Well we’re three games into the Sacramento Kings season and the Kings are 1-2. Given how close each of the three games have been, they just as easily could have been 3-0 … or 0-3. And this was supposed to be the easy part of the opening schedule. Here’s what’s stood out to me this opening week for the Kings and also around the NBA.
The Kings have a size problem
This shouldn’t come as a shock to anybody aside from maybe the Sacramento Kings front office, but the Kings have a size problem and it’s already costing them games. In all three of their games so far, the Kings have been crushed on the glass. Right now the Kings are 28th in Defensive Rebounding Rate and 29th in Offensive Rebounding Rate. They’ve also allowed the 6th most second chance points in the league.
This is particularly concerning because the Kings really haven’t had this much trouble crashing the glass in recent years. Last year they finished 3rd in defensive rebound rate, and the year before they were 1st. Domantas Sabonis is still an incredible rebounder (and his timely offensive rebound putback against Utah is the sole reason the Kings aren’t 0-3 right now) but he has been getting no help. Offensive Rebounds and second chance points allowed the Phoenix Suns to come back in the season opener (a game Sabonis missed), and the Jazz nearly upset the Kings at home by using their size.
The Kings are just too damn small and didn’t really do anything this offseason to address it. That’s going to continue to bite them in the ass until serious changes in personnel are made.
Malik Monk is off to a scorching start
Malik is back to looking like the 6th man of old so far, averaging 18 points in just 24.3 minutes a game thanks to his red hot shooting from beyond the arc. Through the first three games, Malik is shooting 63.2% on 6.3 attempts a game from distance. This is clearly unsustainable, but it’s a good sign to see Malik hitting from long range early, as he struggled most of last year when he shot just 32.5%. Hopefully we see a bit more consistency from him on that end of the floor this season because the Kings really need some reliable outside shooting.
Doug Christie does not have an answer for the Keegan Murray problem
We knew there were going to be issues for the Kings when Keegan Murray was set to miss the first 4-6 weeks of the season. Murray is a 1 of 1 player for this roster, with nobody else matching his two way versatility or size. In the first three games, Coach Doug Christie has tried three different solutions.
In the first game, he opted to go with the rookie Nique Clifford, which was encouraging to see as I feel like the Kings need to prioritize developing their youth. Clifford played some solid defense and actually led the team in rebounding with 8 in just 23 minutes, but unfortunately suffered a hamstring strain that’s going to see him miss at least a week.
With Clifford out of the picture, Christie then went to Isaac Jones against the Jazz. Jones played just 14 minutes and wasn’t particularly effective on either end of the floor. It makes sense why Christie went with Jones, as Utah is huge, but he ended up opting to play small anyway for a big portion of the game, including down the stretch when he had Russell Westbrook guarding the 7’0 Lauri Markkanen in the clutch.
Against the Lakers, Christie switched it up yet again, putting Keon Ellis in the starting lineup. Ellis scored just 6 points and fouled out in 18 minutes of action, an inauspicious performance for a player that many Kings fans (myself included) felt needed more opportunity and playing time.
Christie is really stuck playing the hand he was dealt, so I don’t blame him for trying multiple different options but I don’t think there really is a good answer until Keegan comes back.
Zach LaVine might set the Sacramento-era single season scoring record
Three games, three straight 30 point performances for Zach LaVine so far. He’s been incredibly efficient from two so far (65.8%), but a little less so from distance where he’s currently at 35.7% on 9.3 attempts a game. If he gets his 3P% up to above 40% like he was last year, he might actually end up averaging 30+ points a game on this team. Right now the Sacramento-era record is Chris Webber’s 27.1 points per game in the 2000-01 season. I wouldn’t be surprised if LaVine surpasses that this year, especially if he keeps playing 37-38 minutes a game.
Victor Wembanyama might win MVP this year. And next year. And for as long as he plays.
This is only Kings related in the fact that I don’t know how the Kings or any NBA team for that matter is going to deal with a fully realized Victor Wembanyama. If you haven’t watched some of the highlights from Wembanyama’s first few games this season, I would highly encourage you do so because a legend is being born. The Spurs are 3-0 already with the 5th best offense and 2nd best defense and it’s almost all because of Wembanyama who is averaging 33.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 6(!) blocks, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 steals in just 32.7 minutes a game.
