[Game] Kings @ Thunder - Sunday, Oct. 21 - 4 PDT

[sactowndog]

The Thunder trying to win games at the 3 point line is like watching a one legged man try to win a butt kicking contest. If the Kings can shoot 45% from 3 every game the number of attempts won't matter much, but teams are going to arc their defense towards the Kings shooting them and when they do the Kings can't be afraid to give it to them. Just like they did early in this one. The Kings set the tone of the game at the 3 point line early.

This was the shot chart of the first:

View attachment 8365


That's modern NBA right there. The 2nd was almost all inside near the rim.

In the 3rd the Kings were more mid-range oriented and they lost that quarter by 5 points.

View attachment 8366

In the fourth the Kings got extra possessions. All in all, they were composed and held on despite the Thunder making a push which is a major stride for a young team.

The first half shows how the Kings can be a very good team. They have good post players and good three point shooters. If they help off the weak side let our shooters let it fly, if they don’t help let Giles, Bagley and Willie go 1 on 1. We just need those three to kick it out when help comes and we will be a good team.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

However the Kings really do need to shoot more 3's especially at the % we do. That im not backing off of that. We do need more.

No they don’t. Not when they’re getting and making such high % shots. Basketball has always been about getting open looks and high percentage shots. For the prolific shooters and passers the Warriors have, their high percentage shots are different than everyone else’s. If the Kings continue to play like they did tonight by cutting, moving and passing the ball a la the 2002 KINGS, they won’t have to try to keep up with the joneses.

The only 3s they should be taking are in the flow of the offense when that’s the open shot the defense gives them. But they don’t need to focus on shooting 25-30 3s like everyone else. Just take what comes in the flow, whether it’s 25 or 15.

It’s about quality of the shots taken, not quantity. If you can get lots of layups, dunks, and other high percentage shots near the rim then that should supercede.

 

[Livinthedream]

No they don’t. Not when they’re getting and making such high % shots. Basketball has always been about getting open looks and high percentage shots. For the prolific shooters and passers the Warriors have, their high percentage shots are different than everyone else’s. If the Kings continue to play like they did tonight by cutting, moving and passing the ball a la the 2002 KINGS, they won’t have to try to keep up with the joneses.

The only 3s they should be taking are in the flow of the offense when that’s the open shot the defense gives them. But they don’t need to focus on shooting 25-30 3s like everyone else. Just take what comes in the flow, whether it’s 25 or 15.

It’s about quality of the shots taken, not quantity. If you can get lots of layups, dunks, and other high percentage shots near the rim then that should supercede.

You are correct. 125 points per game. 3 point shots are not the issue. Offense is not an issue.

Kings have scored the most points in the league. How is this even a discussion?

 

[Kingster]

Great job by Shumpert tonight. Jackson showed up to play also. But man oh man this team needs more interior D. I'm missing me some Koufos. We could use a good 10 minutes of his physical play in a game like this. The Thunder had so many second chance points in the paint it was incredible that the Kings won.

 

[Tetsujin]

Great job by Shumpert tonight. Jackson showed up to play also. But man oh man this team needs more interior D. I'm missing me some Koufos. We could use a good 10 minutes of his physical play in a game like this. The Thunder had so many second chance points in the paint it was incredible that the Kings won.

Kosta would definitely be useful against dudes like Adams who are more traditionally big big men who can manhandle our athletic but less strong group of young bigs.

 

[ESP47]

You are correct. 125 points per game. 3 point shots are not the issue. Offense is not an issue.

Kings have scored the most points in the league. How is this even a discussion?

It's a discussion because it's going to take more than 3 games to convince people that the Kings can be a high octane offense without shooting a bunch of 3 pointers when all the best teams in the league for the last handful of years have won by jacking up a bunch of 3s. It's 3 games vs. thousands of games of evidence that say the contrary.

