The other shoe never dropped

Lightning in a bottle?

To my mind, much of this season’s storyline comes down to exquisite timing. 

Mike Brown has spoken frequently about his journey as a coach and a person, what he has learned along the way, from his prior varied experiences and mentors. He is, in the moment, a coach we all appreciate and love and respect, but would he have had the same success with the team had we gotten the 10-years ago version of himself?

The pre-draft discussions often went heavily along the lines of 19-year-old potential vs. 22-year-old “low ceiling”. But the discussion of “individual superstar talent” vs. “consummate team player” will always be there (examples: would you rather have Iverson or Nash? J-Will or Bibby?). Results may vary, for different situations and different teams, even the relative impact of those aforementioned players in different team situations. I would argue, however, that for THIS team (even though it was nothing close to a “veteran team” needing just a couple small holes filled), that we have benefitted tremendously from the “maturity” of “older” rookies Davion and Keegan, who have displayed abilities and contributions and grasped team concepts that have impacted the team game more than some exciting “superstar” (“and he just turned 20”) rookies with gaudier stats.

For Monte McNair, maybe he was lucky he wasn’t hired prior to the Luka draft. He might have nailed that pick in the moment, but as several recent TKH contributors have noted, maybe in the long run we are better off as a team. And would trading for a 3-years-younger Domas have been as successful? Building around a 5-years-younger De’Aaron? 

So much of players’ career success is timing-dependent, with the growth that comes from experience. How many of basketball’s best players (let’s say top 100 in the league) have had their best success with their first team? Malik, Huerter, Lyles, Barnes, and others are all experiencing “bests” (or at least probably “most funs”) at this time in their career arcs. 

It makes for an exciting manifestation of “the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts”.

So while I can and mostly do appreciate the mindset of “I’ll just enjoy the ride, because this is just the beginning of a multi-year building process”, I also find myself succumbing to the fleeting (but not infrequent) thoughts that maybe, just maybe, the Kings have captured lightning in a bottle.

They have, in less than a full season together, learned to execute an exquisite offense (just as the circa 2002 team did), and are learning to play a team defense (as did the circa 2002 team, without stellar individual defenders other than arguably Christie and Jackson). They are maximizing individual abilities and strengths, but also growing and diversifying the applications of their skills to different game situations. They have already learned to win on the road, win the tough close ones, win the ugly ones, and beat the good teams. 

So, I’m right there thinking, Look out, all you media-favored big-market teams, with your superstars, with your draft-deadline free-agent mercenaries, with your advantage of referee bias, and with your planned load managements, because you might not fear the beam, but you should definitely fear the lightning.

Lighting the beam happens when a person / team pushes the button. And the other team can work to prevent that pushing of the button. But how to stop lightning in a bottle? Lightning happens on its own timing, of its own accord, with momentary instantaneous aligning of the necessary but not well-defined atmospheric elements. And when it happens, there are obliterated trees and scorched earth left behind.

Ask Villanova vs. Georgetown.

Ask US vs Soviet Union hockey.

Ask hobbled Kirk Gibson vs. Dennis Eckersley.

Ask Lorenzo Charles and Christian Laettner and Jalen Suggs and all those other 3-point makers in March Madness.

Remove the cap off the bottle holding the lightning, and what do you get? (hint: a BEAM shooting up??)

Lightning does happen, and you might be the media-favored King of the Hill but you don’t want to be standing around admiring your hair standing up when it does.

Go Kings, I have loved every minute of this season.

Lightning the Beam.