With much of the focus of the day being on the trade deadline, it was easy to forget that the Sacramento Kings had an actual basketball game to play. The Kings certainly didn’t forget, coasting to a relatively easy and entertaining 141 to 119 victory over the hobbled Golden State Warriors. The 141 points scored by the Kings was a season-high and De’Aaron Fox set a new career-high himself with 44 points.
The Warriors were without stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, so this was more like the Warriors team that was the worst in the league last year than the title teams of yore. Even still, Golden State got off to a fast start, outscoring the Kings 37 to 35 in the first quarter. Andrew Wiggins in particular got going early, as he usually does against the Kings. Wiggins finished with a team-high 26 points and 10 rebounds for Golden State.
De’Aaron Fox decided to get going in the 2nd quarter and he never really let up from there. Fox scored 20 of his 44 points in the 2nd alone and pushed Sacramento’s lead to double digits at halftime. Tyrese Haliburton was also cooking, hitting four three pointers in the first half on his way to 17 points. He would end up finishing the game with 21 points, including this absolute gem of a four-point play to end the third quarter.
Haliburton's 4-point play had the Kings' bench going nuts 🤣 pic.twitter.com/yhoQ1GmYZB
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 26, 2021
The Kings pushed the lead to 20 points in the third quarter and got some really solid minutes in particular from Kyle Guy and Chimezie Metu. With Cory Joseph gone in a trade, Guy took most of the backup PG minutes and finished with a career-high 17 points to go with 6 rebounds and 4 assists in 22 minutes. Metu, in just his 2nd game back from injury, scored 11 points with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a block in 16 minutes. He showed great energy on both ends of the floor as Sacramento’s backup center.
The Warriors, despite their lack of depth, managed to keep the game interesting by making 17 of 32 three point attempts, and even cut Sacramento’s 23 point lead to 9 points with 9 minutes to go in the game thanks to a barrage of three pointers from Jordon Poole and Kelly Oubre. De’Aaron Fox soon checked back into the game and Sacramento was able to build the lead back up and comfortably close out the game.
Regardless of your thoughts on the direction of the Kings right now, it was nice to at least enjoy two hours of fun and entertaining basketball. Sacramento’s next game is this Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Random Obervations:
- Richaun Holmes had yet another ridiculously efficient game, scoring 25 points on 10 of 14 from the field. If Sacramento doesn’t find a way to re-sign him, I am going to be very, very upset.
- Harrison Barnes couldn’t buy a bucket tonight, shooting just 1 for 10 from the field. But he found ways to contribute anyway with 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.
- Justin James only played 11 minutes and shot 1 for 3 from the field. James tries hard but at this point it seems clear he needs a lot more development if he’s going to stay in the NBA long-term.
- Robert Woodard II only entered the game with a minute left. I would have liked to see the Kings get him some more playing time down the stretch but given that they just added more depth via the trade market, that seems unlikely.
- Perhaps most impressive for Fox in his career night was shooting 9-10 from the free throw line. More of that, please.
Playoffs, HERE WE COME!
It’s a streak!
I think, for the most part, most King’s fans are pretty happy with the direction of the team.
While the draft is still obviously HUGE it feels less important each game that we need to find that “Star” player. I mean I will take 2 stars…but after a slow start, last 30ish games Fox is at 27 and 8 with good efficiency (even minus the FT’s, which have been better since the break though). 30 games isn’t huge sample, but it’s also not nothing.
Is he absolutely ELITE tier top 10 player…no. Is in the that next crop of players 11-20 right now? Really starting to look that way. He can control the game, get to the line and create late in possessions which is what makes the best ones do well.
He also is just starting to learn how to do all this. There is still work to do obviously, but damn if he is this type of player…that’s a monster piece solved.
I think he’s probably in the 25 to 35 range in terms of where he ranks but given that I thought he was in the 40-50 range to start the year I think that’s an improvement. Remember, the top 15 players make the All-NBA team and I don’t think there’s any chance he makes an All-NBA team this year. If he’s sitting around 25 by the end of the season that’s a huge win IMO.
I felt the same way, but just look at the top 50 scorers. Points aren’t everything but its basically a Star list of the NBA.
https://www.nba.com/stats/leaders/
Once you get to about 20 on that list how many people below him on the list are you taking over him? Seriously? Shai…maybe. I can’t really find any others. There maybe a couple ahead of him on that scoring list I’d rather have him over.
