I find the state of Kings fandom right now lies in two camps. You can lament over the first three losses in realization that they were winnable games that slipped through the Kings’ fingers and be deeply concerned about the sub-superstar starts from De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. Or, you can be hopeful for this season given that the Kings have been able to pull out a 0.500 (3-3) start despite slow starts from their leading stars. I’m not here to judge – I don’t blame anyone for feeling either way. I’m personally choosing to remain in the hopeful camp for now, mostly because as a lifetime Kings fan, I’m not sure how long it will exist as the season goes on. So, for now, I choose to be hopeful while it’s still an option!
The NBA, however, doesn’t care about my feelings. While I’m gripping on to this shard of hope, the Kings had to face the powerhouse that is the Utah Jazz for the second time already this season to conclude their first road trip. As the Kings have been trying to shake the early season rust off and find some solid ground under their feet, the #1 seed in the Western Conference will always stand as a formidable obstacle to this goal. Let’s see how the Kings did:
Quick Stats
Outcome: Kings lose, 113-119
Sacramento Kings: 113 pts, 45.7% fg, 38.7% 3 pt, 70.8% ft, 24 ast , 11 to
Utah Jazz: 119 pts, 43.9% fg, 29.2% 3 pt, 70.4% ft, 16 ast, 16 to
The Kings fell to the Jazz for the second time this season. However, this loss felt different. A long battle, stretching out to the final seconds of the game, proved that the Kings were ready to compete in Utah. Despite big performances off the bench from Davion Mitchell (18 points) and Buddy Hield (19 points, 6-9 from 3-pt), the Jazz brought just a bit more fire power from Donovan Mitchell (36 points, 6 assists) and Mike Conley (30 points, 6-9 from 3-pt) to secure the win.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
The Good
- Mid Range Game: Relief was the first emotion I felt tonight as I saw Harrison Barnes sink his first 3-point attempt early in the first quarter. After such a horrific shooting night in Dallas, the Kings showed they had worked through those issues by hitting 6-14 from deep in the first half. However, they ended the game with only 31 3-pt attempts, slightly lower than their average of 37. Instead, the Kings were able to find a lot of success in the mid range, working off of two-man action. Tyrese Haliburton and Richaun Holmes have such a smooth rhythm together and Tyrese was able to nail some jumpers early to keep the Jazz from taking off. Davion Mitchell also contributed 10 of his points by taking what the defense was giving him and finding sweet spots between distance and the big resistance near the rim in Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside. Overall, the Kings guards showed a lot of comfort and confidence in their mid range game, something not often seen in today’s NBA that focuses so heavily on 3-point shooting.
- Fight: The Utah Jazz played like the Utah Jazz. Donovan Mitchell had himself a game. Mike Conley was being called a “King killer” on the broadcast. Rudy Gobert finished with a double double of 12 points and 20 rebounds. And yet, the Kings never went away. The Jazz went on multiple runs, complete with a handful of Conley daggers that made me question who exactly from Sacramento hurt this man. And each time they got knocked down, the Kings got back up and fought their way back. We didn’t see the collapsed body language or defeated faces heading into timeouts that we saw so many times in seasons past. Instead, we got 48 minutes of good basketball against a playoff powerhouse. And sometimes, that’s all we can really ask for.
The Bad
- Fox Funk: Seeing De’Aaron Fox struggle really hurts my heart. We have been spoiled with his consistent progress during his time in Sacramento, so it hurts to see him work hard to get good looks and yet miss shot after shot. It was a rough night for Fox. He started 0-8 from the field in the first half, eventually finding some rhythm in the second. He ultimately finished with 13 points and nine assists – not a bad line, just not what we’re used to. It’s a funk I’m still confident he will get out of, but tonight felt like he was especially deep in it. My favorite play of his tonight was after one of his misses on the offensive end, he hustled back to dive on the floor to win the loose ball and pass to Harrison Barnes who finished the play for an and one. De’Aaron Fox hasn’t given up on his team or himself and we shouldn’t either.
The Ugly
- Blanking on the Box Out: The Kings gave up 15 offensive rebounds and lost the total board game 59-38. Just those numbers alone say enough… but you know I love to rant. I am appalled at how consistently bad the Kings were at rebounding tonight. They kept making the same mistake, kept getting punished for it, and yet never changed their behavior. There were countless times tonight where the Kings played decent defense, forced an outside shot, turned their backs to stare at the ball, and lost the battle on the long rebound. The most embarrassing instance came in the third quarter when Donovan Mitchell put up a 3-pointer, rushed into the paint, surrounded by four Kings players, grabbed his own rebound, and laid it in for an easy two. It was truly ugly.
