Welcome back, Kings fans! The day has come once again – Day 1 of another Sacramento Kings basketball season. And once again, you are here, because of course you are, you goddamn hero. Why we keep doing this is inexplicable, but together we embark on another hopeful journey with the fate of our purple bleeding hearts, gushing from 16 consecutive stab wounds, resting solely in the hands of the Sacramento Kings – a bad habit, or just pure insanity? Either way, we started today with the slate cleaner and a canvas more bare than the row of bald heads that glisten from the Kings’ front coaching bench. And tonight’s home opener matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers painted the first stroke of what will hopefully materialize into a masterpiece of a season, or at least something worth hanging up on the refrigerator. It’s game 1 of 82, baby. Let’s see how they did:
Quick Stats
Outcome: Kings lose, 108-115
Sacramento Kings: 108 pts, 45.9% fg, 38.6% 3pt, 68.4% ft, 27 ast, 41 reb, 16 to
Portland Trail Blazers: 115 pts, 44.3% fg, 39.3% 3 pt, 78.8% ft, 20 ast, 44 reb, 11 to
Despite escaping Dame Time and holding Damian Lillard to a relatively quiet 20 points, the Kings suffered double-digit contributions from four other Trail Blazers. While the Kings got big stat lines from De’Aaron Fox and Kevin Huerter, Portland scored 64 of their points in the second half to disappoint the sold out crowd in Golden 1 Center. A loss is a loss, so it’s not the beautiful start we wanted. And the first stroke on the season’s canvas may turn out to be what the late and great Bob Ross would describe as a “happy accident”. It ain’t pretty, but there’s still a lot of canvas to work with. This piece is still salvageable.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
The Good
- Small Ball: The game began with an electric start from the Kings, beginning with a smooth 3-point jumper from De’Aaron Fox on the very first possession. It felt like a good omen. But just as quickly as my superstitions arose, we were thrust right back into the haunts of Kangz basketball. Suddenly, the defense became deflated and the ball stopped moving on offense, a style we are all too familiar with to stomach for another year. Portland jumped out to a 9-point lead to end the first quarter after shooting 14 free throws. In response, Coach Mike Brown gave us the first look at a small ball lineup, which included Fox, Davion Mitchell, Terence Davis, Kevin Huerter, and Domantas Sabonis. The four guard lineup sparked the Kings’ offense and gave them the speed, ball movement, and extra passes they needed to find easier offense. Despite being undersized, the Kings got scrappy on defense and won a handful of loose balls. This Kings lineup completed a 16-1 run to cover the ground they had lost early on and gave them a 3-point lead to end the half. This adjustment saved the Kings from falling down early and gave them the chance to battle things out on even ground for the remaining two quarters.
- Hurt ‘Em, Huerter: I love the Kevin Huerter experience. Over the past few years, I had almost forgotten what it was like to have a shooting guard who can not only shoot the hell out of the ball, but also play some defense and make good basketball decisions. Huerter hit big shot after big shot, finishing with six made 3-pointers on nine attempts. He also demonstrated court awareness and the ability to make plays outside of settling for a 3-point look. A favorite of mine came in the third quarter when he gave up what could have been a quick release 3-pointer in transition and instead pump faked his way into the midrange for a dump off to a rolling Sabonis. I look forward to rooting for you, Red Velvet.
The Bad
- Fouls & Turnovers: So, let’s all just get this off our chest: NBA REFS ARE BUTT. Bad calls, no calls, what the hell calls – they were all over the place for the whole game and at what felt like the worst times. But, alas, time has not changed the fact that there is not a damn thing we can do about bad officiating. So with that being said, let’s focus on where the Kings’ blame lies. During that first quarter nightmare, the Kings committed nine fouls and four turnovers. Some of this could be chalked up to nervous energy for the first game of the season, but some of it could also be pinpointed as handsy defense and careless management of the ball. KZ Okpala found himself in early foul trouble, picking up three in the first quarter. Assigned to Damian Lillard, this took him off the floor and his size advantage against Lillard with him. De’Aaron Fox committed a total of eight turnovers tonight, a handful of which were just silly and uncharacteristic. In total, the Kings finished with 25 fouls and 16 turnovers. In a game decided by single digits, each these becomes crucial.