Is he closer to 17-20, probably. But I really am hard pressed to say that he is around 30th in terms of NBA players.
Mitchell averages less than Fox I would take him over Fox. He has become that Alpha this year. He’s a 2 way player that is also stout defensively.
Fox still has too many holes in the game to be All NBA: Ft shooting, 3 pt shooting, not very good defense. Dubs G league backcourt had their way with him
Please, Mannion and Poole? Went off.
Most importantly the Kings are not even .500.
Fox is Definitely a Top8 pt guard.
I Think he’s a
Top 20 something player
The players better than him unequivovlcally: Dame, Doncic, Harden, Irving, Lavine, Kawhi
Lebron, Davis, Embiid, Giannis,
Durant, Butler, Mitchell, Jokic, Zion, Simmons,’KAT,Klay,
Curry, Beal.
I think Fox is in the same league as Morant,
SGA. I also think Sexton will join that group next year.
What are you even arguing? So you agree he is a top 20 player? That’s all I ever said! Never said he was better than most of those guys (couple debatable).
It’s also hard to take you seriously when you can’t read the scoring list correctly. Mitchell is averaging more than Fox, just FYI.
I also thoroughly enjoy your rant about winning is what matters and that’s the bottom line…but you have Lavine and KAT on your no doubt better list.
I can’t bust through this steel wall of logic. Got me
And to add to this Klay isn’t better than Fox. He WAS better. We haven’t seen him since the end of 2019. I’m sure he will lose a step or two on the defensive end given his unfortunate injuries. He will always be a better shooter. Better player though? He only can prove that by playing. He is also more of a roleplayer. He just shoots so good he gets overrated slightly. There is a clear difference between him and the others he mentioned. He doesn’t handle the ball much.
? I think you forgot, Klay is 1st team All Defense. A role player? I don’t know what type of player he will be when he returns. But, to call him a role player is hilarious. The guy is probably going to the HOF.
So that alone makes him better. Fox is not in any HOF conversations to my knowledge. First the man has to get to an All Star game.
Fox or Hali or nowhere near the type of defenders that Klay is.
Klay is a 2 way player. Not sure Fox or Hali is or will be. It’s great to hate on the Dubs like the Lakers. But, you have to walk the talk.
Fox is having a great March and putting up great numbers. Lets see it for an entire season, lets see some big wins against good, elite healthy teams. Then, We can put him in Rare company.
This winning streak is another by product of the other teams injuries, misfortunes, or just awful teams that are tanking.
To be a good team, you need to start beating good Healthy teams consistently.
Beating wounded or tanking teams, just means you’re mediocre.
Were the Warriors mediocre for beating up on injured teams on the way to their first title in 2015? The Raptors in 2019? You play who is in front of you. Elite teams still have elite coaching. Winning games you should win is a sign of improvement too. For years this team has played down to their competition when put in these situations.
Klay is a 3 and D player (that’s a roleplayer) with all time great shooting ability. He is the ideal version of what you want from a Redick, Korver, Robinson, Buddy, etc. type shooter that teams have nonstop running around screens to quickly pop a three because he isn’t useless on defense. He normally doesn’t have to output much on the offensive end which also helps him play solid defense.
His numbers will look more impressive if the Kings are a winning team. Bottom Line. Having great numbers on a crap team and perennial loser will not help him to All NBA.
Winning is what matters.
So that’s all on him for the last 40 games? Never mind Kings have had the worst bench in the league, terrible coach, owner etc etc.
I could make the opposing argument that teams know he is the absolute number one option and are gearing whole defense at him because they don’t have to be as concerned about other stars on the team. Still getting it done.
He leads a 5 man line up that is one of the best in the NBA by rating. 3 of those players members here were willing to trade away today at the deadline (not saying that might not have been prudent, just a statement to their viewed status) How is that not making others better around you?
Yes winning is the bottom line…that doesn’t prevent one from evaluating the talent of players when they may not have a lot of surrounding talent.
If Fox was 8 years in and known to have decent support and team still sucked, then that argument makes sense. The whole point was that he is ascending at a rapid rate…I’m not trying to hand him the MVP trophy.