The King of Kings
I’ll start with an honorable mention here first. Noticed for his elevated play by Jon C (@catterj_sacking), Moe Harkless deserves a shoutout tonight. He provided a solid 12 points on 5-8 shooting and showed up on the defensive end for the Kings. And while Moe did his job well, I think Davion Mitchell went above and beyond his duties tonight. As always, he impressed on the defensive end, recovering off of hard screens and getting his body in front of the ball. But on the offensive end, Davion stepped up for this team when they needed it the most. Recognizing Fox’s struggles, Davion demonstrated more confidence with the ball in his hands and took on a more aggressive role to keep the offense flowing. For that, he wears the crown tonight.
Up Next
Wednesday, November 3rd vs. New Orleans Pelicans – 7:00 P.M. (PT)
Solid shot against a no joke contending team. That’s progress compared to seasons past.
Yeah, you can’t lower that bar much further.
If fox came out tomorrow and said he was retiring from the game due to his lack of passion, I would not find myself surprised.
It seems wishful thinking that Fox will suddenly emerge from this weird funk,
Nothing about him seems normal, from his body to his body language.
It’s mind boggling. And also crippling for a franchise that wants to gives its fanbase some degree of hope.
Part of me thinks it’s Fox – he never was a good shooter and certainly has not shown any improvement or work on his shot over this off-season. Another part of me thinks it’s actually the new ball for the NBA. The NBA switched from Spalding to Wilson. When I played Basketball in high school, I hated Wilson balls because they always felt way too smooth and had no grip – like the ball was always sliding out of my hands. I think the ball itself is affecting shot making in some players also.
Regression FROM the mean, Statistics should save Fox’s season?
Progression TO the mean?
I have to say, I am loving Buddy Buckets this year. It seems like he has taken the ball to the rim as much this season as he did all last season. I know he has an inordinate amount of brain farts, but that motherf*cker is a gamer. He hustles, he isnt afraid to get physical underneath with opposing bigs, he has huge balls and will take shots, and he has made huge strides in setting up teammates. Buddy leaves it all out on the court, and along with HB and Holmes, the reason we have won three games in a very tough seven game stretch.
Buddy is back!
I guess when we trade him, the bag of chips we receive in return should be the party size.
We have a back to back and Luke is using an 8 man rotation is not ideal.
I guess our vaunted depth is not that great, especially if our self proclaimed Microwave guy can barely defrost.
I have been skeptical about our “new” D and especially defensive rebounding. This game is a prime example. We won almost every statistical category but got whooped so hard on the boards that it didn’t matter.
All the focus is on Fox, but if we lose either Barnes or Holmes to injury for an extended time, we are likely falling apart.
I am looking at the next stretch of games with equal measures of hope and apprehension
with this roster, I like that 8-man rotation. Buddy and Mitchell are playing well and deserve those minutes. TD has not been playing well. Although with the rebounding as bad as it was last night, … maybe some minutes for Bagley or Thompson at PF?
Holmes especially
Looks like basketball being run through a young unproven coach and young unproven players. But this team has moxy. Would be better with Foxy.
How about those challenges?! Sooo embarrassing!
(opening tip flies out of bounds)
“And Luke Walton is challenging the call!”
Donovan Mitchell checking down to the refs….. I lost a lot of respect for him tonight.
Ive said it for years on here and sactownroyalty
Motor is innate, and Fox didn’t have one from the jump
Hopefully he is still able to make a career out of it after getting paid
Hopefully something else like long covid is partially responsible and can be corrected
im in for the Fox for Simmons deal. Not because of Foxes struggles, though they aren’t helping I think he will bounce back. I think fitwise Mitchell looks ready to run the show. He has IT. I think he can be the leader of a hard nosed team and his J can improve. Keep buddy and you still have a rock solid 3 guard rotation and add Simmons as the sf. It fits in my eyes, this team could leap
If your Morey, Fox is appetizing why?
Its not Ben Simmons
This
You get some of the egg off your face after publicly insisting you’d only trade Simmons for a star. Early struggles aside, Fox is widely regarded as a rising star.
Not necessarily against a deal, but I’d say that Fox is having a considerably better season than Ben Simmons.
