There's plenty of potential for a 50 + win season now that we've discovered what we have in guys like Keon Ellis and how that kind of effort was a big key in what we were missing all the way through January of this year. Depending on the moves we make, 50 wins is possible to me and the fact that we almost got there this season, in that conference is pretty damn good IMO. So many frustrating, disappointing moments in there and they still somehow won 46 times.
“RUN IT BACK!” / Monte needs to fix this.
- Thread starter SLAB
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Part of me thinks you are your record and we have had the same record 2 consecutive years now. Another part thinks we are a lot better than our record: 15 losses where we were up double digits, untimely missed free throws, a poor finish to the season that was paired with Monk's absence, two one point losses with a missed call on a game winning tip shot, etc.
Not that I think we should have another year with more or less the same roster. That would feel a bit tedious. I'm curious to see what kind of moves are made.
Not that I think we should have another year with more or less the same roster. That would feel a bit tedious. I'm curious to see what kind of moves are made.
What I would like to see is Fox tame the 3 a bit and drive more like he used to and Keegan get more offense but maintain the defensive consistency of the last season. I think if we take the good bits of each of the last two seasons and make more improvements as a whole we'll be just fine. But we're probably losing Monk so need to fill that hole. And there needs to at least be a succession plan for Barnes because he's dipping.
with that in mind I expect team to look a lot different.
with that in mind I expect team to look a lot different.
Looking at this years playoffs, 2 of the 3 top teams in the West finished #8 (Minnesota) and #9 (OKC) in last years playoff race. They were able to use that experience and re-focused and grew to dominate this season. The Kings have hope, they weren't far off.
The Kings need to learn from this years follies and realize they need to keep focus for every game and they can't take any opponents lightly because it can cost them a shot at the playoffs. Hopefully they can get hit that 50 win plateau to ensure they make the playoffs next year as a high seed.
The Kings need to learn from this years follies and realize they need to keep focus for every game and they can't take any opponents lightly because it can cost them a shot at the playoffs. Hopefully they can get hit that 50 win plateau to ensure they make the playoffs next year as a high seed.
Are they really good comps for us? They both have budding ascending superstars and massive pieces of their teams coming back off injury filled (or missed in OKC’s case) seasons.
Do we really think there’s a shot we jump like they did if we happen to have a healthy season like ‘23 again? It would take an absolutely stunning leap from Keegan to get there … as much as I love em, we know just about where Domas and Fox will be.
Could we be better with health and another year? Sure. But it wouldn’t be top-4. Just cannot see that jump.
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If we have a '24-'25 campaign like the one we had in '22-'23, we are absolutely a top 4 team (at least, we'd be in the conversation throughout the entire season). Would we be top 2? Doubt it. Top 3? Possibly.
But, we all know we're probably not ever gonna have a campaign like '22-'23. Things just worked out so well for us. We'll likely never be as healthy of a team as we were throughout that campaign.
Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...The time to grind is now.
And I am so here for that grind.
LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
But, we all know we're probably not ever gonna have a campaign like '22-'23. Things just worked out so well for us. We'll likely never be as healthy of a team as we were throughout that campaign.
Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...The time to grind is now.
And I am so here for that grind.
LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Do we?
Fox suddenly developed a 3pt shot but I think we'd all agree his application was questionable. He went away from what made him great and when he got frustrated when not getting calls he'd settle into shooting 3s.
Domas can shoot the 3 but is too timid to do it. No he's never going to be a shot blocker but if he can shoot 2 more 3s a game and shoot mid 30s or better it does open up more pairing options including pairing him with a traditional center.
So arguably both can improve, or at least grow their games.
Keegan, Keon continuing to grow. The possibility of others plus a draft pick or trade, whatever happens with Monk and Huerter hopefully whichever one we have is not injured down the stretch.
We need to address Barnes declining productivity but this team could bounce back to at least a middle seed.