If they keep it up it'll be pretty cool to see them win by playing a slightly different style than everyone else but we need more evidence. They could easily go into Denver on Tuesday and put up 85 and have everyone scratching their heads again. Curious to see if the offense we've seen so far has just been 3 hot games in a row or if this is going to be the new normal this year. If it is then the games are going to be much more fun to watch. I believe they've shot over 50% from the field in all 3 games. With the new awful rules the NBA has implemented...that very well could be normal for a lot of teams.

 

[Hoovtrain]

I thoroughly enjoy watching this team....defense be damned

 

[sactowndog]

No they don’t. Not when they’re getting and making such high % shots. Basketball has always been about getting open looks and high percentage shots. For the prolific shooters and passers the Warriors have, their high percentage shots are different than everyone else’s. If the Kings continue to play like they did tonight by cutting, moving and passing the ball a la the 2002 KINGS, they won’t have to try to keep up with the joneses.

The only 3s they should be taking are in the flow of the offense when that’s the open shot the defense gives them. But they don’t need to focus on shooting 25-30 3s like everyone else. Just take what comes in the flow, whether it’s 25 or 15.

It’s about quality of the shots taken, not quantity. If you can get lots of layups, dunks, and other high percentage shots near the rim then that should supercede.

True if they are getting dunks but a high percentage of kings shots are mid- range shots. In that case this statement is just not true. The analytics and the teams that follow it have clearly proven that fact.

But more importantly the Kings still force the 2 point shot when 3 point shooters are open on the weakside. It’s just bad basketball because passing to the weakside open shooters moves the defense. Defenders running to cover shooters caused by side to side ball movement or collapsed paint touches out to 3 point shooters also commit more fouls. Why do you think Coach Stevens focuses on paint touches and ball movement from that point?

 

[sactowndog]

It's a discussion because it's going to take more than 3 games to convince people that the Kings can be a high octane offense without shooting a bunch of 3 pointers when all the best teams in the league for the last handful of years have won by jacking up a bunch of 3s. It's 3 games vs. thousands of games of evidence that say the contrary.

If they keep it up it'll be pretty cool to see them win by playing a slightly different style than everyone else but we need more evidence. They could easily go into Denver on Tuesday and put up 85 and have everyone scratching their heads again. Curious to see if the offense we've seen so far has just been 3 hot games in a row or if this is going to be the new normal this year. If it is then the games are going to be much more fun to watch. I believe they've shot over 50% from the field in all 3 games. With the new awful rules the NBA has implemented...that very well could be normal for a lot of teams.

I don’t think they will put up 85 as they are too deep and talented. But they can be better on offense. And if they get better who knows how many wins they might get. That doesn’t mean forcing 3’s but kicking the ball out to open 3 point shooters. I would also love to see a pick and pop for three just once with Giles or Skal.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

It's a discussion because it's going to take more than 3 games to convince people that the Kings can be a high octane offense without shooting a bunch of 3 pointers when all the best teams in the league for the last handful of years have won by jacking up a bunch of 3s. It's 3 games vs. thousands of games of evidence that say the contrary..

I got news for you. There’s far more evidence and tens of thousands of games that prove that teams don’t have to live and die by the 3 to win. All it takes are teams willing to get away from copycating to find their own style that works best for their strengths/weaknesses. You know, kinda like what the Spurs and GSW did when they forged their own dynasties.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

I thoroughly enjoy watching this team....defense be damned

I hear ya. The offense has been fun to watch. But trust that little to no defense will get old fast.

 

[ParniValjak]

That Bjelica signing was a low key genius move from a front office that gets a hell of a lot of flack around the internet. Smart, cool, gritty, he's the exact sort of glue player we were lacking in the Boogie era. And watching he and Bogy out-BBIQ other teams all year is going to be fun.

I think the front office were always going to go after Bjelica but he was not priority #1 in free agency. Nemanja jumped the gun a bit and signed with Philadelphia.

What both Bjelica and Bogdanović bring to the team is a team first attitude which a lot of European players have. Fundamentally sound, can dribble, shoot pass and just play team ball. The ball moves and that has a contagious effect on the rest of the team. The ball is moving, actions are quick and decisive, players are passing that extra pass to a more open man. Its been fun 3 games. Even the game against NO where we got blown out, there were some real positive signs for the future.

