The Sacramento Kings final preseason game felt akin to many of their 2019 performances. After matching Golden State Warriors blow for blow through the first 24 minutes, a lackadaisical third quarter ended up costing the Kings the game. De’Aaron Fox recorded 13 assists in 30 minutes for Sacramento, but his shot selection and accuracy were abysmal, as the franchise’s cornerstone scored just 8 points on 17 shots, including an 0/7 performance from the three-point line. Steph Curry led the way for the Warriors while looking like his pre-injury self, scoring 29 points and snagging 6 boards, to go along with three assists and three steals.
The start of the game was a bit of a defensive struggle for Sacramento, as Luke Walton’s squad surrendered 20 points in the opening six minutes of the game, but the defense recovered a bit in the second half of the first period, as the Kings gave up only 10 points over that span. It should come as no shock that the defensive bleeding coincided with rookie Tyrese Haliburton’s entry at the 6:17 mark, as the first-year player continued to show out in the passing lanes and in one-on-one situations.
In the second quarter, Sacramento utilized a balanced scoring attack, with five players entering ending the half with at least eight points, while the Warriors were led by the trio of Andrew Wiggins (16 points), Kelly Oubre Jr. (15 points), and Steph Curry (13 points). In an unsurprising strategy, Golden State leveraged the three-point line to build their slight lead, knocking down 11 long-balls compared to Sacramento’s five.
After walking into the locker room down just three points to the powerhouse Warriors, the Kings casually strolled into the third quarter and were absolutely lambasted, a familiar sight of unpreparedness from last season. Golden State began the period on a 16-4 run, with most of the damage coming from Curry, who scored 16 of his own points in the period. From the Kings point of view, a disgusted Luke Walton pulled all five starters in a hockey-style lineup change just four minutes into the second half, but the damage was already done with Sacramento trailing 81-66. The rest of the third and fourth quarter saw the Kings pull within eight or ten points multiple times, but the game never felt particularly competitive after Golden State’s initial push.
Tonight’s matchup marked the final preseason game for the Kings, who ended the preseason with a 2-2 record. Their 2020 campaign will officially begin on December 23rd against Mike Malone and the Denver Nuggets.
Game Notes
- Although Kyle Guy failed to hit a buzzer-beater or lead the team in scoring, he continued to look comfortable running the offense and finding cutters against NBA players. Despite Luke Walton’s comments otherwise, Guy may find himself earning some minutes as the season progresses.
- Tyrese Haliburton had another low usage, stat-stuffing evening, scoring seven points, grabbing three rebounds, and recording an assist, a steal, and a block in 20 minutes.
- Hassan Whiteside’s rim protection and rebounding have been a nice touch off of the bench, but his refusal to step outside the paint and challenge shooters killed the Kings throughout the game, especially when he was switched onto Steph Curry.
- Buddy Hield had a rough shooting night of his own, scoring 11 points on 13 shots while going 3/9 from deep.
I’m officially a Haliburtstan
Lovin Hali!!!
I’m so high on that kid.
Whiteside should absolutely not step out onto curry, some matchups you force players to fight through picks or you have help switches
Disagree, on a PNR at the top of the 3pt line, and Curry’s defender going over the top and the pick man not rolling to the hoop, the other defender needs to at least step up and show. Whiteside was around or below the FT line on a couple of occasions leaving Curry wide open to shoot the 3.
THIS. He also didn’t just do it on the PnR. He was sagging into the paint on simple catch and shoot situations. Hell, he didn’t even raise a hand in some instances. He is gravity bond to the paint for rebounds and rim protection. It’s is a grossly outdated skillset.
Just when you think Whiteside looks to be sagging he gets a finger on the ball or leaps out and alters the shot. It’s pretty amazing the ground that dude covers and he doesn’t get enough credit for it. Whiteside should start next to Bagely because Holmes and Bagely doesn’t work at all in my eyes.
Disagree all you want, it’s a bad defensive scheme that has your paint protecting big on a world class ball handler on the perimeter at all.