- Missing Murray: How is it possible to miss something you’ve barely had? Out tonight after just barely clearing health & safety protocols, Keegan Murray will be making his official debut for the Kings in their next game. Multiple times during the game, I couldn’t help but think about how helpful Murray could have been in plugging some of the gaps on the floor. In the rebounding game, the Blazers bested the Kings 44-41, with the Kings only securing four offensive rebounds to the Blazers’ 11. During some of the offensive slog minutes with the Kings’ second unit, the Kings needed another offensive creator on the floor while De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis got their rest. For both of these struggles, I imagine that Murray will be able to provide support for this team to help bridge those gaps.
the Ugly
- Finishing Business: The final minutes of this game were pretty atrocious. The game was tied at 104 with just under three minutes to go. The Kings had been battling well on defense, forcing Portland into tough outside shots that luckily weren’t part of any Dame Time highlights. And at the 2:18 mark, Terence Davis threw down a put back dunk that I can only assume caused a few people to burst an ear drum in Golden 1. This was unfortunately immediately followed by a lame technical foul call by the ref on Davis for his celebration, thus making it a 1-point game. And that’s when things really got ugly. The next two Kings possessions resulted in turnovers, while the next two Trail Blazers possessions ended in and ones from Jerami Grant (23 points) and Josh Hart (19 points). Those four possessions were the four nails in the coffin. When it mattered most, the Kings did not take care of business.
The King of Kings
As always, I like to highlight a Kings player every game because we deserve some good vibes.
Despite the loss, turnovers, and Damian Lillard being on the floor, De’Aaron Fox was the best player on the court tonight. Finishing with 33 points on 5-9 (!!!) from the 3-point line, to go along with seven assists, Fox is ready to put the league on notice. One of my favorite plays of the night came from one of his many drives to the paint where he jump stopped, pump faked, and dump passed to Holmes for an easy slam. Fundamentals are beautiful. He looked like a superstar tonight, and I hope with all my heart that he continues this dominance so that the rest of the league can finally appreciate him as much as we do.
Operation: MCNAIR – Season 2 Watch
Our valiant leader, Will Griffith, is continuing the wonderful mission he started last seasonĀ withĀ Operation: MCNAIR – Season 2. Tonight’s charity is theĀ Food Literacy Center, a non-profit that teaches kids about nutrition and healthy lifestyles.Ā Donate hereĀ and be sure to let Will know via Twitter (@WillofThaPeople) or e-mail ([email protected]) so he can track donation totals.
Up Next
Saturday, October 22nd vs. Los Angeles Clippers – 7:00 P.M. (PT)
I’ve missed you.
Like an off balance Buddy 3 early in the shot clock?
This is officially Kevin Huerter’s team, and Keegan will have to wrestle him for control of it.
Which made it very strange that Huerter only played 28 minutes…Fox/Barnes/Sabonis averaged abt 33 mins each. 5 more minutes of Huerter could have made the difference.
maybe the limited minutes might’ve been due to him coming back from resting his ankle/conditioning
but he was impressive
Maybe…but he looked fine when he was playing and the team has 2 days off after this one. Seemed like a missed opportunity.
He’s actually been on playoff teams with a good coach, so maybe that has something to do with it.
Falls giving up 30+ points in 3 qarters under Good, Bad or Ugly?
Is Malik Monk this year’s George Hill/Dedmon/JJ Hickson?
The good news is, Monk makes less than either Hill or Dedmon despite contracts being much bigger now. Heās still showcased some good stuff, but definitely not what we were hoping for from him so far
Thereās still too much dribbling and one on one, the offense looked similar to last years
Agreed. The dribble / hand-offs around the perimeter for 10 seconds thing while everyone else stands around the 3 point line… not only is it terrible to watch, its terribly ineffective.
What happened to cutters? What happened to the give n go? What happened to basic Motion offense?
This. This. And only this.
Oh, and also, what happened to All-Star Sabonis? He looked like a little boy down low
When you’re an all star big and you get outplayed and locked down by Justice Winslow, a guy approx. 4″ shorter than you and playing out of position…
Sabonis needs to be the high post focal point . If not this team, he and Brown will not have much success !
If this team really wants to have any semblance of success this year, they gotta win close games against teams that are projected to finish close to them in the standings. I’m not sure if this loss was a blown opportunity or just a reflection of who they really are. Guess we’ll find out…
Mirann, I remain one your oldest but biggest fans. As always, nice work. Nice to have you back. Disappointing loss. This was a game they should have won. I’m not a big Fox fan but his play tonight impressed me. Despite the turnovers he left it all on the floor. Definitely an improvement over his usual sleepy start to the beginning of a season. Color me cautiously optimistic that this will be his best season to date. But as you noted I was most impressed by Huerter’s game. While not comparing their games he’s what I was hoping for when we picked up DDV last season. Early days.
Appreciate you, @Bluejohn! I’m hoping the same for Fox. I was most excited by his 3-point shooting last night. Looking forward to how his game can expand even more if he keeps can keep shooting like that!
Davion is a bust, and we need to start talking about it
his offense is terrible, both shooting and running the team. His defense hit and miss and largely not translating
he was bad in the preseason, and had awful advanced stats last year.
strike one for McNair and does Delly push him if his play continues?