At some point we do need to start playing some defense.

 

[Ozymandias]

Kings have to outscore their opponents to win games and in this one they did so, OKC missed a lot of open shots though. Westbrook throws up a lot of junk for a star player but that's who he is. Dribble penetration is non-existent, the weak side help is invisible....frustrating to watch but a quality road win for the first win and improvements made from game to game.

I disagree that the dribble penetration is non-existant.

De'Aaron fox was getting into the paint at will, hes averaging 7.7 FTA's thru 3 games. Here;s his shot-chart thru 3 games

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/foxde01/shooting/2019

Look at Willie's baskets too, he's blowing by his man for clean looks, that qualifies as dribble penetration to me... /shrug

Also there was even some dribble penetration from Justin Jackson in this one.. Also Yogi seems to attack the rack with a full head of steam at least once or twice a game, and he's made almost all his forrays into the paint on this young season.

 

[sactowndog]

I got news for you. There’s far more evidence and tens of thousands of games that prove that teams don’t have to live and die by the 3 to win. All it takes are teams willing to get away from copycating to find their own style that works best for their strengths/weaknesses. You know, kinda like what the Spurs and GSW did when they forged their own dynasties.

That has nothing to do with it. It’s simple math that many here don’t seem to get.

The Kings shoot:
Restricted Area: 66%
In the Paint non RA: 52.3%
Mid-Range: 43.1%
Left Corner 3: 36.4%. (Jackson’s spot)
Right Corner 3: 60%
Above the break: 40%

The Kings shooting percentage isn’t high enough in the mid-range or low enough from 3 to warrant passing on the extra point you get by shooting from 3. The Kings in general are very good shooters and should wherever possible opt for the open 3 over an open midrange shot.

Again simple math, when you have a 40% chance at 3 and a 43% chance at 2, you should opt for the chance at 3.

 

[sactowndog]

I disagree that the dribble penetration is non-existant.

De'Aaron fox was getting into the paint at will, hes averaging 7.7 FTA's thru 3 games. Here;s his shot-chart thru 3 games

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/foxde01/shooting/2019

Look at Willie's baskets too, he's blowing by his man for clean looks, that qualifies as dribble penetration to me... /shrug

Also there was even some dribble penetration from Justin Jackson in this one.. Also Yogi seems to attack the rack with a full head of steam at least once or twice a game, and he's made almost all his forrays into the paint on this young season.

The Kings paint touches are about average so far:
https://stats.nba.com/teams/paint-touch/?sort=PAINT_TOUCH_FG_PCT&dir=1

The bigger problem is what we do in the paint. Our shooting percentage is near the bottom and our assists off paint touches is at the bottom.

 

[kingsboi]

I disagree that the dribble penetration is non-existant.

De'Aaron fox was getting into the paint at will, hes averaging 7.7 FTA's thru 3 games. Here;s his shot-chart thru 3 games

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/foxde01/shooting/2019

Look at Willie's baskets too, he's blowing by his man for clean looks, that qualifies as dribble penetration to me... /shrug

Also there was even some dribble penetration from Justin Jackson in this one.. Also Yogi seems to attack the rack with a full head of steam at least once or twice a game, and he's made almost all his forrays into the paint on this young season.

I should of clarified better, dribble penetration is non-existent on defense, whoever a Kings player is defending blows by them to the paint with no consequences waiting for them at the rim. It's essentially a lay up drill so the Kings can continue to push push push and not expend too much energy playing defense.

 

[sactowndog]

I disagree that the dribble penetration is non-existant.

De'Aaron fox was getting into the paint at will, hes averaging 7.7 FTA's thru 3 games. Here;s his shot-chart thru 3 games

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/foxde01/shooting/2019

Look at Willie's baskets too, he's blowing by his man for clean looks, that qualifies as dribble penetration to me... /shrug

Also there was even some dribble penetration from Justin Jackson in this one.. Also Yogi seems to attack the rack with a full head of steam at least once or twice a game, and he's made almost all his forrays into the paint on this young season.