Clarify: at all beyond a hedge show. He can show but immediately drop, it’s a terrible plan to switch in that scenario
You may be right in Curry’s case, since nobody could take advantage of that mismatch better. And you may be right overall, since Whiteside is molasses and isn’t doing the type of aggressive hedge needed to be effective in that situation.
The other answer? Maybe there’s a reason he was readily available.
Unplayable. HW is simply unplayable against certain teams. On others, he absolutely can make an impact just being big. Against a lot of the league and how the game is played?
Or…OR actually put effort into defense. What happened to defense? It used to be a proud moment when your defense shuts down your defense shits down the opposing team. These kids don’t know how to guard one on one. Always calling for help. Fuck the help. Shut his ass down. Stick with your man. Fight through the screens. And if you can’t get through the screen, nudge your teammate to the left or to the right, depending on the direction of an opponent. One would say, that’s how you create mismatches. Fuck the mismatch, GUARD YOUR MAN. We need something like a shutdown cornerback on the court. Then Whiteside or whoever plays safety. Defend the rim.
These guys have been playing basketball for years. Take pride in shutting the other team down. If you don’t have the heart of effort to stop your man, then you shouldn’t be out there. I will foul out before I let my opponent go off on me. Fuck that. These kids need to step it up and get tougher. NO ONE is scared of is. That’s not good.
So true. I’ve been saying that for years. Defense, real defensive stance defense, has been fading out of fundamental basketball over the years. Players just want to be offensive superstars with no heart on defensive end.
I think this is some “old man yells at cloud” nonsense. The rules are different now, you can’t handcheck and you can’t really be physical (until the playoffs), so it’s damn near impossible to be a “lockdown defender” unless you’re a bit of a physical freak.
Agree though, that protecting the basket is paramount – as well as funneling guys into help and away from their strengths, making entry passes difficult, general effort and length (from multiple positions) is a huge part of being a good defensive team. A lot of that’s on coaching, IMO. Some of it is physical, and certainly some of it is guys having difficulty understanding a team defensive concept. I’d put lack of effort down the list a ways, although there are certainly individuals that have a problem in that area.
Love your hype on defensive intensity but dude we are not in the 80s as u said players would foul out in this grossly soft era I couldnt stand watching all this ticky tack fouls being called all night makes its disgusting but its the Era we are in. I do agree on your effort point but you can only teach schemes u can’t replace heart and want to players are born with that or not. All we can hope is to create a team system where we are passable and have our offense be our best defense wearing teams down running and gunning and being aggressive on offense will help. The worst part thats indefensible to your point is not getting back on fastbrakes and allowing leakouts that happened like 100 times and guards have to be ready to run back on a shot and not allow those easy buckets
Good points. You are right. It’s a different era. I will say this, it bothers me that basic fundamentals are becoming extinct in this league. I’ve played basketball ALL my life. I’m 40. To this day before a game, I ask who is the best player on the other team. Why? Because I’m about to shut that ass down.
Ticky Tack calls are made because one, the refs suck, and two, NO ONE knows how to stay in front of their man. Lateral exercises to increase left to right right to left quickness used to be a fundamental part of the game. Especially in practice. Coaches and players need to be better man. Mofos making millions of dollars. Put that work in. Give us a team to be excited about. A unit. We haven’t had a unit since 2002. That’s damn near 20 years!!!!!!!
I’m done venting. Go Kings!ð
Whiteside is trying his best to defense Curry, which works and made Curry’s shot missed…I doubt he would miss or Bagley / Holmes is guarding him…
Whiteside is a big part of interior defense….and I would disagree for those whom think Bagley should play the 5…as we are good right now with Holmes and Whiteside at 5….
My ideal:
Fox, Hali, Guy
Hield, Hali
Barnes, Robinson
Bagley, BJelly, Parker
Holmes, Whiteside
that’s already 12 players………
Exactly…this is what I remember from watching the game. Whiteside is the best center on the team. His rebounding and defense is great and he plays within himself on offense…he’s most likley not going to kill your offense with a poor shooting night but still give you 12 ppg.