Fox is an All Star.
Superstar not yet.
Besides cleaning up
Fts and 3 pt shooting.
Superstar also
makeS players around him more efficient.
Not sure he does that.
Dallas has very little talent. Yet,
Doncic turns average and mediocre players into good NBA player.
Everyone hates Harden. He’s a HOF’er who will definitely win a cpl rings in New Jersey.
He makes everyone around him more effective.
Well considering I clearly said he wasn’t ELITE yet which obviously Harden and Doncic are, I am not sure I understand your argument. He is in that group below.
Also, Harden is better (which is he is) because he plays with two other Hall of Famers and has a chance at a ring this year? He is better, but that argument isn’t exactly apples to apples.
I think Fox makes Holmes, Haliburton and Barnes better. Even Buddy, but Buddy can’t hit clutch shots and that is on him, not on Fox
Luka is better than Fox. Period. I’ll just go on with this to entertain the conversation. I don’t know what Luka would do if he had to deal with CoJo, Whiteside, Buddy and Bagley. I think Fox would have good results playing with Hardaway Jr. Porzingis, Kleber and Richardson, but not so much with the bench players in Dallas
Sac’s problem this season has been finding contribution outside the closing lineup (which is the starting lineup now)
Fox is good player, but he’s not an all-star. As evidenced by the fact that he’s never made an all-star team.
If Conley is an All-Star then Fox is an All-Star.
Agreed. Getting named an All Star is pretty meaningless and at times political. It totally depends on the talent in your conference at a given time, position crunches for the roster etc.
If Fox can elevate to top 15 player in league status, control the end of games and the Kings become a good team, I could give a crap whether he ever makes an All Star team.
15th or 50th, isn’t a big deal to me. I’d love to see him work on free throws, considering how often he gets to the line. As well as do something about the turnovers. Those two things would go a long way in improving his game.
45/42/83 running the best team in the league will likely always get the nod over 47/33/68 running one of the worst teams in the league. I like Fox, but he’s also doing a tad bit of stat-stuffing on a terrible team. Conley is also a better floor general, in my opinion, where as Fox can be turnover happy.
While of course improvements would be great, Fox is 17th in usage and tied for 15th in turnovers. Basically the same. So he pretty much turns the ball over at rate that is equal to the amount of time he has the ball and creates.
He creates less TO’s than such players as Lebron, Giannis, Luka, Harden, Simmons, Lillard, Booker, Beal etc in turnovers. Basically he turns it over about the same rate as other good players. They have the ball so much, they are bound to have more turnovers.
If that usage let to him averaging 28-30pts a game and 9-10 assists, the turnovers would be a moot point.
That said, hopefully the new starting backcourt with Haliburton will help lower that usage a bit.
Averaging 27-8 last 30 games…splitting hairs there yeah? Point is he is “turnover happy” in the same way similar usage guys are. Some average more points or assists, some less. They are all in the same ballpark.
This is good
I like brown. Brown is good
Depends on what Brown says.
Give him a season with Monty Williams and Chris Paul. Or a career with Mike Malone and Jokic. Or Snyder and the Front Office of Utah.
I’m not even arguing that Fox is better than Mitchell, Murray and Booker. My point is that Fox could have been an all-star by now, but in most of his career he had to deal with bad coaching, bad GMing and Buddy as his best partner
I don’t think this team is very good but there are a couple things I think are true. First, I think that Fox and Haliburton are legitimately good and are actually worth building around. Second, This current starting lineup is pretty solid. If this is the starting lineup going forward they will have a chance to be a decent (mediocre) team. That would be an improvement. What is frustrating as hell is that this team might take a step back next season because they won’t be able to re-sign Holmes. What I am also confident of is that Bagley is probably done in Sacramento. At this point, I think it’s pretty clear that this thing is over. The team is much better without him and I think we have a big enough sample size to say that.
The Kings have a pretty easy schedule the next couple weeks so I would expect them to get a few more wins and given the injuries to the Warriors, they could easily be in the 10th play-in spot in a week. Should that be the goal? Hell no but I think that’s what they’re working towards so cool I guess. I still don’t think they make it but with all the injuries and Covid stuff this year who knows.
