The Sacramento Kings have struggled greatly on the defensive side of the ball for years now. After ranking 30th in defensive rating last season, there’s been minimal improvement seen this year despite the decision to draft Davion Mitchell. Sacramento’s subpar perimeter containment has been highlighted by Alvin Gentry early throughout this season, but some of the recent trade deadline additions should lead to significant growth on that end of the floor.
“I think ball containment is very important and I think that immediately improves your defense,” Alvin Gentry said after their win in Washington. “That’s one of the areas that I think we’ll be better in.”
Sacramento’s victory against the Washington Wizards was the debut of Donte DiVincenzo in royal purple. It’s no secret that general manager Monte McNair thinks highly of the Villanova product as evidenced by his previous attempt to acquire the guard via sign-and-trade during Bogdan Bogdanovic’s restricted free agency over a year ago.
With the defensive shortcomings that have been apparent since McNair accepted the position in late 2020, it’s easy to understand why DiVincenzo was targeted. The Kings have been labeled as soft as recently as earlier this season. But, many of their new pieces, including DiVincenzo, help create a culture of competitiveness and toughness that McNair made clear he’s striving for when he spoke to the media last Saturday.
“We want competitors, toughness. We certainly know that, as we’ve talked about in the past, that we need to continue to improve our rebounding and defense,” McNair said. “I think that all these guys that we brought in are not just great players, good talents, all that type of stuff, but guys who are going to fit into that type of culture that we’re trying to build here.”
We’ve only seen him play in two games as a member of the Kings, but it’s been apparent that Donte DiVincenzo fits that mold on the defensive side of the ball. On top of the toughness, DiVincenzo’s defensive IQ is evident, and it’s been weird to hear the players and coaching staff recently highlight that the team is full of high IQ players. If someone were to have said that one week ago, the entire fanbase would have laughed.
But, as of today, it’s easy to see where they are coming from and how DiVincenzo fits the description. Take this play as an example.
DiVincenzo recognizes that both Richaun Holmes and Justin Holiday are concerned with containing Patty Mills, which leaves LaMarcus Aldridge with a free roll to the basket. When Chimezie Metu fails to slow Aldridge down around the nail, DiVincenzo takes action into his own hands. It looks like Metu may have been there to get the steal himself, but no matter, it’s impressive to see Divincenzo recognize the action from his position in the weakside corner.
That level of understanding and awareness, paired with his 6’4.5” frame and 6’6” wingspan gives Sacramento some much-needed defensive versatility moving forward. In the Wizards matchup alone, we saw Donte DiVincenzo stay in front of speedy guards like 6’0” Ish Smith and 6’1” Raul Neto on the perimeter. He also battled with 6’9” Deni Avdija and 6’9” Kyle Kuzma on multiple occasions.
The perimeter containment that’s been severely lacking is there. You can see his extremely active and disruptive hands both on and off the ball. There are even moments where DiVincenzo functions as a rim protector of sorts when he’s the low-man. And he certainly does not mind getting physical when guarding players with a size advantage.
“I think there’s a toughness about him that you can’t teach,” Alvin Gentry said. “It’s either there or it’s not and I think, for him, it’s there.” Coach told the media that he believes that Donte DiVincenzo can guard ones, twos, and threes and we’ve already seen an increase in three-guard lineups because of Gentry’s comfortability with DiVincenzo guarding up.
“Night in and night out I’m gonna compete on the defensive end. I can guard multiple positions,” DiVincenzo said after his Sacramento debut. “I’m gonna scrap, I’m gonna claw, and I’m trying to get wins here. That’s my only focus.”
That’s the competitiveness and toughness that McNair highlighted on full display. The lineups where he is playing alongside Davion Mitchell, who feels very similar in that aspect, have defensive potential unlike anything Sacramento has seen in years. It’s been refreshing, to say the least, and it feels like De’Aaron Fox shares that feeling.
“Just him coming in and being a guy who’s been on a championship team, he’s brought a level of intensity,” Fox said. “That level of communication… he’s added that to our team.”
Lack of communication was common reasoning we heard pointed out by the players and coaching staff after some of their poor defensive showings earlier this season. But, with the recent changes, it feels like there is potential for the Sacramento Kings to take a jump on the defensive end of the floor with Donte DiVincenzo being a primary reason for the newfound optimism surrounding this team.
“I’m just trying to bring what I’ve done in Milwaukee here and I think the thing I had there was just my energy and my effort,” DiVincenzo said. “I think that’s gonna be contagious.”
Definitely could do worse for your 7th guy in your rotation, energy, hustle and willing passer, just need to gel and chuck it less on those 3s and he’ll be just fine. As it stands we can top out as a 7th seed once we gel, trade our first for another impactful Vet, and get inhouse improvements and all of a sudden we’ll have the makings of a top 10 team of the league.
A top ten team just like that? Lol.
Crazy Huh? “Washed” up Derozen and Chris Paul have their teams in the top 5 on perpetual losing teams, yeah Just like that.
Whoever called those two “washed up? Their recent contract signings certainly don’t reflect that.