His rim protection as a help defender is great. Which is what he’s being paid for. His post defense is pretty okay. His defense outside of that is average to poor. He’s a situational role player that does one key thing really f’ing well.
That’s clearly behind the arc….
After all these years, the Kings still don’t really have a player that is at his best as a SF.
Riiight and I seem to remember Whiteside altering shot attempts multiple times!
//:0
How does one post a gif from a mobile device. I am lost in the sauce.
I think (?) you still need to post a direct link, just like on a PC.
Fox has been the biggest disappointment in preseason but it is just that – preseason!
Him or Barnes
No it’s been fox without a doubt
Preseason .. Foxes !!
The tank is rolling quite nicely especially with Fox manning the driver’s seat.
And Barnes his navigator
Just a hater or what? Fox is in his own category right now
Barnes scored 17 points on 11 shots
Well, if you think a .500 record is tanking.
Not looking good boys and girls.
.
lol
Boys and girls .. the young players offer the old King fans hope!
I think Fox is trying too hard to be the team leader, that’s why his shooting stats haven’t been the best. In the NBA the team leader is the team’s best player. I’m not sure if Fox is the best player on the Kings. It’s one thing to be vocal but you have to have the game (especially scoring points) to back it up. But on the other hand, it’s preseason, we’ll see how it shakes out.
I know it’s just preseason but Fox’s shooting looks as bad as it did in his rookie season. I wish he’d stop taking so many and focus on driving to the rim, drawing fouls, and taking that 17 footer. Here’s hoping it’s just a 4 game rut and he figures it out for the regular season.
I’ll assume he was hoping to build some confidence in the shot and carry it over into the regular season. That obviously backfired, but I don’t think 7 3PA/G was ever going to be the plan going forward.
Yeah the volume wasn’t a concern. You may as well use the preseason to work on your weaknesses. The fact that he bricked every shot was a concern since it was a continuation from the poor three point shooting last season.
It’s so weird because he’s not bad pulling up from the midrange. He shot 55% on 2FGAs >16 feet last season. How his percents go down to mid 20s on threes is a mystery to me. Like you’d think a mechanics issue would effect all long-ish jump shots.
Reminds me of DeRozan, to be honest. Midrange and rim attack looks legit but for some reason anything from deep lacks consistency and confidence.
Arm extension not there… I’ve said it a hundred times, he’ll continue to miss long and short consistently
That lack of extension is a by-product of his pre-release setup. He overflexes his shooting arm creating more of a fling at the basket than a shot. It robs him of his touch. He also has release timing issues that are kinda typical of elite jumpers.
The big issue is that he hasn’t really made any progress on any of these things.
I agree about the big issue because that means he has been told but ignores it or in our entire coaching staff no one either knows this or has the sack to tell him
Exactly. He doesn’t “shoot” the ball. He flings it at the rim. Not good Fox.
Problem is he’s a horrible free throw shooter for a guard! He just has a bad shot and has made a career off of being really fast. It’s always been about him bulking up and using that speed with hopefully some added muscle to play a more contained driving style where he is looking for more assists as opposed to smashing into defenders…if he can do that he can create space with having a good shot from distance.
Ｉ Ｌï½ï½ï½ ãï¼ï½ ï½ï½ãï½ï½ï½ãHaliburton
..and Guy.
Those 3 are the ones I want to see more of.
Someone mentioned in the game thread, and I was thinking the same, that the Bagley/Holmes frontcourt pairing is a little suspect. They both gravitate toward the paint on both ends of the floor which gives us spacing problems on offense, and really slow defensive rotations and 3 on 4 perimeter D. There’s a reason we were getting killed to start to the first and third quarters.
Was excited to see the Fox, Buddy, Hali, Barnes, Holmes lineup there in the 3rd, and offensively things looked ok though shots weren’t quite falling. But defensively the rotations were still slow and I hate to say it but it seemed like Fox was the culprit at least a couple of times, getting lost in the scramble and giving up on plays, reacting to where the ball goes instead of anticipating.