Offensively heās not fast enough to beat anybody off the dribble and canāt shoot, defensively heās too short and undersized. His cap is sixth man, heās not consistent
I agree, his offense needs to improve and he isnāt a great floor general at this point.
ādefensively heās too short and undersized.ā This was not at all my takeaway from his game on that side of the floor tonight. He got over ever ball screen, harassed ball handlers and I donāt think he gave up one really great look
Overall his defense is obviously his strong suit but like people have been saying, guys can just shoot over him. When the shot clock is winding down and guys know they have to put up a shot thatās when he excels at contesting it
I don’t think any of the criticism about Davion is warranted other than a poor shooting night. He’s a better floor general than Fox. He is fast – the extra gear is there when necessary. He was not on the court last night when the team lost.
Any judgements based on Game 1 are silly. Davion is the same guy he was. That includes an absolutely elite first step and lateral quickness. Of course, it also includes the fact that Davion is more of a combo guard than a PG, especially in regards to his facilitation skills. He’s a defensive combo guard in a PG’s body. His strength and motor allow him to play up a bit on defense but his size is always going to be a limitation when it comes to his versatility. To some degree he’s a more of a “tweener” than a “combo.” Combos have the skills of the smaller position but the size of the larger. Tweeners have the skills of the larger position but the size of the smaller.
I think his PG skills are underrated. he reads and reacts well. he sees the court. he probes well in the paint. he’s steady and persistent.
Yeah, I don’t think he does any of those particularly well. Certainly not be the standards of an NBA PG. Which is fine. If he’s able to become a more consistent shooter, the Kings wouldn’t be the first team to succeed with a 3-and-D PG. But it does mean they would need to have high level facilitators at other positions.
The team does have facilitators at other positions, and specifically with Monk. If he can just become an average 3pt shooter, the other offensive issues become less of a concern. I would rather see him give up the ball more, and just shoot off the catch.
The team has Sabonis as a non-PG facilitator. No other non-PG on the team is at the level where you could reasonably run an offense through them. Monk, like Davion is more of a secondary/tertiary initiator type. The second best non-PG facilitator on the team is probably Huerter.
I like Davion, and I can agree that he hasn’t played that well, but it is way too soon to call him a bust.
Davion should be allowed some time to get comfortable in the new coaches’ schemes and with new teammates. His age does factor in to some extent, but he is still young and has room for growth (not size-wise, which is a bit of an issue, admittedly).
I think this comment is a bust.
A) 1st game of the season.
B) New schemes / new roles.
C) Dude had his shoulder nearly ripped out in the 1st half and still played solid defense.
D) Its his 2nd season.
E) No, we don’t need to start talking about it.
E.) Thank you
The majority of the Kings FGA were 3PA – 44 out of 85. They hit on 17 for 38.6%, but I’m not sure I like that 3PA:FGA ratio. In related news, in < 15 minutes Richaun had 1 FGA which he cashed. We may want to put Richaun in pick and roll with Monk or Davion instead of expecting him to play offense like Domas.
The game seemed too fast for the Kings at times. It was like the Scores but with no plan IMO.
https://twitter.com/SacFilmRoom/status/1582927596265709568?s=20&t=Ph2MthSgdNf7hV5bakJEtg
If Fox can shoot well from three, I’m okay with Okpala starting. Fox shooting well from distance means we have three shooters in the starting lineup (counting Huerter and Barnes). That’s some spacing. Domas can be the offensive passing and DHO hub, and Okpala can slow down the other team’s best player. But, yeah man it was rough seeing KZ pretty much be at best a non-entity and at worst kind of get in the way with no purpose on offense. I hope they can find something more for him than just stand in the right corner.
Small note that the Blazers put Grant on Fox. I get it not being Dame or Simons but you figure it’d be Hart not Grant. *shrug*
I thought they should have staggered Fox and Sabonis, and we felt it in the third going into the fourth. I’m no bball expert, but the offense just looked stagnant and gummy while both Fox and Domas were out. It actually wasn’t too terrible from a lead perspective. The Kings held a 5 point lead when they exited in the third and the game was tied when Fox came back in the fourth.
K’Von had 89.3% true shooting for the game.
4-on-5 offense?
LOL, good one.
Good first game of the season, entertaining enough
Hi Coach!
Terrible end game management, great lesson to apply to Playoffs š
Did Barnes get beat a lot on defense? It looked like Barnes got beat a lot on defense.
I like when he is aggressive at getting to the rim. Cut and drive more HB!