We need some sustained success before a FA like that will join here. Nobody will come after one year. Sabonis on a long term contract and two years of playoffs are probably needed.
This is a tad irrelevant. The Kings don’t have much cap space to work with unless a lot of money gets moved off the roster. They are far more likely, by a very large factor at that (100x?), to make the impact addition via trade and less likely, because it’s a rookie you’re bringing in, through the draft.
If you make a smart FA signing via the NT MLE, I’ll be quite thrilled. Because that’s likely to be the most impactful thing the Kings could do.
For an example, I just constructed a fake trade in mind for example purposes. The Kings could trade for John Collins by trading Richaun Holmes, Mo Harkless and Alex Len to make the money work. A 1st round pick would almost certainly have to be included there as well.
As it stands though, that’s a trade that could be made on draft day or in July. It also allows the Kings to move on from Holmes in a good way, and doesn’t cost you Terence Davis if you so choose.
I’m not sure if the Kings ultimately do that or not. There’s merits to it and there’s issues (is Collins the rim protector you need next to Sabonis, are there enough shots for him to make him happy would be my primary questions) to this type of deal.
Ultimately, I think the Kings are looking at the Jerami Grant’s, John Collins among the more expensive players out there. Oshae Brissett (Indiana), Nic Claxton (Brooklyn), and Patrick Williams (Chicago) are likely on their radar as either trade gets or sign in FA.
But this is where I think this summer is going based on things we’ve heard in the past (rumors about Williams for instance from James Ham) or players they have talked about but not very well known publicly (like Carmichael Dave saying they did inquire about Collins last summer).
Either way, the Kings have lots of space under the tax line to make a deal work for them. It’s just a matter of how creative they can get, and I think we’ve seen that Monte McNair has the ability and the willingness to get creative.
I like the idea of pursuing Collins, but not sure I see the Hawks doing that deal. I also don’t see getting Grant while you still have Harrison Barnes, but I agree on the level of players they could potentially target. You wonder what Barnes plus a FRP gets you, or dealing Fox (which I think they should do).
I didn’t really suss out the whole thing Spackler, but they are over the tax next season when Trae Young’s extension kicks in, they are looking at potentially dealing either Capela or Collins. And both have been in plenty of rumors recently.
However, Atlanta isn’t far over the tax at this point. They have other options at their disposal than just trading Collins or Capela. They could move Bogdanovich, too, or Huerter or other players. But they are likely to have to make a decision on some of their young players vs older one’s given that DeAndre Hunter might get a contract extension worth keepig him under, Onyeka Okwongu has given the Hawks nice minutes and he’s on his rookie deal for 2 seasons after this one.
This is where being opportunistic and flexible helps. And the Kings have lots of flexibiliity and are opportunistic. Trading Buddy Hield alone gave this team a lot more options in this regard because a lot of this roster is a lot more tradeable than Buddy was.
They aren’t trading Fox.
I like Patrick Williams. One player the Kings need to look at is PJ Washington. The Hornets wanted a really good center so this might work. Also as a long shot Christan Wood could be a ood fit.
They’ve looked at all these guys. And everyone else. Acquiring them is a matter of cost.
The Notorious DDV.
Start him and bring Harkless off the bench? Same defensive potential but more playmaking cutting and shooting?
I would said put back Metu in starting lineup just like the very first game…
Metu can catch lob from Sabonis, and remember how many points Metu get in that game, which being assisted by Sabonis.
Fox, Mitchell
DDV, Holiday
Barnes, Harkless
Metu, Barnes
Sabonis, Holmes/Jones
Sounds good but I have a problem playing Metu. Good rebounder but has problems staying in front of his man. I would like to see how Lyles would do next to Sabonis. Shoots the 3 ,can drive and plays pretty good defense.
Not sure what the free agent market looks like but I agree that an ideal big to pair with Sabonis would be one that could reliably stretch the floor and anchor a defense. I kinda see why Indiana tried to make the Sabonis/Turner pairing work. I love Sabonis’ game on offense but defensively it’s concerning, especially if you want to play him at Center.
There isn’t a huge sample size of his ability to shoot the ball but I really liked what I saw out of Damian Jones when we were short-handed. Would it be crazy to kick the tires on a Sabonis/Jones pairing before the offseason?
I became a fan of his when he showed out in the 2018 March Madness tournament. He put on an epic performance, both offensively and defensively…if you haven’t seen it, you should. He goes off.
He’s got good mechanics on his jumper, and it’s fluid. Even after the injury, he has sneaky explosiveness and strength. I think with the main thing with him is staying healthy. If he does, he can be an awesome piece for the Kings.
I agree as long as he doesn’t chuck threes all night. Pick his spots.
DDV is certainly a good upgrade on Marvin Bagley. Nobody is complaining about that trade
Nobody would complain about it..
As nobody would even think about it...that we land get DDV in that trade…(not to mention that we also got Lyles and JJ)
Who mean little to the Kings at this point. Lyles and Jackson that is.
I think both could help the Kings but have to play and be evaluated . I think Lyles could be a good contributer.
I would like to see a line up of
Davion
De Aaron
Donte
Domas
Damian
The “D” Line up!