The problem with using the shot chart is it doesn’t filter out fast break points which isn’t dribble penetration in the half court.

Fox has only a single paint touch in the three games we have played so far.

https://stats.nba.com/players/paint...12758&sort=PAINT_TOUCHES&dir=1&PerMode=Totals

 

[Section 101]

The problem with using the shot chart is it doesn’t filter out fast break points which isn’t dribble penetration in the half court.

Fox has only a single paint touch in the three games we have played so far.

https://stats.nba.com/players/paint...12758&sort=PAINT_TOUCHES&dir=1&PerMode=Totals

Just looked it up. Paint touches is receiving the ball in the painted area. So if you get it outside the paint and drive it for a layup doesnt count.

 

[Kingster]

That has nothing to do with it. It’s simple math that many here don’t seem to get.

The Kings shoot:
Restricted Area: 66%
In the Paint non RA: 52.3%
Mid-Range: 43.1%
Left Corner 3: 36.4%. (Jackson’s spot)
Right Corner 3: 60%
Above the break: 40%

The Kings shooting percentage isn’t high enough in the mid-range or low enough from 3 to warrant passing on the extra point you get by shooting from 3. The Kings in general are very good shooters and should wherever possible opt for the open 3 over an open midrange shot.

Again simple math, when you have a 40% chance at 3 and a 43% chance at 2, you should opt for the chance at 3.

When you say "you" have a 40% chance at the 3, "you" isn't playing the game. There are five individual players playing the game, each with different shooting percentages from 3 point land vs 2 point land. The only way your type of argument has any credence is if you apply it to a particular player in particular situations, not the team as a whole. I certainly don't want a guy shooting 3s who shoots 25% from 3 point land when he shoots 60% from 2 point land. If Fox shoots 65% with his mid-range pull ups, say between 12-15' feet, I don't want him to stop doing that to shooting guarded 3 point shots. In other words, you are not providing in those stats the nuance to make any sense of it.

 

[Livinthedream]

That has nothing to do with it. It’s simple math that many here don’t seem to get.

The Kings shoot:
Restricted Area: 66%
In the Paint non RA: 52.3%
Mid-Range: 43.1%
Left Corner 3: 36.4%. (Jackson’s spot)
Right Corner 3: 60%
Above the break: 40%

The Kings shooting percentage isn’t high enough in the mid-range or low enough from 3 to warrant passing on the extra point you get by shooting from 3. The Kings in general are very good shooters and should wherever possible opt for the open 3 over an open midrange shot.

Again simple math, when you have a 40% chance at 3 and a 43% chance at 2, you should opt for the chance at 3.

The simple math from your post says we should load up on really tall players and take all of our shots from inside the restricted area.

I don't think people fail to understand the math. People understand that there is context and nuance to numbers. Our 3pt shooting percentage is what it is because we're not focused on shooting as many as we can in 48 minutes. The shots are coming in the flow of the offense. If the Kings shift their offense to take more 3pt shots for the sake of taking them, it will impact their team in other ways. Certain players become unplayable. And the team still won't be averaging more than 125 ppg. They'll just be hitting more 3 pointers per game.

Games aren't played on paper.

 

[dude12]

Just looked it up. Paint touches is receiving the ball in the painted area. So if you get it outside the paint and drive it for a layup doesnt count.

Important information in regards to this thread

 

[The_Jamal]

It's a discussion because it's going to take more than 3 games to convince people that the Kings can be a high octane offense without shooting a bunch of 3 pointers when all the best teams in the league for the last handful of years have won by jacking up a bunch of 3s. It's 3 games vs. thousands of games of evidence that say the contrary.

