The Sacramento Kings kicked off preseason with an entertaining win over the Phoenix Suns, with a final score of 117-106. While we all obviously know that it’s just preseason and we don’t want to overreact (it’s worth noting that Chris Paul and Devin Booker did not play), we can still take away some observations on things that went well and things that did not.
- Tyrese Haliburton was electric. He finished with 11 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, but the stat line doesn’t really capture how fun Haliburton is to watch out there.
- Alex Len and Tristan Thompson are a big upgrade over Hassan Whiteside. Defense, speed up and down the court, screens, they did all the little things you want from backup big men.
- Davion Mitchell is going to be fun. He started a little shaky, but settled in as the game went along and had some amazing defensive plays.
- The Kings have a lot of options for three guard lineups. The Kings ran out multiple combinations of De’Aaron Fox, Haliburton, Mitchell, Buddy Hield, and Terence Davis. The challenge will be on the defensive end, but the three guard lineups were able to disrupt passing lanes and push the pace for easy baskets.
- Marvin Bagley looked solid on offense and ran the floor hard all night, but continued to struggle on defense. I thought he looked best in lineups next to Alex Len. I do want to note that Bagley made a really nice little baby hook with his right hand!
- De’Aaron Fox struggled on offense and finished with just 6 points but added 3 assists and 6 rebounds.
The Kings are off on Tuesday and will play the Clippers on Wednesday.
Not too much to be taken from winning a preseason game against a team that sat its best players, but I’m a Kings fan, so I’m just going to enjoy it anyway.
Well the Kings sat Emanual Terry and Robert Woodard.
Touché!
If you’re a Kings fan you don’t get to enjoy anything. If they win they are hurting our lottery spot and if they lose, they suck. 😛 Sorry, I just told you how to fan. I’ll see myself out
From nba.com headline of the game “Hield, Bagley III help Kings get win in preseason opener“ Are they trying to boost trade stock?🤔
Doesn’t matter if it’s preseason…
DANCE!
Nothing to See here. Barnes went off because Crowder was on the bench. 2 other all stars sat. Good obeservations can only be made when the other team has their full lineup. Period.The Suns rolled out their second team for the majority of the game. While every single starter for the Kings played significant minutes.l. I cannot make a single observation based on reality. The only one thing I noticed , Fox played with zero interest. Suns are clearly a better team and it’s not close. From coaching to personnel. I was hoping Booker, Paul and Crowder would have laced up. Then, we have ourselves a real game. This was the Kings first team beating the Suns 2-3 lineups.
Got it…
Fun game. Haliburton wowed, Mitchell played good D in his first game against NBA talent. It was also nice to see Luke kick the tires on a few interesting lineups.
That said, this team will likely lose a lot of games this year, but there should be a good deal of competitive losses, and we’ll likely have our fair share of fun basketball to watch along the way (Haliburton no-looks for everyone).
Hope the crowd gets bigger, though. This was by far the smallest crowd I’ve seen in that building for anything except STH relocation days. You could have closed the upper level entirely, and likely wouldn’t have filled half the lower bowl.
Competive Losses, you say. We have had plenty of those the past 15 yrs. I would love to set the bar a little higher one day. The day the Kings can consistently beat good teams and heve fewer let downs against bottom dwellers. That’a a Kings team that can get to the playoffs.
I am and have been at 34 wins, barring a big trade.
As for the competitive losses, I’d argue they’ve been few and far between these past few couple of years. Prior to that, they came from teams that pushed journeyman vets into the forefront. Of all the hundreds of games of shit basketball we’ve watched for the better part of this century (and really for most of their time in Sacramento), I’ll gladly take an actual healthy dose of competitive basketball from a team that looks like they’re actually trying to build around younger pieces.
That said, I’m not in the “let’s make a run at the play-in”. If you’re not a top-8, tank for the pick. As it looks like McNair might actually have some draft chops.
36 wins is about right. Enough to get Bong Hit Walton to get the boot.
I only wish. I did see in Mitchell, the same I saw in Haliburton game 1 last year…..he’s legit. I think Mitchell is/will be good On both ends.
Love the Mitchell-Haliburton pairing. And it still looks like O runs better w Hali and not Fox.
A tad concerned w Fox. He got big but who cares. He needed to fix his shot. If he doesn’t, he can’t play off ball much. Maximizing Haliburton requires someone who can play off ball next to him.
