The Beam is lit, the losing streak is over, and we can all breath a sigh of relief. Full recap to follow, but for now let’s enjoy this one and post those gifs!
Postgame Thread: Kings 110, Mavericks 100
Light the Beam!
By Greg Wissinger | 111 Comments | Dec 30, 2024
Dec 30, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) gestures after making a three point basket against the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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They played defense in the 2nd half, only allowed 40 points, and they won. I know it was the depleted Mavericks, but they need to build on that if they want to have a chance to salvage the season.
Yeah, underwhelming and far from a statement win.
But after all what happened seeing this team come out so flat in the first quarter once again, it blows my mind. At one point they were down like 18 points, no?
Kings win!
&ct=g
Keon and trey should be 25 min a night.
Honestly should put trey in the starting group for keegan vs any teams with a more traditionally sized pf
100%
Been hoping for this since last season. Doubt the starting lineup will change though, Barring injury.
Or Trey at 4, Keegan back to his more natural position at 3, and then bring Derozan off the bench for the scoring punch.
During that 3rd quarter when things were clicking for this team, I was thinking about swapping Monk for Keon and either Keegan or DeRozan for Trey. Can’t hurt to see what happens and this team needs something to change…….
That I might agree with. Will it solve are problems? No but might help.
100% this plus Keon but i dont see the staff having the stones to do that
I have thought this for a while. DDR off the bench as the microwave sounds good in theory. I wonder if he won’t do it willingly.
dude is getting paid almost $25m – do what you’re asked to do
This would be the way, but it would probably mean more minutes for some cocktail of Len/Crowder off the bench, which could suck.
But to your point, I think the fix here is staggering Fox & DDR a little more, and this would do it. Lyles has been more effective as a backup 5 than a stretch 4, but he fits the bill when it comes to wingspan and shooting from the arc (his lack of lateral quickness is his major shortcoming).
Worth a shot.
I could go along with that but I have one major problem with that. Demar Detozan is a terrible defender. Keegan Murray isn’t scoring much right now but does everything else really well. Best defender in the starting lineup. Second best rebounder next to Sabonis. You have to have these things otherwise you really get blown out every night. Derozan does not supply either of those. Sure he scores but lets the players he defends almost score as much sometimes more. You need Keegan in the starting line. If anyone you start Lyles next to Murray and put Derozan on the bench. But in reality that probably isn’t going to help much.
That would help a ton imo, but i dont think they have the stones to start a combined salary of what 13 mil over 43 mil or whatever
MB and now DC have been subbing out Fox and Murray at about the six minute mark of the first and third quarters, then Domas, Monk and DeRozan a few minutes later. DeRozan typically gets about nine minutes in each of those quarters. Sub him out with Fox and Murray at the six minute mark and cut his minutes by at least two or three per half. Those minutes go to Keon and/or Lyles as the game matchups warrant.
Agree but doubt coach will do it . Makes team a little better .
Why not try it?
What’s the worst that could happen? Lose six in a row and look like dogshit? Give up huge leads almost instantly every game? Get your coach fired?
Good things happen whenever Keon is on the court. Start him ASAP.
On a separate topic, I wonder if the Warriors would be interested in Derozan since it seems like the Heat aren’t trading Butler. I think they could get him for a lot less too and I don’t really think he’s a good fit in Sacramento.
Agreed. I love DeMar as a human and I am so bummed about this, but he’s just not a good fit, like you say. They need to get him somewhere he can really contribute and compete for a title.
Derozan for Wiggins. At least Wiggins can shoot the 3 ball well.
Both play defense the same.
Wiggins is a way better defender than DeRozan.
For this current roster, who would you rather have…DeRozan or Kuzma?
D. Neither of the above
So we agree that DeRozan is as bad a player as Kuzma? Kuzma is just more douchey and taller?
I wouldn’t say DDR is as bad just does not fit in the role they are using him and it looks to me like DDR is aging before our eyes. Switching his role to less minutes off the bench is worth a try IMO.