He is a cheat code for the game of basketball in human form. Some of the things he is doing on a basketball court are things only a man of his size and skill are able to do. He looks like an adult playing with children. He was treating Anthony Davis, one of the best defensive big men of this generation, like a mild nuisance. I think if a team was able to offer a guaranteed championship to the Spurs in a trade for Wemby, the Spurs would say no. If this is what he’s doing now, I can’t even imagine what he’s going to look like in his prime. There are few enough times when someone manages to live up to the hype, let alone exceed it, and Wemby is definitely in that rarefied air.
Upcoming Kings Schedule:
- Tuesday, Oct. 28th at Oklahoma City
- Wednesday, Oct. 29th at Chicago
- Saturday, Nov. 1st at Milwaukee
I think that my largest frustration since the Fox trade is that it completely nuked Sabonis’ overall attributes – the ones that made him an upper echelon NBA player.
Fox and Sabonis were a very good pairing. Fox, unlike a “traditional” PG, did not have to over handle. This got the ball into Domas’ hands exponentially more than we have seen since Fox was traded, as Sabonis now shares the floor with the ball pounding LaVine, DeRozan and Monk. And while Fox was not a sniper from deep, he could create floor space with his speed, again allowing Domas to ply his talents. When the Kings fire sold De’Aaron Fox, they also sold an important portion of Domantas Sabonis. And as we are learning from watching Schroder and Westbrook, replacing a De’Aaron Fox is more easily said than done.
This is just not where we should be right now. Add a PJ Washington instead of DeRozan (in other words, part with a few 2nd rounders instead of doling out big bucks for Demar), or guarantee Siakam the max (that’s what real NBA teams do) and get that trade done, and you are at least competitive, and maybe even relevant. Instead, we get talk of “94 FEET!” and a lineup that might even be small by D1 standards.
This is a rudderless organization, run with hubris and without shame. It’s fans deserve better. It’s city deserves better.
But hey, alternate Sacramento A’s jerseys next year. Huzzah!
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I don’t know you well enough to say that you suck, Vivek. But I know the results of your ownership of an NBA team, and I can safely say that you suck as an NBA owner. You suck hard, and you suck long. You are on the shortest of lists of NBA owners that have truly sucked. In a room full of fellow NBA owners, you are not only a loser, but you are among the losingest. You are a laughing stock of the W-L column, and there is no real end in sight. For the sake of this fan base, you should get out of this business. Because you suck at it. I mean, badly. Suck.
DDR should not be playing more than 18-20 minutes a game. He completely stops the ball from moving, and I have to change the channel because it becomes boring as hell.
Beam came on last night, but died after reaching 94 feet
They have pills for that.
Your 2025 G1C beam is brought to you by HIMS!
Rob, I couldn’t agree more with you that Vivek is horrible at being a playoff contending NBA owner. However, I think Vivek is an extremely capable NBA owner at lining his own pockets, which I fear is his only goal for this team (with a little fanboying of big name NBA ex-stars he can sign along the way). The man is clearly an extremely capable businessman and quite astute and getting what he wants, thus being able to be a majority owner of an NBA team in the first place. And I also believe he may be the envy of many other NBA owners (sports owners in general?) because he was able to hook a team in a one-sport town that does not have the fanbase nor media capable of effectively calling him out for his abuse, in order to line his pockets, of the fans’ unwavering dedication to our team. What he is doing, as many here point out repeatedly, is sick. And many of us here on TKH are sick of him. However, it has not reached a critical mass among all Kings fans yet to be an influence on his efforts. But hey, all’s fair in big business, right? The young Jets fan hit the nail on the head…
Attacking the obvious will always get you some thumbs at. Congratulations you have 7 so far.
Aw, you still care. That’s adorable.
It’s your extensive playing and coaching experience that makes you so compelling. I mean at 5 feet 6 inches with playing experience up to 3rd grade CYO, I can’t wait to hear your commentary. The professional regurgitater strike again.
He’s attacking what needs to be attacked. The more shit Vivek gets and the more pressure the more likely it is that he might actually get the hell out.
Well gee, that seems unnecessarily hostile.
How is everyone doing so far?
Me?