The starting group is no doubt better without Bagley, but as thinn as the second unit is, could he help there?
Second group could be bolstered a bit next year with a lineup of:
Guy (I think he has quality second unit player written all over him) or mle/draft pick
Wright
Draft pick (kispert/moody) or mle
Bags
Metu
Just need a coach to sit him down and stop coddling him
Bagley don’t come off the bench. Haven’t you heard?
Lol I have, with a big dick coach he will though!
Depending on your definition, we may have a big dick as a coach.
Your
mileinchage may vary.I think Bagley wants out, and the team knows it. You have nothing to lose by bringing him off the bench. That being said, I’m not sure he even tries to come back this season, though given his long injury history, it would be a mistake not to.
MB needs to come off the bench upon his return, this season or next.
Agreed, because he is a bench-level talent.
This is where I’m at. He knows the team has been trying hard to trade him and the team knows he wants out. I think this last injury is probably the final nail in the coffin. If the guy can’t make it through a season without being injured then that’s sort of the end of the line IMO.
IMHO Bagley is so bad on defense he’s a net negative regardless of where he is in the lineup.
I think he’d look much better defensively going against other teams reserves, but point is well taken for sure
I feel bad, b/c I feel like every time I make a comment about Bagley it’s very negative. He does have some real offensive ability, and he could definitely do some damage on O against a reserve defense– but his own defensive shortcomings would negate much of that impact, especially since nobody ONLY plays against reserves. He would still be on the court defending starters on a regular basis.
Hey if this team isn’t really interested in contending, I guess I can live with them at least being fun to watch for stretches. The last couple games have been fun to watch.
We are not tanking, but it’s also true that Bagley as a starter was a demand from FO. We are five games below 0.500 and it’s clear that Bagley’s minutes were problematic.
Not tanking and playing Bagley that much were two contraditory decisions
I’m not a Bagley fan, but they won 7 of 8 with him starting earlier this year. Maybe the problem isn’t just one player. Maybe it’s that the roster is just plain problematic. The 12 of their 20 wins have come over the course of two stretches totaling 14 games. That’s 14 games out of 45. That’s….not the hallmark of a solid team being held back by one player.
I’m just pointing the contraditory orders. Staff and FO know that this team is worse with Bagley, it’s not an exageration to say that he’s one of the worsts defenders in the NBA. If the goal is to compete for the playoffs, let the best players play.
I’m not saying that our record should have been five games above 500 but in our situation every minute matter. Bagley could have been useful as a scorer coming of the bench, playing against second units
I believe he’s in the bottom 10 of defenders (if I recall a stat from a couple weeks ago). He strikes me as a guy who could have a decent G-League career if he put his mind to it, though. My point is the vast majority of our season win total has come in two short stretches of games. To me, that’s an indictment of how bad this roster is, rather than it being on the back of any one player….even Bagley (or Buddy).
Now, if they can rattle off another 7 or so wins in a row during this stretch without Bagley, I’d definitely be open to reconsidering my stance.
Bagley started but never finished ! The best finishers are now starting !
Story of his NBA seasons, thus far.
Reminds me of the J-Will/B-Jax years. Williams would start and do his thing, but when the chips were down in the 4th, Jackson was in the game. Spoke volumes.
I would like to note that all 3 of their good stretches of basketball have come after prolonged breaks. They started the season off well the first 10-15 games. Things went to shit. Then I think it was the Pelicans or grizz who got games cancelled due to covid. When they had those 5-7 days off from that they came back and won 7 of or whatever the hell it was. Now, after the allstar break, boom they are playing great basketball again. Aliens bro
It may very well be that they can’t sustain the necessary energy with the pace they’re playing and the lack of depth they have.
And that even with their energy-saving defensive “scheme”.
I noticed that as well. It concerns me a little bit with Fox. His peak this year has been quite a bit higher than in previous year but if he can only do it for short stretches it’s not that helpful. We’ll see how he finishes the year with the compressed schedule.
Nah….it’s just Bagley. Hence his name, Trash Bagley, Garbage Bagley, Paper Bagley. etc.
Who they want Bagley to be is already on the the roster as well. Metu!!!! We got lucky with this kid AND, Kyle Guy. Let these young men loose on the court.
