How do we fix the offense?

[iowamcnabb]

I didn’t bring up the defense or any other team issues, that can be for a different day. Our bread and butter is offense, best in the league last year with the same system and players. What can we do to be a top 5 offense in the second half of the season? What ideas do you have?

I’ll start with one. More often than not Domas brings the ball up but generally speaking he just sets up the DHO. Why not let the fastest guy in the league take the ball up? If he doesn’t see a lane he likes, dish off to Domas and let him do his thing.

Whatcha got?

 

[iowamcnabb]

This one is obvious but shoot better from 3. I swear everytime I check the box score of OKC they have shot 40 percent from 3. When we outshoot our opponents from 3 we win probably 90 percent of the time. Maybe 5 less threes a game and eliminate shots that are low percentage for certain players? For example Keegan’s corner 3

 

[upinsmoke]

Stop falling in love with the 3 ball at the expense of running an actual offense. We could put so much pressure on defense if we took less 3s and got some more buckets in the paint.

 

[SacTownKid]

As Brown has said, be more physical. The biggest slide the Kings have made overall is at the line. Yes, they are inconsistent in hitting their free throws but they are also taking 3 less per game and part of that has largely been because of the change in role of Barnes and getting Keegan more shots in his place. Barnes gets to the line most years 3 times more per game than Keegan does. See a connection there? Keegan needs to start getting to the line consistently. Not only does Brown need to start calling plays for Harrison, he needs to put Keegan closer to the rim in iso and see if he can draw contact. I would like to see Brown put in some post action for both Keegan and Harrison.

 

[SacTownKid]

I didn’t bring up the defense or any other team issues, that can be for a different day. Our bread and butter is offense, best in the league last year with the same system and players. What can we do to be a top 5 offense in the second half of the season? What ideas do you have?

I’ll start with one. More often than not Domas brings the ball up but generally speaking he just sets up the DHO. Why not let the fastest guy in the league take the ball up? If he doesn’t see a lane he likes, dish off to Domas and let him do his thing.

Whatcha got?

Yeah, maybe a little more rebound and run period as well. They do it but they also seem to have Domas or Fox come back to the ball quite a bit on rebounds and on the in bounds plays.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

Yeah, maybe a little more rebound and run period as well. They do it but they also seem to have Domas or Fox come back to the ball quite a bit on rebounds and on the in bounds plays.

Barnes used to bring the ball up regularly, but now almost never does. I'd like all the starting 5 to feel free to grab and go

 

[gunks]

Less 3s more mixing it up inside.

Also more Ts from Brown calling out the refs on not sending our guys to the line when they get hammered.

 

[GWD]

Comon' man, what cho' talkin' 'bout, whatchmatta U?
We have a winning record!
We just had a good road trip!
The players are trash (but we have a winning record)!
The coach is a saint and the system perfectly fits the players' abilities!
Everything is rosy and positive on all team levels!
One loss and everyone on the forum goes belly-up.
Did I mention that we have a winning record?

OK, now that is out of the way...carry on.

 

[BenchMob]

As others said, like to see more post plays especially for Keegan. Like to see Domas be more quicker decisions on taking outside shots..and of course start improving on FTs

 

[iowamcnabb]

Comon' man, what cho' talkin' 'bout, whatchmatta U?
We have a winning record!
We just had a good road trip!
The players are trash (but we have a winning record)!
The coach is a saint and the system perfectly fits the players' abilities!
Everything is rosy and positive on all team levels!
One loss and everyone on the forum goes belly-up.
Did I mention that we have a winning record?

OK, now that is out of the way...carry on.

super constructive

 

[ick300]

Give minutes to Vezenkov with Monk and Domas and start using his cut to the basket ….
After few baskets defence will start looking for them which automatically will free 3pt for Murray/Fox ….
Start Lyles till he starts missing then out HB from the bench. With Lyles more active I the first minutes the. Barnes , more good looks for Huerter must happen as well , dude has decent A , but is taking too many difficult shots
Cure Foxy shoulder

 

[Caccia]

Teams are starting to double-team the ballhandler: Fox and Monk when they bring up the ball, Sabonis when he gets the ball around the three-point line or especially near the basket. When they can force the ball out of the ballhandler's hands so soon in the play clock, it gums up the works, so to speak. Not to mention, a double-team sometimes results in a bad pass or steal.

Not only do the Kings need better screens, they need to take advantage of the ones that are set. Fox and especially Monk both take too long to react to a Sabonis, McGee, or Len screen. Monk himself usually sets good screens, but what about Murray, Barnes, Huerter, or Lyles? They all need to improve in that department. The guards need to make decisions more quickly. Once the ball starts to move, the offense usually gets a good shot off.

 

[GWD]

super constructive

I hope you have the same response when those comments show up throughout the forum.

BTW, many suggestions, both for the offense and defense, are throughout the forum. Many of them are quite positive and logical. Some have also been repeated in this thread. The real question is, "How do we enact changes in the offense?" Obviously, WE don't but we know who could.