Meanwhile Haliburton’s understanding of rotations and where to be, especially against a very active offensive like GS is just a beautiful thing to watch. So good at getting his hands on passes, great timing instincts, that wingspan, always knows where the help is and where to go. Helped cool Curry down in the 3rd when he started cooking.
If fox can’t shoot even 30% from 3 it’s going to be a very long season. It’s going to stagnate the entire offense when the point of attack on defense can sag off him so much and screw up any pick and roll the kings might be able to run. I’m getting more nervous by the game ð
Fox’s outside shots weren’t even close tonight. Maybe he’s just trying to force it a bit too much, but I’m beginning to have doubts. He may need the gravity of Buddy more than we realize. The fact that Fox only got to the line for two shots tonight is a worry. He needs to keep the defenses honest with his drive and kick before he decides to jack up some threes
Somewhat disagree. He does still have enough savvy to lift the offense even when he’s chucking bricks. 12 assists and 0 turnovers means he was having a positive impact on the offense, and that was with nobody respecting his shot or pressing him on the perimeter. I also think he was saving his more aggressive drives to the hole for the regular season as well.
But I get your point. It’s amazing the stuff that opens up for Curry in terms of cuts and PnR attack because the defense has to come out of the lane.
Not just season but very long contract if he can’t hit 30%
Big mistake to give him a max contract so quick ! Let RFA work !
If Fox could attack the rim with a consistent threat of kicking it out for 3’s he can create space without have a consistent 3 himself.
Agreed on all points. I do not like the prospect of a Bagley and Holmes pairing. Never have and never will. It is both redundant and inefficient. They each need a floor spreader like Nemanja on the court with them to maximize their skillset. Maybe that was the idea behind Frank the Tank, but he isn’t going to cut it. He’s the poor man’s drunk version of last year’s idea of Dedmon.
When they played together in the game they actually paired well. Dunks and rebounds and put backs.
This guy must REALLY suck.
He’s the poor man’s drunk version of last year’s idea of Dedmon.
𤣠𤣠𤣠ð¤£
At one point Hali subbed in and was aggressive on D, immediately Fox amped it up on that possession as well. I hope Tyrese helps De’Aaron tap into the defensive potential I’ve thought he’s had. Even if it’s just rubbing off some energy and effort on that side of the ball.
So even though it’s gonna be a short season, you’re telling us it’s gonna be a long season?
I guess that’s the long and short of it.
I don’t know folks, Whiteside is a complete negative in my book. Some might say that is a good thing and other might say “but he rebounds and blocks shots,” but I think he is going to hurt the development of the youth.
He has cement shoes and is a HORRIBLE team defender. He is the slowest guy I’ve seen on the court since Sim Bhullar.
There has been some serious praise for him coming from all directions, and I keep wondering if these folks are watching a different player.
The kings are pretty much guaranteed to be playing 4 on 5 after he contributes under the rim. Sometimes he makes it down jussssst in time to set a lazy ass screen that accomplishes little. He’ll be unplayable some nights but that’s nothing new.
There is a very good reason he could only get a minimum deal on the Kings. He’s almost out of the NBA, IMO. He just doesn’t fit the modern game at all. He’s the ghost of Roy Hibbert.
You just reminded me of a thought I had watching the game…
A big C like Whiteside is a great way to illustrate why you just run PFs out there instead.
Yup, Miami sent him off to go small with Bam at the 5 and then made the Finals.
The minimal advantage Whiteside may give you on rim protection and rebounding is outweighed by the disadvantage he leaves you with teams going small. It’s just the way of today’s NBA.
When he first got to MIA he had some nice battles with Embiid but those sort of just went by the wayside.
This term “modern NBA” is a cliche. Basketball has been and always will be about defending, rebounding, challenging shots, carving out your space in the rim. There will always be a place for a big guy who slow or stop the littler guy.