With that said, there were still thousands more than I expected there. There’s no way I’d pay to watch the kings right now. Preseason or not.
Meh, I paid to watch them in the Vlade era, Pete D era, Maloof era…this team is no worse than any of those.
The benefit/curse of living in a city with few “unique” entertainment options.
Undefeated!
Don’t throw away that stack of clipboards just yet, Red Auerbach.
straight outta the Kerr playbook, tho!
pictured: Walton learns from his mentor
Couldn’t watch the game….nice to see Davion with the +20, and Bagley with a solid stat line as well. Not worried about Fox. I think this team is going to be fun.
Fox always looks like this during preseason but always turns it up when the regular season starts. Consistency on defense would be key for this team. If they can stay lock in most of the season, they’ll have a shot at the post season.
Davion is legit. Bagely is exactly what he always is. A bench big.
2 general things I noticed.
1) De’Aaron definitely looks stronger. Some of those rebounds were tough earns, and he moves guards around when contact is made now. If he can bully small ones, and blow past bigger ones, his 4th quarter scoring might go from good to elite.
2) If the plan is to play aggressive risk/reward defense and shoot 40 threes a game with a rotation of 3 guard lineups, trying to dominate in transition, we might not win a bunch, but we’re gonna be an entertaining, tough out, as long as Fox and Hali stay healthy.
So thats what defense looks like. There are fans around here who recently as 1-2 weeks ago were willing to include Davion in a trade package for Ben the Choker. Are you out of your ever-loving minds, put down the crack pipe! Davion is amazing, the heart of lion, the force of a bull, the stubborness of an elephant, the wings of an eagle, soar baby soar!
Davion is scheduled to make 20 million over the next 4 years. The Choker is scheduled to make 33 million this year. There was one play Davion turned their PG to dust and forced the wing out of his comfort zone to make an entry pass that Moe easily stealed. There is no stat credited to Off Night but he was the root cause of the turnover. This is how you end up a team best +20 with a modest stat line, the same thing he did in Vegas.
It is obvious Davion should start to help Marvin (on D) and Ty should be brought off the bench to help Buddy (on O), among other reasons. It is so obvious! This coach won’t do it. Marvin and Buddy are pretty much the same players, marginal improvement to their fitness. The dream of Simmons for these two slugs and picks is dead. If you’re Morey watching this game, the guy you want is Mitchell, he’s the standout, not a Chucker and a back-up big.
No Way made a nice right hand flip when he was cut off middle and a right hand reverse in transition I am not sure he makes last year, but we are talking about modest vs monumental strides needed. Marvin had one nice rebound too but you could replace him and Buddy with Metu and TD and barely miss a beat, probably be better. TD is an awesome player and Metu has a wet jumper. In private to confidants you know he is saying re: Marvin “I am better.”
The only real surpise for me is TT looks pretty good. He can help in spot minutes, 10-12 MPG. King is better than Moe. Maybe not now, but if we had a coach willing to nuture his development he would surpass Moe in 10-20 games of quality run. King is a diamond in the rough with only TLC needed to bring out the shine. This coach allowed Kyle Guy to waste away last year, ignoring the potential, destroying his confidence and rhythm, and will probably allow the same sad eventuality with King.
HB looks fantastic, lean and mean and automatic scoring maching, a player many fans want to ship off for Pritchard and Nesmith, 10th and 11th man type of players.
Buddy took 15 shots and 13 were behind the line. Terrible! One of his buckets was a nice dribble move into a 18 foot step back. Where is more of this type of play, the discernment and probing the defense and forcing the opponent to defend you? It is carryover from last year, the irrational confidence to launch 30 footers with a hand in your face. I don’t care if it goes in, it is bad basketball and bad habits he did not have in 2018-19, his best year.
Regardless it is encouraging our defense was so active and intense even against a scrub opponent because it enables us to withstand scoring droughts and still be within striking distance. I see us as a playoff team, 7th or 8th seed, if our coach pulls his head out his backside, a big and unlikely if.
Was that a little poetry from Kings4ever? Wings of an eagle?
Ladies and gentlemen, this man is for the birds.
Simmons’ contract calls for $227,000 a game. It would be a helluva gamble to take that on.
1 preseason game…
Kings are excited for a win.