If this was the only main roster move that Monte did this season (moving DeRozan), I’d almost be ok with that. I agree, I love DeRozan but he simply isn’t a good fit for this team and it’d be addition by subtraction.
I am starting to lean that way on the fit. With the Warriors who could we get? Maybe Kuminga?
One trade that might work is Huerter and a first and second for Herb Jones. The Pels are interested in trading Herb and he can play the 4 and move Keegan to the 3. IMO Herb Jones would be the ideal fit for the Kings. Great defender. The Pels also need a shooter.
I have no idea if that is possible but Herb Jones would help this roster a ton
Pels aren’t trading Herb, and if they did they’d get better offers from other teams.
100%
If DC does nothing else getting Keon consistent mins will make me happy. He plays winning ball and doesn’t need to shoot a lot to do it.
Kinda like DC as a player
But that quarter-ending shot was brilliant! When forced to act offensively, he can do it. And his defense seems to transform the team’s energy. Things happen!
I think Keon gets stuck in the mindset of “the shots are supposed to go to Fox/Monk/DeRozan”, which leads to him passing up open shots and disappearing offensively. Same might go for Keegan as well.
Or is it that Keon does not force bad shots? I think more players on this team could be more selective and be better for it.
Surprised everyone. I’m sure the Mavs were expecting the ball to go back to Fox so he could take the buzzer beater. Whoever made the call to have Keon push the ball and take the shot himself deserves a bonus!
Doug’s minute allocations are far superior to MB’s already. Keon needs to be approaching 30 mpg, not 20 imo. I’d be fine with 10-12 minutes of Len. But that’s me being nitpicky. A clear role is clearly boosting Trey’s performance. Huerter didn’t have a great night, stat-wise, but his body language was solid.
So here’s a weird thought. And this comes from someone who thinks Doug Christie is a total doofus. MM and the front office observe practices at least occasionally, I assume. Is it possible that they started feeling like Doug might be a legit coach while also getting frustrated with Brown’s rotations and coaching style?
It’s not like there have been whispers around the league about DC, so I don’t think he’s in demand at all. Still. I’m just thinking out loud here. I’m probably way off base, but the thought popped into my head during the game.
There’s some things I wish Doug would try, so he’s not near perfect, but I agree his rotations are already better than Brown’s. That’s not saying a lot since Brown’s rotations were baffling, but it’s a step in the right direction.
What I am actually impressed with is how much more serious and coherent Doug is in interviews. Mike Brown’s post-game pressers were often even more bizarre than his rotations. I doubt Doug saves the season or anything so dramatic. But this Kings had become unwatchable for me under MB.
The problem with MB was that EVERYONE watching knew these 9 should be the only guys on the court, and yet he kept putting stupid ass lineups out there. We would have won at LEAST 4 more games if MB just used these very common sense rotations.
Agreed. The experimenting with McDermott and Colby Jones, even when the team was healthy, was not the right move. Maybe if there was foul trouble, sure play some guys to get through a short stretch of a game. But Doug played heavy minutes some games, same with Colby.
Brown was grasping at times, and I think it messed with the confidence of the team as a whole.
And started Crowder off the couch. They won that game but it was weird
It’s Monte who put those dudes on his bench.
how many other teams are randomly starting dude 13-15 on the bench, that’s on coach brown not monte
I also think Keon should play more than 20 minutes at least 24 to 26 minutes a game. Loved how he played last night. Doesn’t shoot enough but that’s not what he is out there for. Did drive more last night. Love that.
The Guard positions amount to 96 total minutes. If Fox and Monk both play about 35 minutes (70 total), that leaves 26 minutes, which should mainly go to Keon. Huerter then becomes the back up 3 (yikes) and plays about 15-20 minutes. I think the team would be much better if that was more of the minutes distribution.
So what happens when a healthy Devin Carter shows up? I’m sure Kings brass is going to want to see him play.
They would need to make room for him by moving someone to the bench or trading them away. They have a “small” guard problem. Fox/Monk/Carter are all relatively the same size, and Keon is not big enough to play against most SFs. If not mid-season, then in the offseason someone needs to go ( I don’t know who that would be)
I agree, I just wonder how the rest o the season/rotation plays out with Carter now arriving.