Free Metu
Free Guy
#7 Seed
Historical 2nd half of season to make playoffs
First Round Upset
GO KINGS
Even against a Warriors team that is missing 2 of its best players, I like the win. It showed the potential of Fox and Hali backcourt, Metu is great and will be better if given consistent minutes, Guy is a decent distributor and a good knockdown shooter. The team looked like they’re having fun out there.
My favorite part of the game was Kayte’s comments about how she’d rather have Holmes than Embiid as a center.
Aside from that, I loved the last minute or so, when the kids all got in the game. I want to see more of that going forward.
Here is a question: Are we better than the Sixers with Embiid?
Fox
Haliburton
Hield
Barnes
Embiid
Is this is WCF type roster?
Oh hell no, not even close. However, it’s better than the same roster with Holmes.
why not Embid, Holmes, Barnes, Burt, Fox?
Buddy 6 man or traded
I wouldn’t be opposed to that.
If you look at 5 man ratings the Kings currently with Holmes vs the Philly starting line up have almost exactly the same Offensive and Defensive ratings (Kings slightly better differential)
So hypothetically subbing Embiid for Holmes, yes you would imagine it would be better than Sixers currently. How everyone vibes/chemistry etc…who knows.
Kayte just exposed her homerism or lack of knowledge with that statement !
To be fair to her, a lot of people are guilty of overvaluing genuinely nice people who seem to actually enjoy playing here. I did the same with guys Omri and to an extent Giles. Still, it strikes me as a weird proclamation.
And if the Kings cannot resign Holmes, she’ll be putting out the party line as to why that is a good thing.
Yes, THAT is what gave it away.
Wait she said that? Weird.
It is really interesting to see how the new roster is going to take shape:
Starting:
Fox
Haliburton
Hield
Barnes
Holmes
Bench:
Wright
Bagley
Jeffries
Guy
Metu
Then you have the new acquisitions. Interesting roster for sure. And we still have a first round pick this year.
I like you have Bags in there. I for one am not quite ready to give up on him. Serious question however was he at the game today or yesterday to support the team.
I haven’t seen him on the sidelines since he injured his hand, but when Metu was out with his wrist injury, he was still on the sidelines in street clothes, even on road trips.
Seeing how Walton usually plays a 9- man rotation with CoJo, Bjelly, James and Whiteside as the bench guys off the bench, with the new additions I think Wright replaces Cojo as the backup guard, Davis replaces James, Harkless replaces Bjelly and Whiteside/Metu still as the backup big.
Moving forward I expect Luke rolls out a lineup of:
Fox, Haliburton, Buddy, Barnes and Holmes
Bench: Wright, Davis, Harkless and Whiteside/Metu
Something something doing the same thing over and over…
I don’t understand it but seems like this is what they’re content to do. A few years ago I realized that becoming more “causal” as a fan was the best thing to do because now whether they win or lose I just sort of shrug. It has definitely helped me enjoy the times when they play well while just “LOL KANGZ’ing” when they lose 9 in a row. It’s very clear Vivek has no intention of ever trying to build anything sustainable here so I just stopped caring about it.
Have to give that a rec, as much as I don’t want to!
There are 55 different 5-man lineups with at least 100 MP this season. The current starters have the 5th highest net rating at +14.3.
Yep and if you go to 150 mins for a bit more of a minutes sample size they are still 5th. You then have to go all the way to 24th before you find another team that is outside of the playoffs currently (New Orleans).
The Kings actually have 2 of the 24 line ups, with the Bagley starting line up also ranked decently.
It’s Monte’s job to find the tweaks to make the bench more competitive…if that happens this team should be decently competitive which I’m all for at this point. When do we get to have the Kings Herald argument about roster management once the Kings get bounced in the first round of the playoffs 2 years in a row? I’m all for that. It doesn’t have to be championship building or bust when you haven’t been to the playoffs in 15 years.
Orlando went full tank. I think we’re just being set up for disappointment again
I don’t recall a Kings player matchup hunting like Fox hunted Mannion tonight. Man, he’s gonna have some nightmares.
Fox in his nightmares:
RIP Mannion’s pride. It won’t be missed.
GO KINGS…
I mean, a lot of teams go after Bagley like that.