You may not have noticed, the centers in the West have gotten appreciably bigger in the last 2-3 seasons. I could name half of a dozen off the top of my head:
> Nurkic
> Jokic
> Ayton
> Zubac
> Boban
> Adams
> Gobert
These are big dudes, the “modern NBA” seems to have a place for them.
Towns and Davis are both pretty big dudes too
Steven Adams! Don’t forget him.
Yup…you can have a “slow cement shoed big dude” playing center and still play small ball by having a 3 guards and SF lineup on the court with him. He has a role and appears to embrace it. If you need to change things up then you role Holmes out there as needed.
Yeah the issue isn’t Whiteside or any other traditional center, it’s much more of having your highest picks and supposedly cornerstone pieces in Fox and Bagley not being able to space the floor because they can’t hit even 30% from 3
Yeah, one of the Kings big overarching problems is that they are a team of guys with glaring holes that force your hand at other positions. Now, with Bogdan gone, Haliburton is really their only “glue guy” that can cover for other players shortcomings without creating new holes in a lineup’s overall skill set.
He’ll be invaluable some nights. Gobert?
I guess that’s why he’s only got a minimum deal.
I think it very much depends on the matchup. Certain Cs in the league he’ll do pretty well against. I want Whiteside over Holmes/Bagley if the other team has a power 5 who beats you with strength and rebounding like Adams, Nurkic, Ayton, Drummond, Howard, and even the smaller energy hustle guys like Montrez Harrell who always kills us.
But certain matchups, especially against anybody that will require him come out of the paint, will likely expose his weaknesses.
He was still +6 tonight in 20 min with 12/9 and 2 blocks.
Correct me if I’m wrong but he’s had a significantly positive plus minus in each game he played so far
Yes, he’s had a positive +/- in all *checks notes* 2! games he’s played for us.
Hopefully it continues.
So you are going to rag on Whiteside but give Bjelica a pass??? Bjelica is the worst defender in the NBA in my book! It is futile to have this bum on the court. He is a terrible at team defense, terrible at rotations and keeping his man in front of him.
Bjelica got obliterated by Oubre all night. Did you happen to notice?
Whiteside by contrast has great timing, he’s an immoveable force in the paint, he can go after offensive rebounds often without fouling, and he has good hands.
It is already known Whiteside cannot leave the paint to guard on the perimeter.
If a 7’0 260 pound player who could lead the NBA in shot blocks and rebounds could also defend wings and guards at the three point line, he would a perennial DPOY. Fans have to be more reasonable in their expectations.
BJelly is actually a passable team defender, and that was coaching having him on a SF, because Oubre is not a 4
Your making the dudes point though. They’re are always matchus that players have difficult times with. Just as Whiteside would have difficulty with a smaller center or PF with Range, Bjelly will have similar problems with a smaller player quicker player. That poor defensive matchup can potentially be exploited on the offensive side though. Whiteside appears to destroy smaller centers on the offensive side. How many second chance opportunities is he creating that could be the difference in the game especially when you “cough” two best shooters are wildly streaky.
Yeah at least Whiteside creates a matchup issue on the other end, Belly is worthless if he isn’t hitting like 40-50% from deep 3 on high volume
Skal Labissierre, Papa G
I felt like Whiteside was playing like last-year-in-sac Brad Miller last night. slow, ponderous, upright. It didn’t look fluid or smooth. I wonder if he’s nursing a back injury or something.
I can’t remember who said it (Jerry maybe?), but someone said you can tell if a big man came to play within the first few minutes they’re in the game. Yesterday, it just seemed like Hassan was even more immobile than usual from the get go. He kinda reminded me of Boban because he literally wasn’t jumping.
Offensively the Holmes / bagley pairing doesn’t make a ton of sense so theoretically it’s for defense? But they are getting run off the court in those mins defensively it seems.