Fox suddenly developed a 3pt shot but I think we'd all agree his application was questionable. He went away from what made him great and when he got frustrated when not getting calls he'd settle into shooting 3s.
Domas can shoot the 3 but is too timid to do it. No he's never going to be a shot blocker but if he can shoot 2 more 3s a game and shoot mid 30s or better it does open up more pairing options including pairing him with a traditional center.
So arguably both can improve, or at least grow their games.
Keegan, Keon continuing to grow. The possibility of others plus a draft pick or trade, whatever happens with Monk and Huerter hopefully whichever one we have is not injured down the stretch.
We need to address Barnes declining productivity but this team could bounce back to at least a middle seed.
Shai is only half a year younger than Fox so what exactly makes him “ascendant” while Fox is capped out?
Also, while Ant is still young, the rest of that Minnesota core aside from McDaniels is older than anyone on the Kings not named Javale or HB and, in the case of KAT, playing on glass knees. They’re going to be in the second tax apron and lost most of their draft assets in the Gobert deal so this is essentially going to be their big two year run unless Mike Conley discovers the fountain of youth and/or they’re able to move KAT for useful pieces instead of Julius Randle and a couple of Knicks second rounders.
Also, while Ant is still young, the rest of that Minnesota core aside from McDaniels is older than anyone on the Kings not named Javale or HB and, in the case of KAT, playing on glass knees. They’re going to be in the second tax apron and lost most of their draft assets in the Gobert deal so this is essentially going to be their big two year run unless Mike Conley discovers the fountain of youth and/or they’re able to move KAT for useful pieces instead of Julius Randle and a couple of Knicks second rounders.
This is the first year all the wonky new cap stuff comes into play and we are thus far skirting the first apron and that is assuming we re-sign Monk.
There's also the matter of the NBA TV contract being up and rumors it is going to a non-conventional (ie not cable tv) format and nobody knows if that means it is going to be bigger than ever or if big media is finally reeling in the spending in the face of cord cutting. If the contract doesn't break records, the cap and all the other tax lines fall with it.
There's also the matter of the NBA TV contract being up and rumors it is going to a non-conventional (ie not cable tv) format and nobody knows if that means it is going to be bigger than ever or if big media is finally reeling in the spending in the face of cord cutting. If the contract doesn't break records, the cap and all the other tax lines fall with it.
KAT was injured and so was Chet. Imagine the Kings without Fox or Domas for most of the season. The Kings would be looking at a top 5 pick, not a play in seeding. Their low rung appeared to be that whereas the Kings high rung was that 46-48 win territory. Maybe that changes next season with a full season of good to great defense, but again, Monte can't afford to bet on that at this point.
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That appears to be up to Brown. He swapped Keegan and Barnes in the pecking order and all the numbers match up. The decline in free throws as a team, the decline in free throws from Barnes as an individual, the lack of free throws gained from Keegan as he took about 3 shots more per game. Barnes' shot attempts didn't change, but more of his shots were spotting up. Keegan took more shots and yielded a DECREASE in free throw attempts per shot compared to his his rookie year. With the season in the rear view it's easy to now see it, yes, the Kings showcased Barnes at the deadline. Look at his game log and the games played starting Jan. 22nd to Feb. 9th which was the day after the deadline. Barnes hadn't strung together double digit FGA's more than 2 games in a row the whole year IIRC, and between that showcasing period he had 9 consecutive games of double digit FGA's. Day after the deadline? 6 FGA's. He jumped again in March as a blip and that run started with Keegan being out.
I mean I can see it. We played damn good basketball vs the better teams in the league. The floor of this team was just incredibly low for a squad that looked like it could be a top 6 team for stretches. I'm a damn broken record at this point, but 17-11 vs the top 7 in the West and 4 games above .500 vs the rest of the NBA is crazy.
So we had the hard part down; compete vs the best teams in the league. Now it's how do you show up on a nightly basis vs the teams we're better than and don't punt games we know we should win. That's the next step in this teams development that can easily tack on 5-8 more wins.