I had to explain to my wife last night that I will basically be “hate watching” the Kings this season. Should couldn’t wrap her head around why an avid Kings fan is hoping for it all to quickly fall apart. I told her, “you have to understand, I love them so much that I want them to fail, and admit failure, only to eventually blow it all up to truly try and succeed next season and beyond.”
It’s easy to understand when you have kids.
You think I want to pay for Stanford? No, so I root for shitty grades! 😉
It’s funny these days. I feel like I (many of us here on TKH?) are constantly assessing our friends who are Kings casuals to determine if they’re capable of understanding the rabbit hole we’ve gone down and explain to them why we’re actually rooting for the short-term failure of the team we love.
And by funny, I mean depressingly sad…
I see people justifying the Lakers, and Austin Reeves in particular, and their free throw exhibition last night, and I think the big picture problem is being ignored. Basketball has officially transitioned into a game (I can’t call this a sport anymore) where running into people and flailing around is, despite being the ugliest and most boring thing ever to watch, being justified as a good gameplan. I get that the fouls may have been legitimate fouls (bonus points if you call whatever Reeves did as a good gameplan and think Ellis flopped), but how are we in a world where this is not trying to be eradicated from the sport as a whole.
If this is what people like to call good basketball or a winning scheme and a “star turn” for Reeves, then I think basketball might not be for me anymore. I’ll watch the next game to prove myself wrong, and am sure SGA will shoot 40-50 free throws.
I think the justification has more to do with the FT differential last night, but I don’t think that “people” are calling that good basketball.
The NBA has a definite officiating / rules problem. You can click on the game of your choice tonight, pick a team to root for, and you are going to be unhappy with the officiating. The way that the game is officiated and its accompanying rule book just have not kept up with the game. They both need a complete overhaul. All that said, the FT differential last night was a direct byproduct of the Lakers leaning into the way that the game is officiated these days (they also front when they are on defense), while the Kings do not initiate contact when they have the ball, and they reach excessively on defense.
I have managed a lot of 13-14 year old baseball over the years, and I always tell my kids to adjust to the strike zone. If an ump is calling low and outside, get up on the plate and cover it, and then our pitcher needs to bury that location when they are out there. Umps are a field condition, and the successful teams adjust to those conditions while the unsuccessful teams complain about it. The lack of adjustment by the Kings to adapt to how a game is being called is absolutely stunning. And until such time that the NBA addresses their large and glaring officiating / rules problem, good teams like OKC will abuse the system while bad teams like the Kings whine about it.
I do agree with you as it pertains to the unwatchable nature of how the games are adjudicated. It does border on the ridiculous.
I kept switching back between the Steelers/Packers and the Kings/Lakers last night. At one point the refs slowed the Kings game down so much it felt like I was watching two NFL games.
Same.
I consider myself a highly tolerant and accepting person, but I can’t listen to the Kings broadcast anymore. For the last several years I’ve been hoping the change would be made, but now I’m completely beaten down.
I don’t know what I’m going to do this year, but it feels like the desire to follow even in the smallest amount is now gone.
Yeah, I’m having a double-tough time with it. I am going to be writing a weekly article for TKH, and I wanted to reference a broadcast comment each week, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Maybe what I will have to do is a per game “the moment I muted” comment.
Yup. Me too. Hard to watch because the asshole at the top is making it miserable for everybody. And unfortunately it echoes what’s going on in this country. I am already over full with billionaire egomaniacs treating the public like shit..
Fuck Vivek now and until he sells
This. I finally gave up channel surfing and stuck with Packers/Steelers. It was way more satisfying seeing Rodgers lose than to see Reaves put up a 50 burger.
I don’t see many hard fouls that send a message to offensive players that get in to the lane. Lots of touch fouls, which players hunt for because of how the rules are. But if you get body checked hard and take a nice tumble to the floor, might think twice about getting in to the paint again.
The league is soft now, and I hate that. We need more guys like Charles Oakley, Alonzo Mourning, etc. that play physical.
You mean like JV and Lyles? Those kind of dudes don’t seem to be in Vivek’s favor. He want’s high flying, high scoring, jazz hands instead of lunch pail grinders.
And he got Eubanks and Saric, lol.
You weren’t impressed with Eubanks’ ability to get the ball stuck between the rim and backboard on a layup attempt?!
Shooting 10% from the field on the season is impressive, just not in a positive way.
I really miss those two guys.