Fox is clearly not taking to this off the ball concept well. Doesn’t really look interested in staying in front of his man…which is more troubling.
Buddy loves starting, but is playing well off the bench.
Tyrese excels off the bench.
Davis Has been brutal.
Barnes is a stud.
The 5 spot is neither the problem, nor the solution.
Marvin sits until traded.
Metu has somehow played his way out of rotation on this impossibly deep team?
Harkless. I guess.
Davion is a legit two way player. That’s nice.
Luke is under contract, so he stays.
I now watch for the entertainment. Bad losses no longer ruin my day. God bless these talented young men for carving out a career against the longest of odds.
The Kings were in it the whole way tonight. Moral victories mean something especially if they get followed by read victories. Moe Harkless had a decent game but Marvin Bagley might get more rebounds.
I don’t like the last second shot by Fox (like with 4 sec left, he pushed to top of the key and shoot a 3pts)
I believe with the speed of Fox, he could drive into the lane for a much high percentage shot or get fouled.
His 3 pts % is awful, and Fox should look for better shot.
p.s. We are a worse team, but still out-hustled by the Jazz. Bad performance at all.
Really fun game! I’m taking the optimist or fool’s hope route as well. The thing I’m enjoying the most is the fight of this team thus far. Last year, the Kings would drop like a Spanish/Italian football (the real kind) player when punched and would get blown out. That hasn’t been the case so far. Even last night, the Utah went on a run in the fourth quarter to take a nine point lead, the biggest of the game. Did the Kings fade? No. They fought back and even took a one point lead after a 11-1 run. Good stuff.
The rebounding was hard to watch. I didn’t really get why Walton opted for Len over Thompson. Thompson, despite all his faults and size difference compared to Gobert, is a superior rebounder and more energetic player than Len. I think he could’ve helped in this game.
Obviously it’s shit that we lost in the end, but again: I’m taking the hopeful approach, just like Mirann (Great stuff as always btw)
“the real football” is the NFL
Why come with that on an American site?
Settle down, Rush.
Besides, the Kings Herald is based in Panama for tax reasons.
What are you talking about? His wayward comment on the NFL preceded mine if you are able to note that
Dude, really
The NFL isn’t football. It’s concussionball.
I believe that across the pond that it’s commonly referred to as “padded wankball.”
To: Kenny Thomas
From: W. Griffxxx
I can has moneyz?
Can we run more similar play like below Gif ?
(Especially with Hield on the court, all the attention will definitely goes to the runner – Hield or Tyrese in the above Gif, and that would free up other guys for some easy shot)
Other than some one-on-one basketball from Fox, we need more players movement to have a better offense set for some easy basket underneath the paint.
De’Errant Fox.
You’re absolutely right about the Kings keeping the game competitive, I really didn’t expect them to be in this one for very long. Credit where it’s due for the effort, there remain frustrating aspects, but the team has not quit in any of the games. There are just some kinks to work out, which is why I’ll begin referring to Walton as Ray and Dave Davies.
Fox’s shooting is definitely off, but he, Haliburton, and the rest need a gameplan to emphasize their strengths, and minimize their weaknesses. I don’t know what a typical NBA playbook looks like, but I’m pretty sure Walton’s is about as substantial as a Post-it note.
Nice Effort. But. the Kings always show up against the good teams. The real test of mettle or improvement will come in these next 7 games. One of the easiest stretches, yet.
Pels(No Zion, Ingram), Charlotte, Pacers,
Suns, Spurs, Thunder and Pistons. This upcoming stretch will define the season. The next 10 games after that are all playoff teams from last season.
5-2 or 4-3 at a minimum. If the Kings are really improved they will not be playing down to the competition.
2 difficult games on that slate.
If Fox is not out of his funk by game 14, Monte has to start looking at trade options.
Would Walton make another challenge to Fox that limit his 3 pts shot attempt to only 1-2 per game ?
(Like what he did to Barnes for challenging him to take eight 3s per game)
IMHO, the Pells game tonight is the big one. If they win–and look good doing it–they are for real (“real” meaning playoff hopes are justifiable). If they lose–in any fashion–they just aren’t good enough, period.
I would tend to agree with this logic:
Tonite would be a good litmus test.
The next 7 will really tell the story.
Thunder, Pistons, Pacers, Pels,
Spurs.
They need to win all of those. Dropping one against the Spurs is possible.
But, if they only go 3-4 or worse, Kings are not even a Playin team.
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