Double entendres! Me likey!
Give the other team the D
Nice article highlighting… defense??!
will always root for a player showing effort, hustle and heart.
perhaps that’s why the team has been so tough on the eyes the last number of years – because these qualities have been a rarity.
Donte has the potential to be a solid rotation player on a winner ! Bucks improved after his season ending injury and why they felt Grayson Allen was better long term !
So what I am seeing in the games and reading on here is DDV is the anti-Buddy. I AM ALL IN!
Yup. If Buddy didn’t have his shot falling, he was a complete liability on the court. When DDV doesn’t have his shot falling, he’s still worth having out there for everything else he does.
Don’t believe all that you read, I refer you back to the articles on George Hill, Cojo, and of course Dedmon. Those same people are peddling DD.
I am going by the eyeball test. I have seen a couple games of him now and I can tell he can play defense, is engaged, is tough, has active hands and wants to win. So he is an upgrade over the players you mentioned and Buddy too. Excited to see him alongside Mitchell. Also 3 guard lineups with those 2 and Fox intrigues me.
Man, if that shot starts falling …
Was listening to you on the Kings Beat with Jimmer Ham (sorry always call him that– bad habit), and was thinking about the numbers that you and James threw out there potentially for DD this summer. I was thinking your number, Brenden, of 4/40 made sense, (I know you fudged it a little by saying that number could go down) but James saying 3/24 with a team option makes sense.
i’ll take the middle ground because I think there’s a decent chance the Kings could get DD for a 3/30 deal with a team option for the 4th season. If DD is healthy, and doing Donte DiVicenzo things that’s he’s capable of, that’s not a bad deal.
The real question is what you’re paying Sabonis, Barnes, and potentially the rim protecting 4. But as long as you have Sabonis on a great contract value, you can afford to roll the dice on some high upside/impact perimeter players like DD IMO.
I’d hope for the lower number. There is some potential there, but his three point shooting has been bad most of his career. Certainly his defensive fundamentals and effort are good, and you’d hope his shooting comes around. But I’d also like to see how that defense translates to a bad defensive team before committing a pretty significant contract to a guy who got dealt for basically nothing.
And1 – the move to get him was really good. Bagley was useless at best, so to get a guy with some potential for him is a nice plus move.
Watching Donte play 5 mins is so much greater than watching buddy dropping 36 points, or 63 points in that matter. It’s nice to see someone who give a sh*t about playing defense. So refreshing!
That’s a very low bar for a basis of comparison.
We are building this guy up with terms like versatile defender, defensive stopper and of course the ubiquitous 3 and D. Keep in mind, Milwaukee traded him for virtually nothing. I just don’t see it and I fear the big overpay contract is coming from the Sacramento suckers. A Dedmon type move, here we come again. This gives you the same vibe from some of the same people. I mean a contract like TD, ok, otherwise Beware!
Trying to recall: Was it the guy who signed Dedmon, also the guy who re-signed Davis?
Because otherwise, huh?
No Sims, that’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works. Let me Kings-fan-splain this to you because you know not how this fanbase works.
Step 1: Use fuzzy logic
Step 2: Use fuzzier logic to explain fuzzy logic
Step 3: ???
Step 4: I KNOW MORE THAN THE GM GOES, SEE ME LOOKKEEEEE HERE!
You’re welcome. Glad I could help.
I think that Milwaukee was/is in luxury tax territory, so moving DDV saved them quite a bit of money. And as he had fallen out of the rotation after his injury, it made sense for them.
DDV is the kind of player that will have a journeyman career if his shot does not become consistent, but could become a plus player if he figures it out. It’s nice that the Kings figured out a way to kick the tires on him and that it cost them “virtually nothing.”
A little further investigation – moving DDV enabled them to take on Serge Ibaka. The Bucks also got some cash from the Clipper, who took on Rodney Hood and Semi Ojeleye in the deal that will offset the added tax that the Bucks will pay as a result of the net of +Ibaka/-DDV. Net-net, the Bucks dealt Hood, Ojeleye and DDV for Ibaka and cash.
Also got those 2nd rounders from Detroit, too, Milwaukee did.
If I can’t get the full Ojeleye, I don’t do the deal.
This, except that it cost the Kings less than nothing. Bagley (in my opinion) was a net negative when he was on the floor, not to mention all of the family drama. I’m not sure I’m ready to drop a Richaun Holmes deal on Divincenzo after one game, but it’s nice plus move to get him basically free.
But wait ! MB3 got double digits in his Detroit debut. He is a star- lots of left handed hook shots.
Showcase. Justification. Feed the beast.
You ever watch his hook shots. Flat as a pancake. Someone should have taught him some math on getting arch on your hook shots. Would have done wonders
Oh his 10 points on 10 shots? FEED THE BEEEEAAAAASSSTTTT
The fact that we got him virtually free should tell you something.
Oh I’m not complaining about the cost or even giving him a shot. Let’s not go crazy however about this guy. He’s not an elite shooter nor is he an elite defender. If he was recognized as any of those we wouldn’t have gotten him for nothing. It’s not so much why Milwaukee got read of him, but what he returned in a trade.
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