Three questions:
Are we defending 94 feet?
Are we one of the best-conditioned teams in the league?
Will Keegan be able to hoist up 10 threes per game, when he’s back?
Saw literally one (1) 94 foot pressure from Schroder near the end of the Lakers game. Kings are settling back into half-court defense, and mostly walking the ball up the court on half-court offense.
Doug realized the flaw in trying to cover 94 feet…his team is old, and not filled with good defenders.
Team looks gassed most of the night.
Keegan might not even get 10 shots in a single game this season with all the ball hogs on the roster.
“Realized”?
Every one on here realized it the moment those baffling statements came out of his mouth that this wouldn’t work at all.
Are we so smart or is he so dumb?
I think we all knew that what he said was dumb and would not work.
So it turns out that we read it wrong – it should have been 9.4 feet. And we are working our way up to that.
Regarding the size issue, this is where losing Trey Lyles and not re-signing Jake LaRavia really hurt the Kings, in addition to losing Jonas V as the back-up center who can produce on both ends of the court. Isaac Jones is simply not ready for major minutes behind Keegan.
And the crazy thing is that Jonas V fits this team’s timeline!
Old and going nowhere fast.
That was a catastrophic trade! Valanciunas vs Saric is laughable.
Not really. I mean, only one of those two was a former Warrior. Clear win for the Kings franchise.
JV is averaging 10 and 5 while shooting over 50% off the bench.
We traded him for the ability to sign DS. Our replacement center is shooting 10% from the field right now. lol
Westbrook/JV > DS/Westbrook/Eubanks.
I now think they traded him so they could have the ability to chase Kumings, not sign Dennis. Prior to Russ signing on, the Kings were far enough below the tax that the difference between JV and Saric’s salaries still would have allowed for Dennis.
JV was making $10.3M to Saric’s $5.4M. That’s a difference of $4.9M The Kings were $5.6M below the tax before they signed Westbrook…and that doesn’t take into account the need to sign Eubanks at $2.2M.
Keep JV, don’t acquire Saric, don’t sign Eubanks and the Kings could have still signed Dennis. Perry blew it later on a missed swing for a bigger name (Kuminga) and had to settle for Westbrook. It’s just like how Vlade cleared a bunch of space by moving JT, Landry, and Stauskas only to “settle” on Rondo Koufos and Belinelli because he was shitty at GMing.
Credit to the Warriors, they have shifted and are making Kuminga a bigger part of their play and he appears to have flourished.
Today, he looks like a player worth loosening the draft pick restrictions, yesterday, he was not.
Tomorrow?
Maybe this is more a Jerry question than an Adamsite or the community one but…
Q: at what point do we start the Woodson watch on Coach Christie? 1-9, 2-12, 3-17?
Given the past Coaching firings, when does that carousel calliope music start it’s first stanza?
Just switch Doug with Kayte. Considering how much she educates us poor stupid fans about basketball she should be an amazing coach…and I miss Doug’s excited goofiness in the booth.
I will repeat what I put in the last thread because that’s what I do. that’s what I do.
Zach Lavine is just what you want a scoring guard to be, IMO. You can hate the contract, but (IMO) don’t hate the player. He is wearing the crown as best King, atm. You can label that as a cause for the record, but having a guy average 30 ppg with efficiency, is a (+).
Westbrook is a heckuva rebounder (and maybe, so is ‘Nique). Other than Domas (who I believe looks “off” and to Rob’s points, I agree, but he even looks different compared to last season). Isaac Jones has been “meh” and I am being generous, and to emphasize the point (only 3 games in) Drew Eubanks has looked better. Heck, Dylan Cardwell has been on par for the 3 of them, as anyone taller than 6’7″ look indistinguishable and none of then “good”. And I will add Domas to that group as he has appeared just very slightly better than any of the aforementioned. Why no Raynaud? Somebody have cold feet?
On the positive…
the Kings are 41/99 or .414 on 3FG thus far. No one is worse than .333 (unfortunately, one of those is the 6/18 Schröder, who’s shot isn’t a pretty thing, the other is the 1 of 3 Domas). Westbrook is .500 (4/8) and DDR .375 (3/8).
Keegan is out for another … month? Oy vey. I don’t think he will make a huge difference, but he should be a positive difference.