Thoughts from opening night
-extremely encouraging night from Fox especially given his historical slow starts. Looked engaged on defense, great to see the 3 ball going down
-this might be the worst game Sabonis has this year. He was not good. Nice to know we have a chance at competing when he has a bad night. But I donāt expect that to continue really
-Davion is a game changing defender against teams like this that depend heavily on a PG. Tough night shooting though and he doesnāt inspire confidence as a playmaker
-TD was human Red Bull last night. His energy was palpable. Love seeing that
-Tough game for Barnes. He got beat really badly off the dribble a couple times, not necessarily concerned but something to keep an eye on. Heās got a lot of miles
-Huerter needs 8+ 3 point looks a game. Shot looks like itās going down every single time
-I get Buddy Hield flashbacks watching Monk create off the dribble. Sweet block though
-disappointing possession resulting in the Fox missed 3 with 30 seconds left. Feel like they should have some sort of go to play in that situation
-would love to see the four guard lineup some more
-I despise people that constantly complain about officials, but what a terrible time for a tech. Couple tough breaks for the Kings really.
This would have been a great one to get. Oh well. On to the next. Looking forward to seeing Keegan in real action
Agree on most but feel Sabonis is being played out of position . Needs more high post action for spacing and ball movement . He is not effective as a low post player and wings will over dribble without him high .
Iāve seen a couple comments about his weight and how he was getting moved more than normal. I donāt know the answer, heās a tough player to analyze, very unique. I agree that heās probably better in the high post though. I donāt think heās as dangerous as a passer when on the block. Would rather pull the big away from the basket and have people use Sabonis as a hub for DHO and cuts to the hoop
OT (sort of): NBA league pass is now disallowing VPNs. I saw the game on Streameast but the stream was full of interruptions. I have only broadcast TV. I paid for a league pass I cannot use. Suggestions? How can I watch the games at a reasonable cost?
I don’t know the VPN situation, but it’s possible another VPN provider might work. I’m not advocating any illegal service in particular, but if you’re paying the NBA and you have to stream their stuff outside their service, I wouldn’t feel real bad about it,
I moved to Seattle recently. I subscribe to Fubo and get SportsNet California which shows all the games. Also has Pac12 Network, Redzone etc.
Does anyone else’s League Pass feed look extremely pixelated for a good chunk of the game (except for during commercials)?
Maybe the problems I experienced had their source in problems with league pass.
So my pass allows me to watch on any device (one at a time). So I can log into my account on my computer, tablet, phone, smart TV, Roku, DirectTV, etc. and watch any game. But it will block me from additional devices. Not sure why you need VPN.
I live in Sacto area. Last year I was blocked because the game was on NBCS-CA. I assume I would be blocked this year. Am I wrong?
With greater hope comes greater disappointment.
Unsure offense needs direction. The defense though so much better in the Pre-Season appeared āmaybe improved, hard to sayā in Home Game 1. That not a way to win 25 (or more) at home.
The other area of improvement that I expected to see besides improved defense was a deeper Kings team. This too was disappointing as the bench did not add much and maybe took away more than a deep bench team should allow.
I feel the most overlooked stat of the night is the Blazers had 56 points in the paint to the Kings 38. You aren’t going to win too many games with that kind of disparity. That also doesn’t take into consideration the number of fouls the Kings committed in the paint, or the 11 offensive rebounds they gave up.
I dare say, the Kings are going to struggle if Sabonis is left on an island to defend the paint. There are going to be a lot of “and-1s” for Kings opponents if this trend continues.
Ain’t just you saying it. I’da said that before the season started. Why do you think Indy traded Sabonis? I knew Hart and Grant might be a problem coming into the game. The biggest red flag (the ppints in the paint are a result of perimeter oriented offense by the Kings IMO) was how ineffective Harrison Barnes in individual matchups was. Keegan Murray was missed defending both Hart and Grant.
That said, the biggest problem was Sabonis ineffective play. If Fox hits that 3 that goes halfway down and popped out, I think the Kings win. I want to be upset, but it is just 1 of 82. And I highly doubt the next time the Kings face the Blazers it’ll be this group. Somethimg has told me they will be trading Grant, Hart, Payton II, Nurkic possibly and Lillard this year. They are headed into rebuild mode.
But, as always we’ll see.
Keegan may help a bit, as he projects as an above average weak side protector, but if it didn’t work for Sabonis with Turner in Indy, I’m not sure how it’s gonna work here.
If PDX does indeed blow it up, Hart would be a nice player to slot in at the 3 for the Kings. I’d actually prefer him there as opposed to Barnes. He brings a toughness and rebounding nose that the Kings may need.
Let’s hope so worries are put to bed when Keegan returns, but that’s a lot of hope for a rookie.
Offensively it didn’t work as well but they were excellent (or good) defensively. 6th in DRtg in 2020 and 13th in DRtg in 2021. They were 19th in ORtg in 2020 and 14th in ORtg in 2021.
The issue is making a trade line up that works. Maybe the Kings could figure out some draft compensation that works around the protections on the pick to Atl.