How much worse defensively is a fox, hield, hallie, Barnes, bagley line up and going small. I’m not sure it is. Bagley needs to play center. GS played oubre and Wiggins at PF frequently and bagley didn’t seem to be able to take advantage in the post in isos or given the opportunity much. He doesn’t have the strength to bully them and their quickness beats him to spots often. I think him going against centers where he could use his quickness to advantage would be better match up even if giving up strength. Him playing PF by Holmes or whiteside isnt going to unlock anything in bagley if it’s there.
So, yeah. I’ll ask again… What is Fox’s trade value right now? If you can get a first for him, you pull the trigger right?
lol
Based on the preseason? Lol.
Good teams will crowd Fox from getting penetration in the paint. We saw it tonite. Fox is fast. But, he’s not that strong and doesn’t have the muscle to push alot of players around. In other words, please stop the Westbrook comparison. Westbrook is thick with muscle and heft. You can tell Westbrook has always hit the weight room. Fox had a lot of open looks from 3 tonite. He still wasn’t even close. The Dubs were letting him shoot uncontested for most of the night. He was still missing badly. If Fox cannot consistently hit his open shots, then his value plummets significantly.
The Key is trading Hield. The Kings will definitely be one of the worst 3 pt shooting teams in the league after that. In turn, Kings will lose a lot of games this season.
trade Fox and Hield for Harden and the Rockets can have the two fastest point guards in the league with Fox and Wall. Make it a three way and get the Rockets Simmons too… The Rockets could have the three worst shooting guards in NBA history ð
I am deeply worried about Fox’s shot but not worried about Fox overall. He doesn’t need to be a good three-point shooter to live up to his contract in my opinion. Fox is a beast in transition, should be one of the top players at getting to the line and is solid at setting up his teammates. Of course if he could just be an average NBA three point shooter it would make him hit another level but he can be pretty damn good without a shot IMO. Currently you need to surround him with 3 or 4 shooters or there will he spacing problems. I don’t see this Holmes and Bagley line up working unless one or both of them can hit a reasonable percentage from 3(not holding my breath).
If he’s not going to be a good three point shooter then he needs to improve on the defensive end significantly.
Yeah can’t just be good in transition and driving to the hoop while trash defensively and from 3, especially as a guard
At least not for a max player, that description sounds like a role player
So you are saying we basically need the entire team to hit 3s
at least 3 on the floor should be able to at all times, preferable four of them with a whiteside type of paint presence
Fox will still average 20-6. That won’t change. But, His impact on winning will be minimal if doesn’t have a consistent outside shot. Couple that with that fact he’s not a great defender. Fox is almost 10 years younger than Curry. Yet, for all the talk of Fox’s speed, Fox couldn’t guard Curry to save his life.
I love Haliburton. He’s already the best defender on the team BY FAR. He blocked Curry twice and then Curry stepped out of bounds because Hali had him a little off kilter. This dude has been in the league for a month and he did that to Steph. He’s just really freaking impressive.
We have a team whose desired playstyle screams small ball. Yet we trot out traditional lineups. Bjelica is done I don’t care what anyone says. There was a stretch where he was getting murdered by the Warriors on every play. And on offense he should just quit dribbling. More than a few dribbles = bad possession. He also gets ran off the 3 point line too easy. Trade him and play Bagley at the 5, with Holmes coming off the bench. Slide Barnes’ expensive a** to the 4, insert Haliburton, and run. That is all. And tell Bagley to sack up on defense and protect the rim just as hard as he goes left.
there was a clip of the sideline during the game and Bjelica was asleep. Literally asleep. !!
I was dying laughing ð
Can we get Honk Kong Kings Fan to post this?
I am sorry for late reply, I noticed that too, but forgot when its happened…then I re-watched 2nd half, and here you go,….
Of course! I was saying Bjelica was a non-rotational player before the preseason. And he came into camp worse than I expected. He’s not a NBA player anymore. I don’t know why you would think he would have trade value though.
When we made our minicomeback, it was with Barnes at the 4, another move I have been advocating for.
solid Take
Bagely will get killed defensively at the 5.