And 1: I was very unimpressed with Jake of LaRavia last night. I don’t miss him as much as I did pre-game.
It’s a small sample size, but Sabonis does look defeated. He’d smart enough to know this roster isn’t going anywhere and it shows. I’m shocked at how poorly Christie is using Sabonis. He’s an elite big man, in the right system, and right now what the Kings aren’t doing anything to maximize his skillset. I too feel bad for him. The guy signs an extension after the first positive momentum this century, than the whole team implodes. It feels the Rudy Gay situation all over again, only Sabonis is stuck here until the Kings move him.
It truly is amazing how this team has shit the bed over the last 15 months. It’s almost like you have to try to be this bad with your decision making. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if it is intentional. Pablo Torre needs to do a deep dive in the Kings front office during the Vivek era. It’s truly a comedy of errors
Sabonis has been relegated to setting screens, rebounding, and getting putbacks on offense. That’s really it. Maybe he helps open up other guys with his screens (haven’t seen many DHOs)? For $40m, he is doing what Steven Adams and Clint Capela can do for $12m. Just a waste of a good player.
I just hate this team’s direction, which seems to be going nowhere.
What Hobby said.
I think you might be on to something here – building a team that sucks might be intentional – and Vivek might be getting paid under the table to do it. This theory actually makes sense. He is getting paid to build a sucky small-market team and look like a bumbling idiot that can’t build a competent roster. Its actually more believable than a reality where the Kings went out and got Saric and Eubanks and thought that they could make any meaningful contributions to this team.
My thoughts on the season so far, in no particular order:
You’re nuts, deez.
(Actually, you’re spot on, but I couldn’t resist.)
Clear the roster for draft picks, play the young players huge minutes and TANK.
would be more fun watching nique and Ellis play 30 minutes and lose, than derozan and westbrook and lose too.
I don’t think any of the current core rotational players, aside from maybe Sabonis and Keegan, are worth any draft picks. This feels like the end of the Wall, Beal, and Porter Jr. Wizards. No one really desires the players all that much and they sure as well aren’t going to pay to acquire them. Or better yet, this Kings team is like the Poole/Kuzma Wizards. Empty stat producing players that don’t fit and won’t produce wins.
When you have a poo poo plater of players and salaries, the best you might get in return is a shit sandwich with a glass of water to wash it down.
I’m all for playing the young guys, but I’m not holding my breath for any real return on the vets.
Yes. The Wall, Beal and Porter Jr. Wizards teams were guys who were all home good, individually good players at the time, where injuries got to Wall first.
We’re like a team who intentionally acquired all three of them after they were broken, and somehow expected it to work.
You are correct. That was what I was alluding to. We are not the peak Wall/Beal years, we are the final years of damaged goods on bad contracts.
I really hate this team. I hate the construction. I hate watching them play. I hate listening to Kayte try to tell us that this “will take time.” I hate espn 1320 guys admonishing listeners for “wanting to tank” as if there are only two options. I hate this team.
Once again, it’s guard heavy with guards who are mediocre shooters and passers. Once again, they lack big man depth, Once again, there are no real NBA-size forwards who can guard people aside from Keegan.
If the Kings still had Jonas Valanciunas and Jake LaRavia they’d be 3-0 now.
Nobody is denying this roster has some glaring holes but overall the team is playing hard and has been competitive. The injuries are not to be underestimated. It’s quite likely we are 3 and 0 if healthy. With that said, playing Cardwell instead of going small and living with the mismatches has been a mistake. Also, there’s absolutely so reason to play Carter with this roster. So until Murray comes back I’m starting Schroder, Monk, LaVine, DDR and Sabonis. Russ and Keon are first off the bench and I’m using Eubanks to give Sabonis a rest. I’m not playing Cardwell and certainly not playing Carter. I may playing Saric a little depending on the situation.
I don’t mean to sound rude, but against who? Two bottom dwellers and a mid team without its two best players?
They are 1-2 in games they have to win before the schedule actually gets tough! That’s what is concerning.
Injuries? The Lakers didn’t have LeBron or Luca. Crazy talk
I often wonder: what’s the best part of being a Kings fan?
1) Having the softest, smallest team in the league year after year.
2) Having the dumbest management in the league year after year, and knowing that they won’t actually learn anything from their mistakes.
Soft and small correct…they do not satisfy me at all
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