The Suns are wondering why they bothered playing the Kings in the first place.
One team is trying to make another championship run.
The other team is starting the same squad that has never cracked the playoffs.
Ahem. The Kings are out to make another championship run, too.
Hangz in G1C rafterz.
It’s clear to me that Paul and Booker were sat because of Davion Mitchell. I fully expect a running log of all the players ducking Off Night. Load management, minor injuries… we’ll see them all this year…
Seriously, if these backup guards have questionable handles, look for Davion to eat them for breakfast. I love how he closes the space between his man and makes him uncomfortable.
Buddy’s having some rough practices right now.
Or maybe it was just preseason game number 1 and there’s no need for them to play lol
I was not able to watch the game, even I got NBALP….
But by just looking at the scoreboard, another zero assist game by Bagley……..
I know it’s just a pre-season game….but can somebody whom watched the game can give a few words about Bagley ?
Bagley looks a little stronger. I got to half watch partly because the stream kept crapping out, and I missed most of 4th after it quit completely. I wasn’t paying too much attention to Bagley and am not sure how many of his stats came in the fourth, but what I remember seeing was him smartly rolling to the basket once, making a nice looking righty jump hook near the basket (that looks like offseason work to me), missing a corner three that wasn’t a bad shot and missing a couple of defensive assignments.
I hope his passing improves, but there’s some steps in the right direction and nothing super negative to say about game 1. I’ve been saying for a while that if Bagley can just get out of the bottom of the NBA in defense and passing, he’ll be a reliable NBA rotation player.
Every bucket was within 3 feet. Most were cleanups. 1-4 from 3. Shit D. He’s exactly what he always is and he will undoubtedly get injured.
This trying to find some improvement with Bagely is ridiculous. He’s not going to be good. Just trade him before he gets badly injured.
If he is THAT freaking bad and undoubtedly will get injured, what could you possibly trade him for?
Greg Oden?
(ducks, runs!)
Well, he’s an expiring contract, so he’s got value.
And I still don’t appreciate your snarky style. Bags is bad. I have every right to be irritated about it. Maybe reply with reasons and not shit giving cause you don’t agree.
I think it’s pretty clear the reason was I don’t see the logic behind you saying Bagley is incredibly bad and always injured, yet you think he can be traded…apparently just because he is an expiring. Which means the Kings would likely have to take something equally crappy worth 11 million back in return. Big win?
I still don’t appreciate your constant bitching and negative perspective. I have every right to be irritated about it.
Guess we are at a stand off…cue old western music.
BTW, Go Cowboys!
Sorry Carl. Those comments were directed to people in general who are trying to find improvement in Bagely.
I agree, he’s a bench big at best. On another team please.
A few—-He sucks, like always.
He had good and bad possessions on defense. With his athleticism, he could be dominant on D, but he is still learning how to defend. I remember a specific possession in the 2nd half where he got pinned down low and had to foul. As an NBA big, he’s got to know how to play the angles to keep his man from getting position. Amazing that we’re still talking about this in year 4, but that’s what you get *sometimes* when you draft college freshmen.
Offense was good, he’s obviously been working on this in the off season. Did we all see the righty half hook?
Not sure that his basic junior high level of defense is ever going to translate into NBA play.
He is an athlete but he is a decade behind in defensive skills. He does not have ten years to catch up.
Bagley has shown he has a few NBA ready skills. Transition offense and rebounding are two of them and he’s marginal in post offense.
Unfortunately he has a lot of gaping holes in his game that have to be shored up before he can be considered even an average NBA player. Defense, playmaking, and overall awareness to name a few. I don’t hate the guy, but I ultimately think his career will end up looking a lot like Derrick Williams. Some tantalizing skill and athleticism that entice teams into giving him a chance, only to be continuously disappointed.
Marvin is a kid who never learned how to play basketball. He was able to play based on his athleticism.
Now it is different.
Coach: Hey Marvin can you try to guard the correct player?
Marvin: Watch me rebound coach.
Solid! Haliburton is special and Fox is stronger and highly motivated. We knew that. The rest is all good news. Looking forward to seeing firsthand the next game since I reside just outside of the Kings.com rapacious 75-mile stream sector.
Unofficial TKH t-shirts seen in attendance :
2 “Sorry About Your Off Night” (mine was one)
Badge Legend