A few less minutes for Fox and Monk might be a good thing. Fox looks gassed at times, and Monk has some spaz moments where he might need to sit. Kings are forced to play those two heavier minutes because they don’t have much depth overall.
Initially, cut back on the minutes where Monk and Huerter are on the floor together. Devin is supposed to be a much better defender than either.
We will see. Doug’s call.
We got a tiny glimpse the other night. I know it was G league but it was his first start and looked pretty good.
This is another reason that I think Fox gets traded. DC creates a logjam and we also have a gigantic Fox contract negotiation looming. If you’re only playing ~.420 basketball with Fox as your #1 star, his coming contract really isn’t worth it. Better to roll with Monk and Keon, which saves you money, see what you have in DC, and make a move that shores up weaknesses and adds picks, particularly in the upcoming draft.
100%
I had a thought watching last night. The Kings have a lot of small guards and their lack of size/length is an issue especially when it becomes a halfcourt game.
So avoid the halfcourt game and play more 3/4 or full court press. They have the amount of guards to keep them fresh.
I have thought for a while the Kings do better when the game becomes frenetic and chaotic, like the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 4th last night. So why not lean into that?
Just get Keegan Murray off this team
for my sanity, because its spilling into hate
Guy was supposed to be a borderline all star making this Domas/Fox “thing” a trio, instead is a bust, and just a large part of what misses this team.
and his situation is just an aggravation
I have high hopes for Carter though, to try to rectify Monte’s career
Really? I still fully believe in Murray.
what mental fortitude has he shown, more than an ant, that would allow you to think he can be a tough, consistent nba player
Passing moments, mostly. I’m not gonna argue that he’s performing to expectations right now. If this is how he’s going to play, we might as well have shipped him out in a Markkanen deal. But I’ll also point out that Danny Ainge clearly prioritized him 33 games ago.
I think Murray is fine but it’s a bummer that we basically drafted a poor man’s Nic Batum with the 4th pick. At least Batum is hitting .385 3pt this season at age 36. Keegan is at an appalling .291 in his 3rd year. Yikes.
The bigger issue is exactly that he was kept from trade talks for the past couple years. Could we have instead gotten OG? Siakam? Markkanen? That’s not Keegan’s fault, but it’s FO malpractice.
He already is a tough NBA player. Where you been?
I think his role has been expanding and it affects his shooting. He has improved a ton as a rebounder and defender.
While I am disappointed by his shooting I think it’s still early to give up on him. I think he might still put it all together. If he starts shooting the 3 again like his rookie year this is a completely different conversation.
Murray needs a clear role offensively. He is not this creative offensive player that can make something from nothing. Get him in action off the DHO, have him screen and head to the corner, or cut to the rim. He does not need the ball on the perimeter and be forced to create shots, it’s not his game. Let him be the defender and rebounder, and space the floor. They have enough ball dominant creators on the team already.
He is 169/174 shooting the 3 this year. I don’t see it. I never saw it. I don’t think it’s there to be seen.
I saw him hit 12 threes in a game as rookie ( rookie record ) and go for 32 in playin win against Warriors . Guess you didn’t .
You need to go to a practice or two and watch him shoot threes. I agree it hasn’t translated to actual game situations but I have faith.
Me too!
lol
It’s literally only his shot that is off, dude is the clear second best defender on the team, I think if he got to lose a bit of the muscle they had him add and locked him into a SF role he would be great. They can’t/won’t do that while they don’t have a PF besides Lyles to play though…
I just think it’s his off season preparation now. If you remember before his rookie year, the focus was always playing off the ball. Now he trained to be on the ball when he barely touches the ball. I hate how the NBA tries to make everyone ball dominant. I hope this next off season he goes for Klay type of career running off pin downs & catching them off hand offs. We legit watch the warriors dominate at that for almost a decade. It’s okay to play off the ball! Out run everyone again.
Yeah and that’s on the staff for doing that
I like Keegan and the defensive steps he took, but we are really overvaluing him (and Fox) on D. He’s a decent to good on-ball defender, but not good at navigating picks, not good at team defense and against some opponents he’s physically overmatched.
