2023 Preseason Wrap-Up

The preseason is over, so Akis and Tony are sharing their thoughts on the Kings with real games set to start this week.

Which of the new guys stood out the most?

Akis:  For all the hype surrounding Sasha Vezenkov, I think it was our other rookie, Colby Jones, who impressed the most.  In five preseason games, Jones averaged 9 points on 47.4% from the field and 40.9% from three along with 1.8 assists, 1.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals in just 15.5 minutes a game.  Jones was billed as a rookie who could come in and help from day one, and he certainly looked up for it on both ends of the court.  Sacramento’s backcourt rotation is fairly crowded right now, so I don’t think he’d be in the immediate rotation, but given the chance, I think he’d impress and stick around.

Tony: Colby Jones is the clear answer here for all the reasons Akis mentioned above, but in the interest of diversity I’ll mention the guy who is probably keeping Jones out of the rotation right now: Chris Duarte.

I don’t think Duarte was incredible, but he looked like an NBA player again. Unfortunately his preseason run was cut short due to a minor left knee injury, but he fit in seamlessly with the starting lineup during the one game where Mike Brown elected to play Kevin Huerter off the bench. He appeared like an upgrade over Huerter defensively, and I liked his activity on offense without the ball and in transition. I think he did just enough to put himself above guys like Sasha Vezenkov and Colby Jones in Mike Brown’s rotation, but we’ll find out in a few more days.

Did Keegan Murray and Davion Mitchell showcase enough improvement?

Akis:  Yes to both, but in particularly Keegan.  Keegan finished second on the team in scoring in preseason, and continued to showcase more aggressiveness in attacking the rim and creating his own looks rather than just being a catch and shoot guy like he was last year.  Keegan spent the summer working out with De’Aaron Fox and it looked like it paid dividends.  For Davion, I really only wanted to see if he could become a consistent three point shooter.  Five preseason games is a small sample size, but the early returns are good as he settled in at 38.5% on 5.2 attempts a game. His shot release also seems a bit quicker and more confident.  Davion’s defense is already incredible, but he was played off the floor last year because he couldn’t be relied on to hit his open looks. If that no longer ends up being an issue, it’s going to be hard to keep him off the floor.

Tony: I have zero concerns about Keegan Murray’s development, so I was more impressed by Davion Mitchell’s preseason run. I am a big believer in the impact Davion can have on a game outside of the box score, and I still think it was a mistake to keep him off the floor against the Warriors despite his offensive inefficiency, but that’s another conversation for another day.

It doesn’t really matter what I think. Clearly, he didn’t do enough for Mike Brown’s liking in the playoffs. They want to see him shoot the ball from three with more consistency. He did that in the preseason. I’ll take it, and hope it leads to more playing time.

Did any of the returning vets do anything in particular to stand out, for better or worse?

Akis:  Yes, Kevin Huerter, and unfortunately it was for worse.  Huerter’s biggest asset is his three point shooting and when his shot isn’t falling he doesn’t provide much else.  Huerter shot just 22.7% from three in the preseason and only 32.4% overall.  There’s more competition at the two than last season, with both Chris Duarte and Colby Jones joining the team, not to mention returning sixth man candidate Malik Monk.  Mike Brown even benched Huerter for one preseason game to try out Duarte so as to improve the defense of the starters.  Huerter had a habit last year of either being an absolute flamethrower or not being able to hit anything at all, so hopefully this is just shaking some offseason rust, but the Kings are going to need a bit more consistency from him going forward.

Tony: I mentioned being disappointed in Kevin Huerter during our first preseason roundtable, and it hasn’t gotten any better since. I wouldn’t say I’m worried about him long-term. I think he’ll find his shot eventually, either with the Kings or somewhere else, but Mike Brown has options if he continues to struggle, and as the old saying goes, if you snooze you lose.

I wouldn’t hesitate to pull Huerter for Duarte or Jones or Monk or Davion or anyone else behind him if his shooting doesn’t return quickly. I’m coming into the season with a pretty short leash here. 

If you were Mike Brown, what would your rotation be to start the season?

Akis:  To start the year I’d definitely return to last season’s starting lineup of Fox, Huerter, Murray, Barnes and Sabonis, and I’d probably go with a backup rotation of Monk, Mitchell, Lyles, Jones and McGee.  Chris Duarte will probably get the nod over Jones to start the season but I was more impressed with Jones play and ability to do a little bit of everything, including handle the ball.  Sasha is a bit of an awkward fit right now so I’m not sure he’s going to see much time until perhaps injuries open up some minutes in the rotation.

Tony: Oh man. If I’m Mike Brown, I’m getting weird. I don’t expect a lot of agreement here, but I’m starting Fox, Davion, Barnes, Murray, and Sabonis with Monk, Huerter, Jones, Vezenkov, and Lyles off the bench. You can work in McGee or Len if size is an issue, but I am dying to see the Kings actually prioritize defense to any degree, and commit to starting their best defensive player (Davion).

That’s just me. Mike Brown and Kings fans alike can continue begging this team to perform better defensively, but nobody seems to want to reward the players who are actually doing it. It is my hypothesis that if you start Davion Mitchell and let him defend the opposing team’s best guard for 30 minutes every night over the course of 82 games, you will finally start to develop some semblance of a defensive identity. Scoring guards will hate to play the Kings. And selfishly, since my job is not on the line here, I just want to see what kind of player Mitchell is if you really commit to him.

After watching the Kings this preseason, are you more or less encouraged for the upcoming season?

Akis:  I don’t care at all that the Kings finished just 1-4, and am still just very excited to see the team back in action. I think the Kings have a bit more depth than last year, but also still some of the same problems (namely little wing depth and questionable defensive acumen).  This is still going to be a very fun team though and I can’t wait to see them back on court. And if that Warriors preseason game is any indicator, those rematches against Golden State are going to be must see TV this year for any NBA fan.

Tony: I’m nervous about the season but I don’t know what the Kings could have done in the preseason to alleviate that feeling. The Western Conference is brutal, and that’s why I’m not getting hung up on members of the national media who are pessimistic about the Kings this year. The middle of the conference is a toss up, and the Kings are in the middle.

I don’t know if they can replicate the magic they had last year. I do know it’ll be a harder road. I’m excited to see it play out.