Keegan is a rare breed my friend. I’m becoming more and more of a believer in the kid.
If you believe that’s really something.
Agree but a bigger problem is not using Sabonis in high post actions . Total waste of his talents . He was an All Star as a high post focal point .
Sure. But that was really a bail out shot towards the end of the shot clock than I a quality 3pt look. To me, the main issue was that there were three very poorly executed possessions by the Kings; turnovers one offense and giving up straight line layups on offense.
Despite everything else that was out of sync, that was the difference between winning and losing last night.
Yeah, the Blazers had a good defensive scheme against Sabonis which made it difficult for him to initiate from the high post. Jerami Grant was good. Maybe the solution is to play the lineup that Jerry Reynolds suggested: Davion and Fox in the backcourt, with Keegan and Barnes in the frontcourt.
That leaves Huerter out. You can’t do that.
Then sub out Barnes or Fox.
I’d probably sub Davion out of that lineup, but it’d depend on what’s needed. I definitely wouldn’t sub Fox out.
I think the plan is to not leave Sabonis on an island to defend the paint. It happened to much last night though.
Great article. Thanks for the perspective. After last night I was cursing everything (team, refs, fates). After a night of sleep and reflection, I liked a lot of what I saw. If you believe in Brownās presser post-game this is way different than the team he has seen to date – especially defensively and moving the ball for easier shots. Hopefully thatās right and can be turned around. Iāve seen fast starts before only to have the wheels come off quickly. Time to try it the other way. Fingers crossed for a better performance on Saturday.
Thanks, @bjax1! I agree, a night of sleep has me feeling less dramatic and more optimistic about the good things we saw.
To me there are some clear things that could be cleaned up and lead to more W’s this year. Stop this amount of turnovers along with some silly fouls (removed of bad officiating, still some stupid reaches) and this team would likely comes out with the win.
Bigger concerns though for me are kind of two offenses coexisting and the lack of downhill at rim finishers. On the first point Fox suggested he felt they were best when they were playing fast. I thought they were better looking in the half court in motion sets. Huerter’s use of Sabonis at the high post was a nice glimpse of a partnership. Let alone Fox taking spot ups. Its not black or white but I find that quote a bit troubling.
The second is a lack of diagonal threats going to the rim. A bit too wide if not for Sabonis post ups or Fox. This was a worry over the summer of mine with the new acquisitions as at rim finishing it wasn’t a strong suit. Striding cuts to the rim would be welcomed for easy two’s let alone gravity for our shooters. I suspect Murray to help a lot with that on returning with his nose for seams which make the half court add an element.
Fouls occur a lot when they are reaching. That tells me you are not staying in front of your man, I really like Barnes but I said earlier this year at 30 he has lost a step on defense and because of that players drive right past him. A look at the stats last night tells me a lot of where he was last year on offense and defense. I also like Hart but also like Dorian Finney Smith as a 3 and D player. I am not sure how to take Davion on just one night. Great on ball defender but on offense last night was non exsistent. The T on Davis last night was one of the worst calls made. Too bad we can’t fire officials. Lastly Fox, just like last year, can not get calls when driving to the basket either when he makes or misses then. Too bad we can’t fire officials.
Don’t think there’s any way you’re getting Dorian Finney-Smith unless you’re trading Keegan Murray for DFS….. which I do not suggest.
DFS has carved a nice role and career out for himself, but I’m not sure we want to be the team that sees what happens when he doesn’t have Doncic handing him open spot ups all day.
Yeppers to a tee.
The Mavs do want a better scorer than Smith around Luka. Barnes fits that bill. He is a much better offensive player than Smith and we need a 3 and D player, Only rub is he’s 29 and counting.As Admansite mentioned I also like Hart. Maybe Monty can work out a deal.
Too many fouls, too many turnovers.
On to the next.
I was at the game and the “Refs you suck” chants were deafening. Horrible horrible officiating. That being said the highlights of the game for me were Fox going off, Heurter being an absolute sniper, and the fan winning the $10k with the half court shot.
I hope that fan acts responsibly with that $10k
and invests it in a Vegas bet for the Kings to win the NBA championship this season.
The only responsible thing to do!
If he won that he would be REALLY wealthy!
I would be more concerned with Sabonis. He didnāt look particularly good in preseason.
in the Suns game, Biyombo was giving him all kinds of issues. Winslow who is much shorter was putting him on lockdown. The word is out. You can outphysical Domas. Murray will certainly help. But once again this team lost in the trenches. They got punched in the mouth by a much more physical team. The mental lapses at the end of games look no different than years past too me. Sure, itās 1 game. But how many years have weāve been making that statement.
He wasn’t great tonight and the possibility his rebounding struggles being correlated to a weight drop could be concerning. I think he was the main one suffering at the refs whistle tonight even if he had some careless challenges. Shots weren’t falling, ok that happens some nights.
