those little things like with Towns, or even with Anthony Edwards, we’ve got to shrink and show bodies and make them second guess the moves they’re about to make.”
All of this was followed up by a conversation with De’Aaron Fox who commented about how the team shouldn’t get “bored” with playing correctly.
“We talk about doing the right thing, but we just have to be able to do it. We talked about not getting bored with doing the right thing and that’s what we need to do,” he said.
He also was asked about his leadership style.
“Just trying to get guys in their spots, talk to guys. Obviously, I’m not a big yeller or anything like that. I can get intense, but I don’t get intense a lot, but at this level we just have to be able to do our job,” he said.
Thompson is another among a long line of veteran players who have come through town and tried to show this team what winning takes. It hasn’t worked up until now and following the odds, it likely won’t moving forward, but it is good to at least hear some passion around what is wrong and what needs to happen to fix it. Here’s to hoping Thompson’s message to his teammates resonates.
The Kings are back home Friday night against the 7-8 Toronto Raptors.
Words. Bad teams gots them!
Can he play SF?
He’s only 6’5″, but 6’9″ with the afro.
Hopefully this inspirational rant is all that is needed to overcome their glaring lack of superstars due to their ongoing inability to properly tank.
What would make you think that the Kings could use an Anthony Edwards or a LaMelo Ball?
Can this guy play SF?
The scarier thought is what if the Kings did get a LeMelo or Ant Edwards, but due to the crap culture and poor (maybe even non-existent) development program, would we screw up a potentially great player with our sh*t system?
I don’t subscribe to that theory.
Talent rises. Boogie developed here in a shit environment. IT developed here in a shit environment. LBJ was drafted into a shit environment. MJ was drafted into perhaps the shittiest NBA environment that ever existed. Embiid was drafted into a tank squad. Shaq was drafted into an expansion squad that won 18, 31, and 21 games in it’s entire existence.
It’s a top-end talent league. Period. End of story. Get some of that.
Or make meaningful roster changes.
…or just draft Luka Doncic…
Hey, we need some wings. Can you play SF?
As long as you don’t need any humps.
is that him on the second floor?
“We don’t need no coach to inspire us.” Another reason to fire Walton! Thanks, TT.
I guess they don’t need no coach because they already have no coach.
This made me have a new respect for TT. I was pretty “meh” about his signing but this dude has fire and wants to win. I know other vets have come here and said the same thing but I’ll tell you I appreciate it every time I hear it, even if we are just a losing franchise and nothing changes that.
This is the kind of mentality Fox should have but just doesn’t. Leadership isn’t just skill, it’s how you carry yourself and how you are perceived. He has skill but his leadership traits stop there. We need a firey mentality combined with the skill to back it up. Its a shame, DMC could have been it but he was far too negative.
Also, LOL at TT bringing up Luka.
I made a comment in the other thread about Fox’s lack of meanness or fire.
Yes, it is not just skill but how you carry yourself and pull your teammates if he is to be considered the franchise player.(which he is not, imho)
Then somebody retorted that I’m looking for a trait which Kawhi or Barnes doesn’t have either. But Barnes is not really the de facto leader of the Kings. And Kawhi Leonard wasn’t the Spurs’ leader during their glory years.
Kawhi is more of a lead by example. Watch how he plays defense. He also steps up and speaks when it’s needed. When the Raptors were down 0-2 to the Bucks in 2019, Kawhi simply told Nick Nurse he’s guarding Giannis and that’s that. Raps win series. Boom. Leadership.
Tristan’s like
I’m like
Team’s still like
Little boy, wanna play SF?
I’m at a loss for why everyone is getting fired up about this when it is literally no different from what multiple other players on the team have said at various points over the last decade.
Like… yeah, bud. Same. Anyway….
You’re at a loss. Let me explain. This fan base is starving for some accountability and passion from their favorite basketball team. Once a year (if we’re lucky) a veteran who’s been on several winning teams calls our bullshit excuse for a team, coaching staff, management and owners group out for how pathetic their collective performance is. Accountability means a lot to this fan base. When someone puts the 10 year, 11 year, 12 year, 13 year, 14 year, 15 year playoff drought on blast it’s pretty damn exciting.
It’s a s close as we can get to the feeling of a playoff win.
Bingo.
Agree. Agree. Agree.
And Fluke Alton’s “we’re trying to improve” go-to response on postgame pressers is somewhat encapsulated by TT’s rants on defensive mentality, “”lack” of inspirations and the bullshit “my bad, my bad, my bad” on not well-executed plays!
Thanks for explaining what a playoff drought feels like to me, a guy who watched the last playoff Kings team in real time. Much appreciated.
Accountability does not, to me, mean hearing the same warmed-over “this is how we do better” bullshit every damned year since. I don’t care about words. Show me. You know what’s closer to the feeling of a playoff win? A fucking playoff win.