Offensively, it is becoming clear that he lacks the skills to consistently create his own shot. His handling is okay, but he lacks burst and shiftiness, and he’s better suited to play off the ball. IF he makes his shot.
He is a case for poor usage . He is an off the ball player and defender of small forwards . Not guards and power players . Coaches trying to make him something he isn’t.and may be ruining him . Probably needs traded to advance as a player .
I agree with that but it’s not on Keegan or the coaches. They only have one real PF (Lyles) on the roster. Keegan should be a full time SF.
Goes back to roster build and lack of.
Let Keon and Keegan be the corner guys on offense and space the floor for Monk/Fox/Domas. That is what the offense is missing in a bad way.
This is part of the problem, he shouldn’t be playing PF. He’s also seen his offensive role change every year, this year he’s the 5th option on offense for the starters. That’s not going to help his game improve much and he looks a bit lost sometimes because of it. If you want a young player to develop, you have to develop him.
I could be wrong but as an old coach and after listening to him it’s not mental. IMO its in his mechanics. For one IMO he needs to get a little more arch on his shot. It’s to flat. Maybe he isn’t keeping his elbow in. If he is looking at the back of the rin when he shoots maybe try looking at the front of the rim. It could be foot placement and not squaring completely. Anyone of these. If one or two of these would help but I’m sure the have shooting coaches better than me to solve it.
Well, so far they are not yielding results. Maybe they should give you a call.
Good stuff.
Yes, looks too flat, too often. Also, I see him not being set and square as often as his rookie year. Taking more shots off movement rather than catch and shoots. And even when he is open it looks a little rushed, maybe a bit of the yips.
Here’s a random thought I had about Keegan, who knows if it could be anything or nothing. But what if the reasons for his offensive struggles this year are similar to Harrison Barnes?’ What if HB struggled with consistency on offense because he was the one who did the most “glue” work everywhere else? Keegan is playing the most minutes, he plays defense, he’s rebounding the best of his career. Maybe it’s just that his energy is primarily focused in all these other areas so he just doesn’t have as much left to stay locked in on shooting? His drives and midrange actually seem decently good too. The thing about Keegan is he’s also super young still and hopefully can figure it all out and put it all together still. Overall, he has the tools, the skills, the athleticism, he size, and that’s what you hold onto a little bit longer. You can get him a sports psychologist and work on his confidence, but you can’t teach athleticism as they say. And we talk about him being passive and whatnot, but I also noticed his demeanor really doesn’t change when he’s playing like shit on offense either. That’s a very good thing and I think we have to give him credit for that too. And hopefully we’ll see more of that positive side of his personality coin too.
You’re not wrong about the fundamentals, but was Keegan drafted to be a ‘glue guy’ averaging barely 10ppg and unable to shoot? That’s not what Monte told us. He was, according to the McNair, the best player available at #4, contrary to what many here believed. So if this is the new expectation, then they are moving the goal post. I don’t want to blame Keegan for being drafted so high. It’s the FO’s mistake for that AND also for holding him out of trade talks for the past two years as if he was a budding all-star.
His age is not an excuse either. He was supposed to be more NBA-ready than the other prospects. Yet, look at what the players taken after him are all doing. Nearly every lottery pick 1-14 drafted that year is developing better than him (with Davis and Dieng being the exceptions). Very concerning. And if the potential is still there, then why does he keep getting worse? The Kings are failing at developing him. Any way you slice it, the FO is f-ing this up.
With due respect you’ve got to be crazy. Best defender in the starting lineup. You just take that away and you lose every game. Second best rebounder in the starting lineup.Defend that. No Keegan although everyone including me wants to see him score more. We need Keegan Murray. Sure his three is definitely off right now but IMO it will get better. Just wait and see.
After what he has shown us he is capable of, you don’t give up on a dude 3 years into his rookie contract. That would be selling low on that kind of prospect and contract. You only give up on those kinds of players if they are a piece needed for a much bigger move.