So THAT’s what it reminded me of
A lot of Warriors people aren’t loving that Wiseman pick anymore…Seeing him today, yikes he looks even worse than Bagley.
It was a mistake to pick him. The Warriors don’t rely on bigs for their offensive output. They selected him 2nd overall primarily to put his hands up in front of the rim. I know they weren’t expecting Klay to be injured, but they should’ve went BPA and selected Ball like they were planning to in the first place according to the media.
PLAY of the Night:
Guy and Metu really got some chemistry! This is not the first time Guy threw a beautiful pass to Metu…and Guy can pass with either hands is really nice to see,,,,(of course he can shoot)
I really think they should play together more….
With that huge superstar-making win last night, the Kings move into 11th place in the ping pong ball race, and have created an impressive five game separation from the five bottom positions.
Insanity.
Just have to go 16-11 to finish at .500! Let’s go!!ðªð¤
fivethirtyeight is now projecting that 5 teams (Griz, Spurs, Warriors, Pelicans and Kings) are all going to end with 33-34 wins. The race for the eighth is wide open!!
one extra thing, Delon Wright is the now the leader in VORP for the Kings (1.3). He’s replacing the player (Joseph) with the lowest VORP on the team (-.4). It will be interesting to see how well/fast he can assimilate.
by not making a bad trade yesterday, and adding some depth, the Kings are a competitive nba team. Outside of the top 2 or 3, the 2021 draft is the most overrated and over hyped of all time.
Agreed. They will definitely compete for the play-in spot and continue to provide much-needed revenue to the NBA pot which ultimately helps the elite teams that superstars are currently colluding towards.
And you’ll watch them and not feel pathetic for having nothing better to do. And you won’t have to apologize to everyone for putting the game on the TV. If a UFO shows up and asks you what basketball is, you could show them a Kings game and feel halfway decent saying this is a sport called basketball.
…or watch a game with superstars and occasionally click back to the Kings to see how they’re doing against a G league team.
Better than being a G league team.
Respectfully, I would say trading a 2nd round pick for Terence Davis was a bad trade, for no other reason than Davis’s character is a huge problem and the Kings need to be better than that as an organization.
I’m 100% with you. Also, check the irony.
Next game’s broadcast will have only female and non-binary professionals. Also may be Davis’ debut as a King.
The Kings have a significant recent history of employing accused and convicted domestic abusers. This really doesn’t seem to be a big issue in the NBA in terms of percentages, and the Kings somehow keep ending up with these players.
Wow. No mention of the awesomeness of Metu and Kyle Guy in the recap, Akis? Wow!
It is another beautiful day in Kings Land as we drop 140 on the second of a back-to-back and Fox continues to terrorize the NBA. .500 here we come!
Who thinks we drop 140 if Bagley is running with the starters and CoJo and Bjelica are huffing and puffing with the second team looking like reanimated corpses ?
Just like it should not have taken injury to Marvin for our new starting lineup to manifest, it should not have taken a trade for Guy to emerge from the land of the dead and buried.
Kyle Guy can be as good as JJ Reddick!
Kyle Guy is a diamond in the not-so rough. He plays the game with a joy and savvy. And he’s stronger than he looks. He’s got a dead eye shot and a pure release.
And the lefty wrap around to Metu was routine, yet a play the former PG about to be out of the league could only make in his dream
It is only the worst coach in the NBA holding Guy back. It is a fireable offense among many in my mind.
The toughest thing to do in the NBA is score. Kyle Guy can score!
Metu is as good or more effective of a player than Marvin for what we want and what we need from that position. That is just a fact! Your days in SAC are done MB3! He’s more comfortable in more areas of the floor. He makes quicker reads, he sets better picks, and goes after the rebounds more outside of his area.
Metu needs to hold his ground better in the paint, but his defense instincts are ahead of Marvin, which is not saying much, but he also has better balance in his defensive stance and antipicipates where to be with the 2-3 count delay.
I ask my fellow Kings fans, what advantage (if any) does Marvin offer? The answer is easy. He is an explosive athlete. Well, Metu is explosive athlete too hence Marvin’s advantage is negated when you are comparing the two on the depth chart. Marvin post game never manifested, his outside shot is neglible and Metu is comprable in the speed with which he changes ends.
Where is the edge that Marvin brings over Metu? I don’t see it.