I said that when this team announced they were keeping Walton in the offseason, and I meant it. My interaction with this team is now limited to Kings Twitter and the occasional snippets of game in the background of dinner until they actually produce something that looks like basketball, regardless of what the latest frustrated vet swinging through town has to say.
(also, I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at this goddamned team.)
You missed understood my tone my man. I wasn’t trying to insult your opinion. I agree with it completely. That said, you should know as well as I do why kings fans get excited about comments like Tristans. I just explained it and I have no doubt that you get it if you have apparently lived through the last 15 years with me. It’s simply some accountability being thrown out into the world of Kings basketball. Like you said, it doesn’t solve any problems. History has shown us that time and time again but it’s still pretty satisfying to hear someone from the inside call it out for what it is. It won’t make me tune into the next game live but it’s reassuring that these players and coaches and management and ownership are hearing the truth from someone they can’t ignore or right off as “that’s just outside noise”‘.
“I don’t care about words. Show me. You know what’s closer to the feeling of a playoff win? A fucking playoff win.”
everyone?
I nominate Tristan Thompson for Player Coach.
…or just coach.
Even better!
I’ve watched every game. The last week or so, every one was winnable. The individual players, they look like good ones. In the right situation, all of the top six guys- Fox, Halliburton, Buddy, Holmes, Barnes, Mitchell – they could all play a significant role on a top team. But as a group, it isn’t working. Maybe it’s the coach. Getting a team to close out games without an apex predator seems to involve a lot of tinkering with lineups, substitutions, and play calling. I also think it involves better roster balance. They are helpless against athletic big men and wings.
So what’s to be done? Tanking for a top pick to get that apex predator? Hiring a young hungry coach who isn’t afraid to try new stuff? I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure what we have isn’t working, and blowing it up is better than continuing to be mediocre.
I’m seriously considering only watching wins (check the score at the end of the night to see if I should watch the recorded game or not).
I’ve always watched live because it’s more thrilling when you don’t know the outcome, but at this point I think I’d rather take care of other things I could do with my time. The way the team is playing right now is just hopeless.
I had this exact same thought last night after watching this list game. I’m a die hard kings gambit I’m officially done watching live games until they are good. It’s not worth it man. The aggravation from the completely pathetic losses gives me is surely not healthy.
Here’s to health!
I don’t believe either one of you,,,
We can leave Hell any darned time we wish. Honest!
We have the ability within ourselves.
.
.
.
.
………..Ah, who am I kidding.
I don’t believe you will really go through with your threat…
I’ve never lost a game of Truth or Dare.
(never won one, either)
Mediocre would be amazing. 4 or 5 mediocre teams make the playoffs each year. This team hasn’t been mediocre for going on 15.
Epic rant.
My thoughts on TT and his acquisition have completely changed.
Hmm, sounds like a certain someone misses the Kardashian drama. I had to laugh, otherwise i would just cry.
I feel like we made a deal with the devil we were never told about. Vivek would save the Kings, but the catch was, he would be the GM FOREVER. God I hate the devil.
cannot correct now but obviously he the Owner not the GM. Woops. Old man brain.
No, you were probably right the first time.
Can he……..ah, nevermind.
..like Walton had in Los Angeles when he missed the playoffs with a guy like a Lebron.
It’s just another player that comes here and has been on winning teams and confirms what we all already know.
The kings roster is undisciplined, unmotivated, and clearly coddled and allowed my bads are met with oh wells.
Welcome to Basketball Hell Tristan.
Fun for the whole Kings family!
Since he remains the de facto GM regarding big moves, I’m assuming that some person in the newly formed NBA General Managers Professional Association will need to break it to Vivek that they value his interest but must decline his request to join at this time.
Thompson was very good last night, but when KAT began to heat up in the third, I kept waiting for DJones to come in, and it didn’t happen. He’s got the size, quickness and athleticism to stay with Towns, and it seemed like it might be sensible to give him a run.
Ah, just answered my own question. Thanks, everyone!
Everynody is talking about the TT comments but there’s just one quote that elicited a WTF! from me.
BORED? You guys get bored? With what? Chasing a play-in spot?
DOING THE RIGHT THING? When has this team strung together 3 consecutive games of doing the right thing?
De’Aaron, you barely know what is the right thing even if you stumbled over it during a fastbreak (remember these, fastbreaks?). How you could get bored with the right thing is beyond me.
What kind of nonsense is this?
Generally, one gets bored with a thing when you do it over and over again for a long time. So I don’t know how getting bored with “doing the right things” would apply here.
I really love what TT is saying. It definitely needs to be said. Here’s the catch 22 though. We are stuck in a a paradoxical basketball purgatory where we expect a man saying men shouldn’t need to be inspired by other men….. to inspire men with what he is saying. He’s right of course, but if we had real winners on this team he never would have needed to say this.
Badge Legend