Of course he will. The question is if he’ll be able to provide enough of an advantage on the other end to make it worth it. The answer, as usual, is all about the matchup.
depending on the matchup yes. Small ball lineups he should be fine with an offensive advantage on the other end
To whom it may concern,
1.) Bagley should start at the 5
2.)Barnes should start at the 4
3.) Buddy should start at the 3
4.) Burt should start at the 2
5.) Fox should start at the 1
6.) Guy has earned a roster spot. A move should be made at the all star break to move Guy in to a position to get rotational minutes and potentially earn an important role on this young core thats slowly forming.
7.) Whiteside should only play when a certain matchup calls for an extra large human. Or get traded asap.
8.) It would have been well worth the added investment to do what needed to be done to keep Harry Giles in Sacramento for at least two more seasons. This not happening after the first mistake of not extending him was essentially doubling down on Kangs.
9.) Fox should be jacking up ten 3’s a game. Figure it the fuck out. If you don’t, you lose more games and get higher odds at a better player to be on your team with you. If you do then you’re an all star. It’s truly a win win. Fire away
10.) Luke alton is garbage
Biggest mistake in years may turn out to be the Fox max contract ! Should have waited a year and used RFA ! Can not lose a player that you want to keep !
1) Whiteside
2) Bagely
3) Hield
4) Halli
5) Fox
Holmes and Barnes off the bench as the matchups warrant. Bagely can slide over to the 5 at times but should not start there.
Man, I hope that opponent doesn’t have any front court scorers or facilitators.
Replace Bags with Barnes otherwise you have Hield as the only true outside threat
Barnes for Bags, then Bags for Whiteside and this is at least the group on the floor that represents maximum upside for the kings.
As an aside, my only compliment for Walton was challenging that bailout foul call. Those calls make my blood boil. They took us out of a lot of games late in the 4th quarter back in 2018. The NBA needs to do better at cleaning upthat type of play. You should not get foul calls for tripping and stumbling into the paint untouched, full speed into a defender that’s just standing there like Whiteside was. Its pathetic.
So everyone will bash Fox like Hield didnt play like garbage AGAIN? Like 60% of his games last season?
This feels like a spot for a “why not both?” gif – but it’s only preseason.
Next season will see starting guards making about 50 million ! Will Bagley get a max deal as well if he puts up some stats in losing games ?
Yeah they were both really bad last night shooting the ball but as you stated, it’s the preseason. If we get 15-20 games into the season and these guys are still bricking every shot they take I will be concerned. I am honestly fine with Fox shooting as many threes as possible in these pre season games. It would be great if he started making some of them but for now I just want him to take a ton of them and hopefully he’ll start to figure his shot out.
This entire upcoming season is essentially a pre season for these Kings.
Fox should be on a ten 3pt attempts per game minimum all season. Miss or make it doesn’t matter. Just keep taking them.
The scary part of the Kings front line is no one can shoot. Bagley is Roy Hibbert/Favors, Whiteside is a net negative when he’s on the floor. Slow, Lazy and cannot hit Ft’s. Sure, he’ll get you a few putbacks, dunks, and blocks. But, everything else he does is nothing. Holmes is like Harrell Jr. Having a combination of any of those 2 on the floor is a horrible detriment to the spacing. The Kings drafting a star wing in next years draft would transform this franchise.
net negative with a positive plus/minus each game he played…copy that
Over his career he has fluctuated back and forth. Ultimately, he’s a situational big. He can provide positive impact, but he’s also a pretty easy mark if the opponent really wants to. Like in the playoffs. Though that’s isn’t really something we need to worry about.
Your discounting how important Whiteside’s FG efficinecy is with his expectation of 12 points per game when your guards are shooting so inefficiently.
I might of been imagining things but I think I saw Bagley shoot with his right hand once. Bagley has looked pretty decent, even if his stats haven’t shown it. Fox has looked awful. His shot not only isn’t going in, it just looks bad. Almost like he’s shooting sideways.