I do think though his high post DHO’s continue to be best pathway to our offense. Huerter clearly seeks him to do work off of. A factor of him being the best player for the Kings last night. And that appeared also with Fox’s off the catch threes. Regardless of a bad night Id argue the offense is better operating off him in the half court.
Sabonis has been consistently among the NBA screen assist leaders. Obviously part of that is simply that most people realize the best way/place to use him is with elbow screens and handoffs. But it also suggests that he simply sets good screens in smart positions.
On the bright side…one step closer to Victor Wembanyama baby!!
W
It seems as though Richaun Holmes isnāt good at anything anymore.
He looked lost or confused. Maybe doesn’t know his role yet? Idk, get him in some PnR and see what happens. I remember one possession he had his man backed down low, called for the ball, and Monk or TD (I think) just drove at Holmes and put up an errstic shot. Weird to see.
I get that the refs weren’t all that great last night, but this non-stop arguing has to stop. Fox had a fantastic game, but he seemed to unravel towards the end, being so preoccupied with the the non-calls. Just let it go, head in the game.
This was one of those games we should have won, and now we’re going to have to beat a team we’re not expected to beat to make up for it.
I saw that too. It was near the three-minute mark, tight game. Same look we’ve seen before. Seems desperate. It’s like the game is a bucking bronco that he can’t handle.
Fox only had 8 turnovers .
I have heard that for over twenty years…………..
just same shit, different years and different coaches……..
Agree, this year is just a reshuffling of the deck chairs on this sinking ship.
I would agree his game management still leaves a lot to be desired and factored in his high turnovers. Removed of just the point total, I don’t think Fox had a particularly great night factoring the turnovers. Thats as punishing as Sabonis struggling on the boards. It’s nice to see the shot fall from behind the arc, especially in the half court but 8 turnovers kind of nullifies a 33 point showing.
Fox would be an AMAZING 6th man.
Sounds good! Now we just need good 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th men! I mean, the #1 reason Fox would be an amazing 6th man is that would mean you had enough high level talents on the roster to justify Fox not starting. Of course, justifying paying a 6th man $30+MM is another story all together.
You donāt like Huerter, Keegan and Sabonis?
Sabonis is the reason I didn’t say they needed a 2nd man. I do like Huerter. You can slot him into that 4th or 5th man slot. And I like Keegan a lot, but he hasn’t played a minute of meaningful NBA basketball, so I’m not writing him into the lineup in permanent pen yet. It’s just my general feeling that you shouldn’t expect too much of rookies.
Good to see that someone recognizes this, but with a better Sabonis and the return of Murray, I hope to see some improvement with less demand being made upon Fox to run the offense.
I think Murray will certainly help, but he won’t/shouldn’t take on any facilitation responsibilities.
Really disapointted at defensive end………
and defense seems better than previous season, but still not good…
(I expect better defense with the absence of Hield and Bagley, but it is not the case)
Also, where is that “gap defense” that stop the drive from Grant shown at below picutre… ?
(isn’t that the defensive scheme from Mike Brown?)
That happened way to often last night.
Would adding a 4th ref help with missing calls? Seems like an easy fix. Each ref only has to run half court the entire game, and would have more refs in better spots routinely. Thoughts?
I’d be concerned that we’d see a real difference in the consistency and accuracy of calls between one end and the other. Something needs to happen, though. When the replay is on the giant screen and being broadcast to dozens of viewers, there has to be some contingency where the refs can see it, and make a reversal.
Fox’s block on Nurkic being a prime example. Most plays are too close to solve with a quick review, but when you have a clearly blown call, the league needs to do what’s necessary to get it right. When egregious errors are left to stand, it undermines the integrity of the game being played. Moreso when the refs are as terrible as they were last night.
The announcers mentioned several times that it was also opening night for the refs, but they were in midseason form overlooking fouls committed on Fox. If nothing else, it shows consistency, as it’s been like this for Fox’s entire pro career.
Maybe Davis made the block. My focus isn’t great.
“After further review, the entire 2002 WCF Game 6 has been reversed.”
I WISH.
Too soon
Forward this to commissioner Silver
Richaun Holmes just doesn’t seem like the aggressive, inspired “tough in the paint” guy he used to be. He seemed completely overmatched last night and hasn’t really looked good since before his injuries early last season. It’s too bad, and I like Richaun, but I think even Alex Len or Queta would be better than what I saw last night…and during the preseason.
Sabonis poor offensive game was certainly an outlier. But his weaknesses are amplified when he plays a physical defender. No rim protection, canāt stretch the floor, not a lot of lateral quickness. His body also looks kinda skinny this year. The Blazers have one of the worst front courts in the NBA. They outrebounded the Kings by 20?!