 

[iowamcnabb]

I hope you have the same response when those comments show up throughout the forum.

BTW, many suggestions, both for the offense and defense, are throughout the forum. Many of them are quite positive and logical. Some have also been repeated in this thread. The real question is, "How do we enact changes in the offense?" Obviously, WE don't but we know who could.

We get it, Coach Brown is the problem. You have made your position on that clear and hey maybe you will be right and he will be fired in the next year or so. If you are going to spend the rest of the season on the forum subtly or not so subtly suggesting it, you are probably not going to have a great time. If he is fired? That would probably put an end to my 20 plus year fandom, at least as a diehard spend way too much time on a forum type of deal. I’d probably back off into a check the box score spend more time outside kinda fan. We just spent 16 years being a dumpster fire, not going to deal with more firings and instability. Especially a firing of a coach who ended it all.

 

[GWD]

We get it, Coach Brown is the problem. You have made your position on that clear and hey maybe you will be right and he will be fired in the next year or so. If you are going to spend the rest of the season on the forum subtly or not so subtly suggesting it, you are probably not going to have a great time. If he is fired? That would probably put an end to my 20 plus year fandom, at least as a diehard spend way too much time on a forum type of deal. I’d probably back off into a check the box score spend more time outside kinda fan. We just spent 16 years being a dumpster fire, not going to deal with more firings and instability. Especially a firing of a coach who ended it all.

I certainly respect your enthusiasm and fandom re: the Kings. We share a desire for the Kings to achieve and improve.

Where we differ is in how the Kings came to this point. Like any scientific experiment, changing multiple variables generally invalidates the hypothesis. In 2002 several factors were introduced to the Kings. Initially, the formula gelled and hope was restored for a Kings major resurgence. I shared that hope. This year the formula has remained static and even some regression has appeared. Your OP here even reflects that observation...otherwise it would not have been authored.

In looking at the variables and their effect on the "experiment", I examined them one-by-one as a factor.in the apparent decline in performance. My conclusion is clear from my prior posts. Also note that there is nothing about Coach Brown, personally, that is a factor. He generally impresses me as an all-around good person. Should Coach Brown make philosophical, evolving, and practical changes to his system that elevates the Kings then I would be an enthusiastic supporter. Please note that nowhere, in any of my posts, have I ever advocated his outright firing.

Your conclusion, given the same data, is that Coach Brown was the factor that "ended it all" in 2022-23 regarding the years of disappointment. My OPINION, based on the current data, simply differs in the present season. Unfortunately, the variables in the data causes it to be scientifically flawed, thus leading to different interpretations. .

 

[ockingsfan]

Coach needs to get all 5 players on the floor touches and not just call plays for the stars (Fox, Sabonis, Monk and Keegan). Their needs to be set plays for the other players on the floor too.

Secondly, stop jacking up 3s when they are not falling. Need to take the ball to the hoop and get the sure 2 when outside shots not falling. The Kings go on long droughts and can’t snap out of it.

Third, make your dang free throws at a respectable percentage!

The most obvious flaw of this team though is their 3 point shot defense. The coach need to pull players that aren’t defending the 3 point line. It’s embarrassing how wide open looks the other team gets on most nights.

 

[Srzly]

Feels like we start the game playing one way with lots of ball movement and driving, pick and rolls, etc.

Then it turns into maybe 1 pass before a shot. Sometimes it is zero passes and a launched 3.

Too many possessions where people are frozen out of the offense and never touch the ball.

I don’t know why we go away from what works.

 

[Woot!]

As Brown has said, be more physical. The biggest slide the Kings have made overall is at the line. Yes, they are inconsistent in hitting their free throws but they are also taking 3 less per game and part of that has largely been because of the change in role of Barnes and getting Keegan more shots in his place. Barnes gets to the line most years 3 times more per game than Keegan does. See a connection there? Keegan needs to start getting to the line consistently. Not only does Brown need to start calling plays for Harrison, he needs to put Keegan closer to the rim in iso and see if he can draw contact. I would like to see Brown put in some post action for both Keegan and Harrison.

Yes.

I'd also like to see Fox be much more distributor-and-kickass-defender Fox thru the first 3.5 quarters, reserving Unstoppable Offensive Force Fox to the last six minutes, as needed. That way he can spend more energy on defense. There are too many offensive possessions when it's just Fox free-lancing. And too many offensive possessions when one or more players don't get any touches - I don't mean shots, necessarily; I mean literal touches.

1. Move to distributor/defender Fox for most of the game.
2. Share the ball - all five guys should touch the ball on most half-court possessions. Especially early.
3. Call plays, as needed, to ensure Keegs and HB are both getting touches and shots.
4. More post action, especially for HB, and forays to the basket.
5. Steadier rotations. Kings've had the same main 7 rotation guys for a full season and a half now - Domas, Fox, Keegs, HB, KVon, Monk, Lyles. Barring injuries and fouls trouble, enough w/the jacked-up rotations. Not hard to see why everyone except Domas and Fox might not be able to establish any kind of offensive rhythm.