[Game] Kings vs. Timberwolves 10/24/2024 7pm Pacific 10pm Eastern
- Thread starter Tetsujin
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I think the solution is Huerter returning as a 40% shooter along with more McDermott. Keegan and DeRozan played heavy minutes tonight with 43 a piece at the 3/4 spots. I think the aim should be closer to 37, which would leave more minutes for the bench guys to contribute a little bit more and get into a solid rotation.
It didn't feel like Brown trusted the guys without DeRozan (the Wolves went on a run without him in the game). During the times where DeRozan is out of the game, I would really like to see Fox revert back to his aggressive scoring self with a lineup of Monk, Keegan, Lyles, and Keon/Len(match-up depdendent). Give Fox some space to work with and remind him that it's still his team.
On a team where we really lack 3pt shooting, Keon needs to learn to be a guy who can take all types of 3pt shots. On the catch, on the move, in transition, taking ball screens, rejecting ball screens, etc. Right now he's limiting himself to just stand-still 3s when his feet are set. You can see him get a little uncomfortable when defenders are in a position to close out, and that's where a lot of us see when we call him a "hesitating" shooter.
Beyond the Kings, if he wants to stick in this league, he'll have to force himself to be more of a comfortable shooter. He doesn't really do much else on offense, and all of it rides almost entirely on his 3pt shooting. He can bring the ball up, but he doesn't do much with it.
Beyond the Kings, if he wants to stick in this league, he'll have to force himself to be more of a comfortable shooter. He doesn't really do much else on offense, and all of it rides almost entirely on his 3pt shooting. He can bring the ball up, but he doesn't do much with it.
Overall, I think any offensive hesitance on Keon's part is a lot better masked if he's starting with these other high usage options, while it's a lot more glaring on the bench unit.
Exact opposite for Huerter, he's never going to get any shot attempts and since he provides nothing else, he's going to flounder. He probably gets more shot attempts off the bench.
The decision was just utterly baffling to me for that reason.
Exact opposite for Huerter, he's never going to get any shot attempts and since he provides nothing else, he's going to flounder. He probably gets more shot attempts off the bench.
The decision was just utterly baffling to me for that reason.
I totally agree. The fit just makes so much more sense the other way around. I thought Huerter could have regained some rhythm and confidence with the second unit, as a 2nd or 3rd option in the offense. Now he's the clear 5th option as a starter, which is not likely to be enough to boost him back to where he was (value wise) in his first season
There's no doubt that we have to get much better on defense to win a playoff series, but we also really need a 3pt specialist around Fox-DeRozan-Sabonis. I think that's what it ultimately comes down to. Being completely honest, if we didn't start Huerter, I think I might prefer McDermott in the lineup instead of Keon... that's how much I think we need 3pt shooting around our trio.
I really liked what Huerter showed on defense tonight. It helped that the T-Wolves don't have good guard play outside of Ant, but if he can play defense at this intensity/level and not lose his man, I think it's good enough for our starting unit. In crunch time where we need defensive stops more than the 3pt shooting/floor spacing, I think that's where we can lean on Keon a bit more.
I can't even believe I'm defending Huerter this much. I'm someone who wanted him gone after the GS series, but his shooting ability brings a lot of value to this team. He's becoming really underrated now. He's got solid ball skills, and I think there'll be future games where we'll see more action between him and Sabonis.
I really liked what Huerter showed on defense tonight. It helped that the T-Wolves don't have good guard play outside of Ant, but if he can play defense at this intensity/level and not lose his man, I think it's good enough for our starting unit. In crunch time where we need defensive stops more than the 3pt shooting/floor spacing, I think that's where we can lean on Keon a bit more.
I can't even believe I'm defending Huerter this much. I'm someone who wanted him gone after the GS series, but his shooting ability brings a lot of value to this team. He's becoming really underrated now. He's got solid ball skills, and I think there'll be future games where we'll see more action between him and Sabonis.
You're saying we need much better defense to win a series, but then not valuing the player who is your best guard defender. You have a wing defender in Murray and a guard defender in Ellis. Is anybody else on the team considered a defensive stopper? If you don't lean into them in a way that best fits the team, you won't be much better on defense and are less likely to win a playoff series.
3 point shooting is great, more so in the regular season, but if you don't have an average defense, the odds of winning a series, let alone becoming a contender, is pretty small
3 point shooting is great, more so in the regular season, but if you don't have an average defense, the odds of winning a series, let alone becoming a contender, is pretty small
There were some real positives to take from the game:
1) DeRozan looked fairly comfortable on offense and scored a team-high 26 points
2) Sabonis hit 3-4 threes
3) Murray shot 47% from the field and 50% from three
4) Monk was 6-9 with four assists for 17 points
5) The defense was better than advertised
6) The Kings had only 9 turnovers against an excellent defensive team, compared to 16 for Minnesota, nearly all forced by Sacramento
7) The team shot 80% from the line; DeRozan alone was 12-14
1) DeRozan looked fairly comfortable on offense and scored a team-high 26 points
2) Sabonis hit 3-4 threes
3) Murray shot 47% from the field and 50% from three
4) Monk was 6-9 with four assists for 17 points
5) The defense was better than advertised
6) The Kings had only 9 turnovers against an excellent defensive team, compared to 16 for Minnesota, nearly all forced by Sacramento
7) The team shot 80% from the line; DeRozan alone was 12-14
Not defensively. And if you argue that it's only because we had to out Keegan on Edwards, and later on Randle. Keegan is an excellent defender but he needs someone else to help him. Randle got lit cuz the Kings had to hide Huerter in the 1st half. Huerter barely played the second half when Keegan put the clamps on Randle.
And yet Keeg still managed a 20 10 double. Keegan is gonna be a player.
And yet Keeg still managed a 20 10 double. Keegan is gonna be a player.
Tough loss, but this game put to rest my preseason panic. Murray looked great. Demar adds a completely different dynamic. I’m all for giving Huerter 10 games to get into a rhythm because we do need his shooting and size. Defense looked solid and to me they looked every bit as strong as the wolves. An even matchup that could have gone either way. Fox got out of sorts in the 4th.
I will say the mcbuckets cameo to start the 4th was a bit odd, but I guess brown was looking for a potential jolt.
I will say the mcbuckets cameo to start the 4th was a bit odd, but I guess brown was looking for a potential jolt.
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