As I read through the first half of the GB&U I was like, wait… are we not going to talk about Fox and his 33 with 6 3s with all the criticism of him needing to get off to a good start!? An excellent recap.
Some observations:
Sabonis still isn’t very assertive. Ugh.
Fox was dominant on both sides of the ball. Aside from the bitching at refs I loved his game last night.
Speaking of being assertive… Terrance Davis. Great 1st guy off the bench!
Davion’s defense is insanely good. His offense needs some work. So does his shoulder today, no doubt.
The Big Tomato dripped sauce through the net with excellent efficiency. Getting Huerter was a great pickup by Monte.
Monk is… unpredictable. There’s things I like about his game and things that make me cringe. I still think he’s a net positive. Time will tell.
Keegan was sorely missed last night.
Okpala needs to find some way to contribute offensively or get the hell out of the starting unit.
Barnes had a few good moments on offense. That’s all I remember about him last night.
Lilliard looked human. Weird.
Simons is on my fantasy team and holy YAY!
I’m worried about Barnes on defense… He wasn’t good last season, and he sure seemed to be ineffective last night. Holmes just seems like a completely different player than the one we saw before last year’s eye injuries.
I’m sure Monte was looking for destinations for both Holmes/Barnes. Apparently the right deal didn’t come along, or worse, Monte thinks he can win with these 2 players.
I didn’t even put Holmes in my observations. Because it was like he was un-observable. I think he did ok defensively. I don’t remember any Blazers taking advantage of him, anyway. The team was actively not looking for him in the offense, though, so I’m not surprised he wasn’t much of a factor. I’m not as worried about Holmes as Barnes as everyone else seems to be, tho. They’re pros and will find their rhythms.
Hahaha I saved the best part for last!
I also think Mike Brown is not utilzing Lyles…
Lyles seems play better when he is at top / 45 degress of 3 pts line….he can use his pump-fake, drive and kick…
But just telling him to stick at the 3 pts corner is not the best option.
Telling anybody to stick at the corner is not a good option. There are a whole lot of other things that player could be doing. The corner is closer to the shower though.
If you’re depending on Lyles, you aren’t a good team. He’s a perfectly acceptable back of the rotation guy, especially on his deal, but he isn’t a difference maker.
Last night, I would have rather seen Moneke.
I wouldn’t argue with you. Not because I think Moneke is necessarily better. But new is at least interesting. A bit of athleticism would have been fun to see as well.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Lyles start actually, Fox/Huerter/Sabonis/Lyles/Murray
He only hit, what? Three or four corner threes last night?
Lyles is a good shooter, I doubt that he’s been told to limit his shots to specific spots on the floor.
He was 2 for 7 from 3 last night. 2 for 5 below the break.
Nevertheless, Lyles is a good shooter. And one of those was an end-of-shotclock fling.
He’s an okay shooter. He’s a career .337 3pt shooter who has alternated between pretty good and somewhat-to-well-below average.
3pt percentage by season (league average):
.383 (.354)
.319 (.358)
.381 (.362)
.255 (.355)
.387 (.358)
.350 (.367)
.321 (.354)
Pros: The G1C crowd was outstanding, no deplorable franchise like this deserves this type of fan support; Fox/Huerter/Davis were excellent
Cons: PDX was a preseason mess and a team the Kings needs to beat if the play-in is an option; Barnes/Sabonis/Monk/Mitchell (offensively) were bad, that can’t happen for this team to win
Not consistently.
Last year I didnāt think the team could win with Buddy and Bagley still on the roster. This year I donāt think the team wins with Harrison Barnes on the roster. Heās awful on defense and inconsistent on offense.
Barnes should be coming off the bench until they find a trade for him.
The Kings have held on to Barnes for too long. It is hard to see trade value beyond being a throw in as part of a larger deal.
I think he will have value by the deadline to a tax paying contender. Miami comes to mind at the moment. I could also see an injury hit contender paying for him for a title run. Monte is just gonna have to strike while the iron is hot.
A couple of these Barnes takes are just ridiculous based off one game in which he shot 50%. Maybe defense slipping some…fine I’ll give you that if you want it. But he ranked in the 91st percentile in spot up situations last year and even better than that amongst just forwards. He HAS value and the idea the Kings can’t win with him as part of the rotation is just nonsense based on objective look at on court production and data. A preseason ranking had him as the 80th best player in basketball. Even if you think that is way off and he is say 125th…he is on an expiring contract.
It’s one game…
I’ve watched Barnes during his entire time here. Last night, with Murray out, was when he, as a veteran, was supposed to step up and help the team win a home game, but we saw what happened. I don’t know why Kings fans overvalue him. I believe Monte when he says there weren’t any good offers for him last year.