So we had the hard part down; compete vs the best teams in the league. Now it's how do you show up on a nightly basis vs the teams we're better than and don't punt games we know we should win. That's the next step in this teams development that can easily tack on 5-8 more wins.
Agree mostly - we did well against some of the better teams and lost some bad games against some trash teams. But I don't think it's enough to say they just need to punch down better. They really struggled to compete against mid level teams / upper mid teams like Houston, NY, and NO. And I think it's easier for the front office to be deliberate in how they address these match up vulnerabilities than it is for them to hope the same players turn up more often over the next 82 games.
Obviously moves need to be made, but I still like our chances next year. Based on what's happened so far this year in the playoffs, I expect a regression from the Lakers, Clippers, Warriors, Suns, and my bold prediction is the Pelicans and maybe the Nuggets. Mavs will be interesting to watch as well if they lose in 5/6 to the Thunder, as they've made all their all-in moves. Obviously the Grizzlies, Spurs, and maybe the Rockets should be better next year. But 4 aging teams in our division all getting worse will definitely help.
Timing is everything. At the end of last season Heurter's value was up, up, up (and of course few wanted to trade him). Now after this recent trash season and his commensurate plummet in trade value, who thinks that he's going to be traded this off-season for anything of value? McNair might be begging other teams to take him off his hands rather than the other way around. I hate to say it, but if Heurter is playing next year with the Kings it won't be surprising. And who knows? Maybe he'll he'll revert to the mean, have a very good season, and we'll all be talking about how he's part of the core.
Yeah, last year K-Von would of had better value in a trade. However, shooting is at a premium in the NBA and some GMs may view Huerter as just needing a change of scenery/fresh start somewhere else to rejuvenate his stroke. I think he will still have some trade value due to his good shooting history and reasonable contract.
We may be able to trade him for some other team's player that haven't met their team's expectations. Trading Huerter for someone like Chicago's Patrick Williams or Orlando's Jonathan Issac could potentially be a good fit for both teams.
We may be able to trade him for some other team's player that haven't met their team's expectations. Trading Huerter for someone like Chicago's Patrick Williams or Orlando's Jonathan Issac could potentially be a good fit for both teams.
You look back at the trade deadline, when the GM was calling team after team trying to find a trade to help the Kings. I never heard a word about PJ Washington, who was traded from Charlotte to Dallas for Seth Curry, Grant Williams, and a top-two protected first round 2027 draft pick. He quickly became the starting power forward for Dallas, and has been instrumental in their two wins to date against Oklahoma City.
You have to ask, where is the front office looking for talent if he slipped under their radar? How good is their spreadsheet on available players?
You have to ask, where is the front office looking for talent if he slipped under their radar? How good is their spreadsheet on available players?
Who says this is the case? Maybe they checked on it and didn't have the right pieces to get the deal done? I love the assumptions that just because "Player X" wasn't connected to the Kings on 37 different social media sites for three weeks straight that they didn't kick the tires on something. It takes two to tango, you know!
It was actually one "almost non-protected FRP" plus two players and two second round picks in 2024 and 2028. I agree that two first rounders plus two rotation players would have been too much, but you have to give something to get something. We were all miffed when McNair and Wilcox whiffed.
https://www.nba.com/news/hornets-trade-p-j-washington-mavs
https://www.nba.com/news/hornets-trade-p-j-washington-mavs
Things "worked out" for Dallas this year (relative to the Kings) but they gave up assets for Williams and then gave up assets to ship Williams for Washington they don't control very many of their picks, I wouldn't say they have put on a master class in asset management and they certainly got the most vulnerable top 3 team in the second round but if they do knock off OKC I think either Denver and Minny should make quick work of them in the WCF.
Monte is certainly going to be forced to make a move this offseason and I won't be surprised if most of the board hates it.
Monte is certainly going to be forced to make a move this offseason and I won't be surprised if most of the board hates it.