Here is another subtle positive development from our deadline maneuvering by McGenius.
This coach cannot play the crappiest of players (Joseph, Bjelica) bc they are gone!
The worst impulses and instincts of Fluke have been prohibited, I love it!
My concern is when Delon Wright arrives, this coach will give the nod to the vet over the upstart. But ideally there will be PT for both.
Woodward and James need to sit on the bench. Neither can play. Woodward cannot play.
Our new second unit should include Jefferies, Guy, Metu, Wright and one starter. Or 3 out of 4 of these plus two starters. Then we are going to kick ass for 48 minutes.
Don’t listen to the perpetual DOOMERS, the Tim Maxwells of the fanbase, who act like the new GM is same as the old GM, and/or a puppet controled by the owner. It is a new day a new dawn, Buddy found a new position to temper his worst impulse, and we have the BEST backcourt in the NBA.
The doomers tired refrain is wearing thin and it is becoming harder to act like the sky is falling as we close in on .500.
Why is Marvin not on the bench? It is for the best, we dont need his negative energy and me-first attitude!
HB is struggling to score from the PF spot. Is the wear and tear against bigger guys hurting his offense. This is something to monitor.
Scoring 140 points with HB playing terrible and Buddy having a C+ game is very impressive!
We will bee .500 by April 8th. Book it!
I agree thatWoodward cannot play.
But I think Woodard deserves a chance to show what he can do.
I hear Bernstein’s a baller, though.
With Bjelly gone I think either Woodard or Jeffries has a chance to backup Barnes at the 4 spot. I still think Harkless is the logical choice but to be honest I haven’t seen a lot of him this season in Miami. Heard his always out due to injuries and due to safety protocols.
If Harkless is a no go then Woodard should be given the opportunity to get some minutes. Jeffries is a fine option as well.
I like Metu. But Bagley is a better offensive player. That is an easy advantage. But at this point, they both are bench players.
I’m not convinced Bagley is a better offensive player. Metu looks far more aggressive, playing within himself, and is just as explosive.
Great take fernando! I’m really glad to see Guy out there, his offensive IQ is off the charts. And I believe a lot of folks forget that he played in a very tough nosed Virginia defensive minded team, he’s typically in a great defense awareness stance.
Lol
He also got 6 rebounds and 4 assists and was a plus 13
Yes great performance from the guy.
I was loling the score
Quick Thoughts
If we can get that kind of contribution from Guy off the bench that would be huge going forward.
There’s some very winnable games coming up and the Kings can make this interesting. The two games coming up with San Antonio are something to be excited about.
If the objective was to improve the team for the stretch drive, we should have kept Bjelica and played him because we basically got nothing for him.
The case can be made that the new starting lineup is a legitimate playoff team and maybe the next move should be to make a pitch for one of these veterans who have been bought out. I know Aldridge is unobtainable but he would be the perfect addition for this team right now.
Let’s beat Cleveland and keep this going.
Buddy Hield at the 3 seems to be working thus far. Plus Haliburton starting. This team is watchable. May not sound like much, but it is.
Like I said before, the team (starters) no longer need to do extra stuff to cover / compensate the defense deficiency of Bagley, and right now they are playing within the flow..
Addition by subtraction
That’s part of it. The other part is having two playmakers on the floor. It’s something I went crazy about last summer.
Three guards on the court was an innovation from the Bad Boys Pistons, if I’m not mistaken. Walton figured how to do this in 2021. Should have been doing this since his day 1 as King’s coach, when he had Fox, Hield and Bogi.
Kings don’t trade Branes when his value is at his all-time career peak, and he comes out and drops a 1 for 10…KANGZ!
Barnes can score whenever he wants to (by his signature post move near the paint – either get the bucket or get fouled)….
He is a glue guy…it should not be any worry about his shooting performance at all.
Barnes was +25 so he was clearly doing something right out there
Did you see the Warriors lineup last night??
Fox had 44 points and was +9. The only player besides Barnes that was over +20 was Tyrese (+21)
Yeah, the Warriors lineup wasn’t great but Barnes was still the highest on the team.
I mean, wouldn’t you be a bit down if you DIDN’T get traded from the Kings after months of rumors ; )
Very fair point lol.
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