Other than saying you have watched him his entire time here, it still certainly sounds like you are still basing most of your point on one game last night. At least that’s what you keep pointing too as evidence. Did you have all these feelings last year too?
I also don’t think I overvalue him…I am just pointing out that you are without much evidence beyond this game, undervaluing him. There is a difference.
Yes, I did. I think that Barnes has been declining for quite a while.
I don’t think he’s been declining. I just don’t think he’s ever been especially good. He’s a career long fringe starter. He isn’t going to hurt you much overall. Nor is he going to help you much overall. His greatest asset is his ability to be reliably not terrible at a lot of different things and pretty okay at a couple things. He’s the kind of player teams with gaping holes at F want, but also want to upgrade from as soon as they can.
You can think anything you want. The fact is Barnes has posted his highest of career Box Plus Minus and Value Over Replacement stats each of the past 2 seasons. Do those stats mean everything…of course not. But they certainly mean SOMETHING and quite a big contradiction to your point which is apparently just eye test.
Now if you still want to say he sucks, then fine your right I guess. But it seems your kinda talking out of your ass right now without backing any of it up. I’ll let it go from here.
Absolutely well said.
I would like you to look at his stats of last year. He played well, not extremely well, on a lot of nights. Then there were nights where he scored 2 to 4 points with maybe a rebound or two.You do this this year with the minutes he will play and you can forget in any play-in or playoff.
Sounds like you are saying he is a decent player, but not a great one or a star. Great players are consistently good. That’s the big difference between the Top 20 players in the league and the next 80 or so. Lots of guys can get points or play well on any given night. Consistency is the difference…and lack of it is a commonality amongst good but not great players.
All that said I think Barnes is actually incredibly consistent and your whole above pt actually doesn’t make sense if you looked how often he actually scored efficiently in double figures last year. Scored double figures in 65 of 77 games last year.
I wouldnāt be mad if they traded him. His game just isnāt my cup of tea. Heāll still have some big games I think
Just one game and some good things like the play of Huerter BUT it looked eerily similar to previous Kings team. Close games, the ball stuck in Foxās hand, defensive breakdowns, and the team plays just good enough to lose. Going forward I think they are going to have play unconventional lineups and abandon traditional positioning. The lineup with Fox, Mitchell, Huerter, TD and Sabonis was very effective. They have to find heavy minutes for Mitchell and this will be the year where a fair evaluation of Mitchell can be made.
If you are going to do this then he has to be far better than last night. It is just one game. Time will tell.
True – agree
I’ve been saying for years that the Kings need to get more athletic up front. The main core is mostly earth-bound and far from jumping jacks. Simons, Sharpe and Grant just had their way.
Murray is going to be a nice player, but he’s not athletic either.
Not sure what I do as coach of this team.
More athletic up front? The last few years have been Holmes and Bagley. Their athleticism did nothing for the defense.
Uh, did you watch the game last night? Kings frontcourt were beaten to the basket repeatedly by far quicker players (Barnes and Sabonis were awful). And they can’t rebound.
I like Holmes, but something is clearly wrong there. Where is the push shot? The pick and rolls?
That all walked out the door with Haliburton….
My totally butt-pulled and way to early prediction:
If the Kings struggle and look like a repeat 30 win team over the first month or so of the season all while Hali looks to be the center piece on a rebuilding Pacers team, Monte is not going to get that extension.
100%. Vivek may wait out the whole season….no play-in = no extension. “Here are the keys, new GM Wes Wilcox and special adviser to the Chairman, Barry Bonds”.
I legit up laughed out loud at that… then quickly realized that’s a real possibility.
Vivek always has his new celeb crushes. I can’t wait for the 3 shaka pic featuring Vivek, Bonds and 50 Cent. Its coming….
Vivek has real pull with the celebrities, shown by the Ding Dang Twins impressive karaoke show last night.
The man is on the cutting edge of 2001.
50 Cent and Barry Bonds šš Iām dead
Pacers still bad and who knows when or if they will be good .
Are you telling me Fox isn’t athletic. He does some things on the court no other player in the league can do.
Sorry Nap. I was thinking front court. Time to go to bed.
I enjoyed watching the game, it’s been a long time.
There are good and cheap seats available for the next two home games, good for me but is that a concern?
I’ve always been perplexed at declaring Sabonis a savior. His game is old and easy to expose. I was mortified they didn’t realize Hali is exactly what you build around, but that’s just an opinion and one that last night just solidified even more. Is Sabonis one of those players you need to take off the floor against certain teams, late in the game?
This team lacks stars. Did Portland look like they had more stars on the floor? Yes, yes they did.
Not concerned? They let one of the worst teams in the league last year beat them in their home opener. I’d be concerned.
Want to go small? Imagine Hali, Huerter, and Murray together. That would be fun. (maybe)
Once fox gets tired that will be that.