Fox has some small but vital mechanical tweaks he needs to make (primarily in footwork and shooting arm angle). My fear is that nobody near him is telling him that. SOMEBODY must be, but we haven’t seen any change. So I have to assume his “working on his 3” is just getting up a bunch of shots. Not making mechanical adjustments.
Also known as ingraining bad form into muscle memory. Kind of like my golf swing.
Fox’s offensive struggles is reason we absolutely need Marvin Bagley to stay healthy and stay on the court.
Bags has the ability to shoot at an above 50% clip on a nightly basis, and that’s going to be key, because Fox and Hield tend to have scoring slumps that coincide on the same night.
While Fox’s offensive game develops into a consistent threat, we have to feed Bags as his offensive game is already polished.
Ziller bombs, from his “17 Unimpeachable predictions:”
Tom does a daily newsletter – here is the subscribtion link:
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I don’t know if Haliburton will win DROY but I think there is a very good argument to be made that he is the rookie who will impact winning the most. Almost every single thing he does on the court is a positive. The defense improves significantly when he’s on the court and the ball moves better as well. There were a couple amazing sequences where the ball was whipping around and ended with a wide open shot and he initiated all of them. He’s got that awesome preternatural ability to see 3 passes ahead and it is blowing my mind that he is doing this as a 20 year old who’s been on an NBA roster for a month.
Yeah, ROY is primarily a counting stats and highlights award.
Yeah I figure Lamelo or maybe even Okoro, guys who are playing 30+ minutes a night and will put up traditional numbers on bad teams, are probably the front runners to win it. I think the only way Haliburton sneaks in there is if the Kings are competing for a playoff spot or much better than I expect them to be and people point to him as one of the main reasons why.
A month is being generous. The dude has had about 10 practices and 4 pre season games and he looks like one of the best players on the floor.
it’s Kinda insane. This is the type of rookie we’ve been waiting for the Kings to draft since 1986.
Was this actually all part of a love letter that Zeller asked you to pass on to me?
My takeaways:
Oubre feels like a guy we might have been able to grab a few years back. Fun player to watch.
I was pushing the WCS for Oubre trade. They were both the same age and contract status. They were both guys that were useful but not especially impactful at the time. The Kings were overloaded with bigs, the Wizards were overloaded with wings. The Wizards were reported to be looking for athletic bigs. Etc. It made too much sense.
I down thumbed it. Not because I disagree with your comment but because it made my stomach upset when I saw a picture of Vlade as our GM.
Vlade Downvote.
he seems like the type of player a smart fantasy team would draft as well!
His stock went WAY up when Klay went down and the Warriors acquired him.
One nice, and one not nice thing about Bagley’s defense:
Anyways the way GS shares the ball makes a lot of defenders look bad. Bagley just needs to do a better job of knowing where he’s supposed to be, and what the opposing offense is trying to do.
Yeah his defensive issues seem to be completely based on his lack of awareness. When he’s on the ball he’s actually pretty solid but as soon as the ball starts moving he has absolutely no idea where to go or what’s happening around him.
He needs to be chained to Haliburton in between games.
This has kind of always been his issue. Since perimeter 1v1 defense is primarily about athleticism and engagement, guys like Bagley are generally at least passable there.
The problem is always about what happens when they’re off the ball. Which is the vast vast majority of building a good overall team defense.
One not so nice, and two nice thing about Bagley’s passing:
Anyways, I don’t think Bagley will ever be a good passer. He just needs to be a willing passer when the defense takes away his shot. I thought those were good examples of unselfishness that we haven’t seen from him that often in the past.
It sure seems like the bigs have been instructed to always look for cutters when they are at the top of the key or in the high post because Holmes, Whiteside and Bagley have all thrown some absolutely horrendous passes right to opposing players from those spots. Now, you’d think if that was the plan you’d want to get some big guys who actually have an aptitude for making those plays but I digress.
As President, I will outlaw the third quarter
Fake news!
but will you destroy our democracy?
But that would make the 4th quarter the 3rd quarter!
But would our players be smart enough to understand that?
I’m starting the Metu Movement.
booooooo
#Metu
Badge Legend