Not sure whether to be happy about the win or upset about the potential negative impact on draft position. I’m leaning toward the latter.
Our absolute best lineup and effort vs. Dallas bench. We barely did it.
Rich Paul is 1 and 1 as the GM of the KaNGz.
A win is a win but coming against a team without 5 of its top 8 seems a bit hollow . Effort was good 2nd half after a total listless first quarter . Oh well, next game .
You have to start somewhere even against a team without starters. You need to build confidence. You need to build momentum. You need to trust your new coach. After watching after last night’s game I saw what they think of Doug Christie as their new coach. And during the game they listened and liked what they saw how he handled the game and them. It may be small but IMO it’s a small good start. GO KINGS!
I admire your positivity but a good start that would help build confidence would have been to come out blazing, blowing this injury-gutted team away right off the bat, give your starters plenty of rest and see how your backups are performing.
Is this better than a loss? Of course. Does it give me confidence going forward? Not really.
Let’s see how they’ll do against the Sixers.
Small? It’s one game. Against a team missing Lively, Luka,
‘Irving, Klay, Exum.
Good: rotations were much better
Bad: we barely beat the Mavs practice squad
It’s a Cowboy BeBop dance- Kings win!
Story of the night for me is the extended bench time of DeRozan: checked out at 08:30 in the third quarter and didn’t return until 6:58 in the fourth, Ironically coincided with the best basketball we’ve seen in a while (not a very high bar, but still), with the Kings outscoring the Mavs by 17. Wonder if it’s a one-off or a sign of more to come.
Lesson learned for me: listen to other fanbases when they tell you about what to expect with incoming players instead of wearing purple-colored glasses.
That was me trying to explain the Buddy Hield Experience to my warriors buddys when they swore they just got the second coming of Klay. They understand now
DDR is one of the worst defenders on the team, and he bogs down the pace on offense. Things that should have been known when we went after him.
That’s what I said before. I agree.
When you step between those lines it’s US vs THEM and it’s always gonna be us. Not sure if I quoted DC correctly, but I absolutely love the mentality.
It is hard winning in the NBA so no need to make it harder on yourself. Friend or not, when we get on that court it’s go time. I hope DC brings the “dawg” out of the guys.
Go Kings
Hope he does as well but so far it’s puppies . Go Kings
Some absolute killer trade proposals from writers for fox, would be huge
A much needed win. I liked the aggressiveness attacking the rim and on defense. Not great that it took that kind of effort to beat such a short handed team, but a much needed win.
Really liked the point of attack defense. Switching with good communication is essential
PS IMO I saw Fox being more vocal not at refs but good positive and help vocals with his players. Might be the start of leader he could be, We’ll have to see.
Happy New Year to fellow Kings fans…!
Random trade thought from my early morning brain…
Magic receive:
DeMar DeRozan
Kings receive:
John Collins
Jazz receive:
Cole Anthony
Jett Howard
Caleb Houstan
Colby Jones
Add in some picks as needed.
Magic might want some offense from DDR, and they have the defense to help insulate DDR’s lack of defense. The players going out aren’t really in their rotation much, so they don’t really lose their core players.
Kings get a PF that can do wonders for the rotation
Jazz get some young potential shooters and probably picks. Should help them with their tank.
You don’t even need to include Caleb Houston in that deal to make it work numbers wise. That allows Utah to cut even more guaranteed salary and also one less roster space. A pair of second round picks from Orlando, or even a protected 1st could make it work.
There you go. I think it mostly makes sense for all teams.
I’m not entirely sure how DeRozan would fit into the Orlando rotation, but they do need some offensive help, especially if Franz is out for an extended amount of time. For them, DeRozan could really prove useful in the playoffs.
No team scores fewer points per game in league right now than Orlando.
Paolo and Franz being out has definitely impacted their team scoring. Even when those two are healthy, I think DeMar becomes their 6th man who can come in and score. DeMar might not like that, but I think he would benefit from that role.
A win is a win. I would not make any assumptions though. Based on a game where Dallas missed 80 percent of their starting line up. Kyrie and Luka play no way Kings win this.
No way.
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