If they keep it up it'll be pretty cool to see them win by playing a slightly different style than everyone else but we need more evidence. They could easily go into Denver on Tuesday and put up 85 and have everyone scratching their heads again. Curious to see if the offense we've seen so far has just been 3 hot games in a row or if this is going to be the new normal this year. If it is then the games are going to be much more fun to watch. I believe they've shot over 50% from the field in all 3 games. With the new awful rules the NBA has implemented...that very well could be normal for a lot of teams.

Just took a peak at individual efficiency numbers for us and it's actually pretty nutty:

Fox- 60.9% TS
WCS- 62.4% TS
Hield- 63.5% TS
JJ- 44.5% TS
Yogi- 69.7% TS
Shumpert- 76.3% TS
Bjelica- 73.9% TS
Bagley- 55.4% TS
Giles- 34.3% TS

So yeah, pretty easy to say this isn't going to keep up, unless we're randomly on pace to be by far the best offensive team in NBA history. We're going to need the 3 ball.

 

[twslam07]

That has nothing to do with it. It’s simple math that many here don’t seem to get.

The Kings shoot:
Restricted Area: 66%
In the Paint non RA: 52.3%
Mid-Range: 43.1%
Left Corner 3: 36.4%. (Jackson’s spot)
Right Corner 3: 60%
Above the break: 40%

The Kings shooting percentage isn’t high enough in the mid-range or low enough from 3 to warrant passing on the extra point you get by shooting from 3. The Kings in general are very good shooters and should wherever possible opt for the open 3 over an open midrange shot.

Again simple math, when you have a 40% chance at 3 and a 43% chance at 2, you should opt for the chance at 3.

The problem is that it's not simple math. It's an equation with many variables that you are discarding. Thinking that an increase in attempts will not effect percentage is ludicrous.

I'm going to try and complicate this topic in an effort to bring better context.


*sourced from the 2017-18 season

The three most efficient shots in basketball are 2pt shots within 0-10ft when the closest defender is 2+ feet away. Then it swings over to a 3pt shot when the defender must be 6+ feet away. Then it goes back to a highly contested 0-10 ft 2pt shot being the most efficient.

This chart also tells us that a 3pt shot with a defender 0-2 ft away is the least efficient shot in basketball (A midrange jumper with a defender right there is even better than it). So simply increasing your attempts from three doesn't equate to more success. You must make sure it's a smart three point attempt. Even a wide open (defender 6+ ft away) midrange jumper is on par with a 3pt attempt with a defender 2-4 ft away.


This chart doesn't even do it justice. You would really need to have this chart split out by type of shot (spot up, pull up, transition, post up, etc.) by player on your team. So imagine this chart with a player & shot type column added to the left. Then you start to see what are the best shots as a team. This is just a generalization of the league, but as you know, each team has it's strengths and weaknesses.

The key is to play to your strength not to simply take more threes.

 

[SacTownKid]

I hear ya. The offense has been fun to watch. But trust that little to no defense will get old fast.

True, but remember during those times realize at least now the players can show some flashes of their talent. That will help this franchise moving forward much more than still going under the radar while playing better defense and still losing anyway. If anything outscoring teams is probably the only shot any young team has game to game. One step at a time.

 

[ESP47]

The problem is that it's not simple math. It's an equation with many variables that you are discarding. Thinking that an increase in attempts will not effect percentage is ludicrous.

I'm going to try and complicate this topic in an effort to bring better context.

View attachment 8368
*sourced from the 2017-18 season

The three most efficient shots in basketball are 2pt shots within 0-10ft when the closest defender is 2+ feet away. Then it swings over to a 3pt shot when the defender must be 6+ feet away. Then it goes back to a highly contested 0-10 ft 2pt shot being the most efficient.

This chart also tells us that a 3pt shot with a defender 0-2 ft away is the least efficient shot in basketball (A midrange jumper with a defender right there is even better than it). So simply increasing your attempts from three doesn't equate to more success. You must make sure it's a smart three point attempt. Even a wide open (defender 6+ ft away) midrange jumper is on par with a 3pt attempt with a defender 2-4 ft away.


This chart doesn't even do it justice. You would really need to have this chart split out by type of shot (spot up, pull up, transition, post up, etc.) by player on your team. So imagine this chart with a player & shot type column added to the left. Then you start to see what are the best shots as a team. This is just a generalization of the league, but as you know, each team has it's strengths and weaknesses.

The key is to play to your strength not to simply take more threes.

This chart shows exactly how the best teams in the game play. They either get easy looks close to the basket or they shoot open threes. All the highest percentage shots.

No one is saying that just shooting any 3 is the key to victory. Running plays that get your guys open looks from 3 is more efficient than plays that get them open looks from the mid range. Mid range jumpers are the worst shot in basketball other than 3 point shots when the defender is blanketed over the shooter.

No one is saying that 2 point shots right at the basket are bad. It's the mid range looks that are bad and that's exactly what the chart states. I don't see what the disagreement here is. People are acting as if the Kings are built to not take 3s. They have a handful of good shooters who are perfectly capable of taking more shots but they need the system to help them get open.

 

[twslam07]

The problem is that it's not simple math. It's an equation with many variables that you are discarding. Thinking that an increase in attempts will not effect percentage is ludicrous.

I'm going to try and complicate this topic in an effort to bring better context.

View attachment 8368
*sourced from the 2017-18 season

The three most efficient shots in basketball are 2pt shots within 0-10ft when the closest defender is 2+ feet away. Then it swings over to a 3pt shot when the defender must be 6+ feet away. Then it goes back to a highly contested 0-10 ft 2pt shot being the most efficient.

This chart also tells us that a 3pt shot with a defender 0-2 ft away is the least efficient shot in basketball (A midrange jumper with a defender right there is even better than it). So simply increasing your attempts from three doesn't equate to more success. You must make sure it's a smart three point attempt. Even a wide open (defender 6+ ft away) midrange jumper is on par with a 3pt attempt with a defender 2-4 ft away.


This chart doesn't even do it justice. You would really need to have this chart split out by type of shot (spot up, pull up, transition, post up, etc.) by player on your team. So imagine this chart with a player & shot type column added to the left. Then you start to see what are the best shots as a team. This is just a generalization of the league, but as you know, each team has it's strengths and weaknesses.

The key is to play to your strength not to simply take more threes.

Following up on my post, i made this table split by Kings players (Bagley & Giles aren't included as i pulled 2017-18 data and I used 2016-17 for Shumpert since he was hurt for most of the season last year):

 

[SacTownKid]

The problem is that it's not simple math. It's an equation with many variables that you are discarding. Thinking that an increase in attempts will not effect percentage is ludicrous.

I'm going to try and complicate this topic in an effort to bring better context.

View attachment 8368
*sourced from the 2017-18 season

The three most efficient shots in basketball are 2pt shots within 0-10ft when the closest defender is 2+ feet away. Then it swings over to a 3pt shot when the defender must be 6+ feet away. Then it goes back to a highly contested 0-10 ft 2pt shot being the most efficient.

This chart also tells us that a 3pt shot with a defender 0-2 ft away is the least efficient shot in basketball (A midrange jumper with a defender right there is even better than it). So simply increasing your attempts from three doesn't equate to more success. You must make sure it's a smart three point attempt. Even a wide open (defender 6+ ft away) midrange jumper is on par with a 3pt attempt with a defender 2-4 ft away.


This chart doesn't even do it justice. You would really need to have this chart split out by type of shot (spot up, pull up, transition, post up, etc.) by player on your team. So imagine this chart with a player & shot type column added to the left. Then you start to see what are the best shots as a team. This is just a generalization of the league, but as you know, each team has it's strengths and weaknesses.

The key is to play to your strength not to simply take more threes.

For sure. The gameplan of cheating the rules nowadays has already been established as layups or three's. No team just shoots threes. But out of the teams that make it to the end every year good luck finding one that shoots 22-25 3's on a good night. Teams will make sure your attempts at the basket are limited or challenged because the defensive rules don't really allow you to do anything on the wing any longer other than consistent switching. Honestly from what I've seen so far this year with officiating I don't know if even last years stats are going to be comparable. The way they are calling a lot of things might even make certain shots more obsolete. Getting to the line might be more efficient. I predict more fights this year if they call things this way because in game physicality allows players that release. This is going to frustrate a lot of role players in particular.

 

[rosa u podne]

Elementary, dear Watson. Kings are efficient 3pt shooters, because they take "good" 3 pt shots. If they start forcing 3s, they won't be as efficient. Also, this season, they are eficient overall from almost every position, because they mostly take "good" shots.

 

[twslam07]

This chart shows exactly how the best teams in the game play. They either get easy looks close to the basket or they shoot open threes. All the highest percentage shots.

No one is saying that just shooting any 3 is the key to victory. Running plays that get your guys open looks from 3 is more efficient than plays that get them open looks from the mid range. Mid range jumpers are the worst shot in basketball other than 3 point shots when the defender is blanketed over the shooter.

No one is saying that 2 point shots right at the basket are bad. It's the mid range looks that are bad and that's exactly what the chart states. I don't see what the disagreement here is. People are acting as if the Kings are built to not take 3s. They have a handful of good shooters who are perfectly capable of taking more shots but they need the system to help them get open.

But are the Kings taking a lot of midrange shots?



27% of the Kings attempts this year are from midrange. The league averaged 46% last year!

When we compare the 3PAs, 24% of the Kings attempts are threes while the league's average is 25%. Not much of a difference.

So that means that the Kings are largely reallocating those inefficient midrange shots to close shots that they are converting at a high percentage.

Having said all of that, it looks like most teams this year are moving away from the league average of midrange shots. It's obviously a small sample size but it could be that the Kings shift from midrange to close shots/3pt shots may not be as drastic as the rest of the teams in the league. This is where they rank so far this year:

5th in % of 0-10 ft attempts
9th in % of 10-22 ft attempts
30th in % of 3pt attempts

It's crazy how big of a shift we have seen in shots taken this year vs. last year. It'll be interesting to see if it stays consistent:

 

[Capt. Factorial]

But are the Kings taking a lot of midrange shots?

View attachment 8370

27% of the Kings attempts this year are from midrange. The league averaged 46% last year!

When we compare the 3PAs, 24% of the Kings attempts are threes while the league's average is 25%. Not much of a difference.

So that means that the Kings are largely reallocating those inefficient midrange shots to close shots that they are converting at a high percentage.

Having said all of that, it looks like most teams this year are moving away from the league average of midrange shots. It's obviously a small sample size but it could be that the Kings shift from midrange to close shots/3pt shots may not be as drastic as the rest of the teams in the league.

OK - so for the sake of expediency, let's define a "contested jump shot" as any shot from 10 feet or greater with a defender within between 0-4 feet - four slots on this table. On "contested jump shots" the league scored a weighted average of 0.7905 points per shot last year. On all other shots, the league scored a weighted average of 1.1266 points per shot. That's a massive difference - it's more than 1.4 times more efficient to not shoot contested jumpers.

Despite that pretty obvious inefficiency, the league shot 33.6% of its shots last year as contested jumpers. So far this year the Kings are taking only 11.6% of their shots as contested jump shots.

As you can see, this is the major difference between this year's Kings' shots so far and the average NBA shot last year - the Kings are taking basically the same number of *uncontested* jumpers, and basically the same number of open shots in the paint, but they have seriously cut down on *contested* jumpers in favor of what turn out to be contested shots in the paint. No matter, because those contested shots in the paint the Kings are favoring have a far higher points per shot (1.2173) than even the average shot that is not a contested jump shot.

Looking at these numbers, this is a shockingly simple recipe for success. I really hope this isn't a fluke. I really hope this is an organizational philosophy that we are instilling: "Unless the shot clock is expiring, forget about shooting a contested jumper, no matter how close you are to the basket. Find an open shooter, or dump the ball into the paint. Period." Sure, we need to work on defense, but this is a really simple way to make our offense click.