[Game] 44/82: Kings at Nuggets 23 JAN 2025, 6pm PT/9pm ET
- Thread starter QWERTYLICIOUS
- Start date
Back to the game, I wish McDermott had been on the court early on, when it was clear the Kings were clanking a lot of shots, especially from deep. As a coach, you would expect to see happen that on a night like this, and plan accordingly.
I would like to see more of Doug #7 and also, when he becomes available, Isaac Jones. The dude has been killing it in G League, from all accounts. He matches up well with big forwards like LeBron James and Aaron Gordon. And the Kings need bench size up front.
I would like to see more of Doug #7 and also, when he becomes available, Isaac Jones. The dude has been killing it in G League, from all accounts. He matches up well with big forwards like LeBron James and Aaron Gordon. And the Kings need bench size up front.
The 17 assists are impressive. The scoring... eh, he got 10 FTA to help him get to 35 points. I'm nonplussed by 10 FTA on 19 FGA for Jokic when Sabonis and Fox combined had 45 FGA in this game and got all of 2 FTA between them to show for it.
Speaking of which... 7 for 24. Can we credit this loss to Fox's broken finger?
Speaking of which... 7 for 24. Can we credit this loss to Fox's broken finger?
yeah I not going to be the only one who notices that in the 6 games Fox has been back the Kings have a 115.8 defensive rating which is 22nd in the league. For those looking for reasons to pick or not pick a player it will be a factor.
personally I don’t blame Fox. If Portland couldn’t make a CJ Dame backcourt work then we are not going to make a Fox Monk backcourt work any better.
personally I don’t blame Fox. If Portland couldn’t make a CJ Dame backcourt work then we are not going to make a Fox Monk backcourt work any better.
I just want Fox to get healthy. The guy is a superstar talent when he is. It’s really unlucky he has had to deal with this all season.
I can’t imagine trying to just shoot a basketball with my shooting hand messed up like that. Fox is trying to do it in the NBA while getting smacked on that hand multiple times per game.
I can’t imagine trying to just shoot a basketball with my shooting hand messed up like that. Fox is trying to do it in the NBA while getting smacked on that hand multiple times per game.
I'm starting to question whether it's smart to even play him at all right now. He's a total liability on both sides of the ball at the moment. He should not be playing 40min like he did last night in the current shape he's in. Let him heal up. The team showed they can win games without him right now.
It’s less about pointing the finger at Fox and more about us having both Fox and Monk healthy and giving the majority of our guard minutes to both of them.
Since Christie took over, these are Keon’s mpg when one of Fox, Monk, or Murray are not playing vs. when all of them are playing…
Fox, Monk, or Murray Not Playing = 33.0 mpg
All of Fox, Monk, & Murray Playing = 17.8 mpg
You want to be better defensively? Find a way to play your best defender more than 18 mpg. This has been my one gripe with Christie thus far. He needs to be giving Ellis more minutes while all of these guys are healthy. Since Christie took over, he’s been playing Fox 37.4 mpg and Monk 35.2 mpg. He can easily shave 5-8 minutes off right there and reallocate that to Ellis. I’m sure moving Huerter will also help, but Ellis should not be playing any less than 26 min each game.
This Ellis situation is why I’ve proposed some trades sending out Monk. We’re best with Ellis at SG and either Fox or Monk at PG. The options to maximize our roster are as follows…
If you choose to trade Carter, you also have the complication of convincing Monk to come off the bench again AND that he will also no longer be closing out games (something he would do even when he was coming off the bench). I have a really hard time seeing how Monk would be happy with that so realistically we’re likely looking at trading either Fox (which allows Monk to continue to start and close out games) or Monk (which avoids the risk of damaging his ego/morale by asking him to come off the bench and not close out games).
Since Christie took over, these are Keon’s mpg when one of Fox, Monk, or Murray are not playing vs. when all of them are playing…
Fox, Monk, or Murray Not Playing = 33.0 mpg
All of Fox, Monk, & Murray Playing = 17.8 mpg
You want to be better defensively? Find a way to play your best defender more than 18 mpg. This has been my one gripe with Christie thus far. He needs to be giving Ellis more minutes while all of these guys are healthy. Since Christie took over, he’s been playing Fox 37.4 mpg and Monk 35.2 mpg. He can easily shave 5-8 minutes off right there and reallocate that to Ellis. I’m sure moving Huerter will also help, but Ellis should not be playing any less than 26 min each game.
This Ellis situation is why I’ve proposed some trades sending out Monk. We’re best with Ellis at SG and either Fox or Monk at PG. The options to maximize our roster are as follows…
- Ellis becomes the starter and finisher each game at SG next to Fox. Monk is moved back to a 6th man role (and does not close out games). We’d use Carter as a trade asset to help us upgrade the frontcourt at some point.
- Ellis becomes the starter and finisher each game at SG next to Fox. Carter is our main guard option off the bench, and we’d use Monk as a trade asset to help us upgrade the frontcourt at some point.
- Ellis becomes the starter and finisher each game at SG next to Monk. Carter is our main guard option off the bench, and we’d use Fox as a trade asset to help us upgrade the frontcourt at some point.
If you choose to trade Carter, you also have the complication of convincing Monk to come off the bench again AND that he will also no longer be closing out games (something he would do even when he was coming off the bench). I have a really hard time seeing how Monk would be happy with that so realistically we’re likely looking at trading either Fox (which allows Monk to continue to start and close out games) or Monk (which avoids the risk of damaging his ego/morale by asking him to come off the bench and not close out games).
A back-to-back in Mile High against an elite Denver team is a very hard lift, no matter what. That said, I have to say I was disappointed in my most favorite Kings' player - Sabonis. Christie has been on him for a very long time to take the open outside shot, whether it's from 3-point or 2-point land. In particular, against elite teams it is absolutely critical that Sabonis takes and makes a good percentage of those shots. Yet, in this game, Sabonis went into his comfort shell when in some cases he didn't have a defender within 10 feet of him. He regressed to his Warriors' playoff experience by not assertively taking those shots, instead doing pass fakes to no one in particular, trying to pass the ball and banging into a 300-pound wall, going nowhere.
And what happened when he didn't take those shots? The entire offense sucked, that's what. Turnovers and getting lousy shots from others resulted. Space was shrunk on the court, passing lanes narrowed, valuable time was taken off the 24-second clock and everybody else on the court had their life made more difficult because Sabonis felt more comfortable getting his rebounds, "passing", and banging into Joker. This CANNOT happen in the playoffs/play-in. Christie must use his magic to once and for all get it into Sabonis's head that he's got be mentally ready in every game to take those open outside shots. As far as I am concerned, he should be mentally prepared to take 20 fricken 3 pointers if he gets them. Shrinking-violet Sabonis must be banished in favor of Jack-It-Up! Sabonis.
And what happened when he didn't take those shots? The entire offense sucked, that's what. Turnovers and getting lousy shots from others resulted. Space was shrunk on the court, passing lanes narrowed, valuable time was taken off the 24-second clock and everybody else on the court had their life made more difficult because Sabonis felt more comfortable getting his rebounds, "passing", and banging into Joker. This CANNOT happen in the playoffs/play-in. Christie must use his magic to once and for all get it into Sabonis's head that he's got be mentally ready in every game to take those open outside shots. As far as I am concerned, he should be mentally prepared to take 20 fricken 3 pointers if he gets them. Shrinking-violet Sabonis must be banished in favor of Jack-It-Up! Sabonis.
My guess is that one of Fox, Ellis, Monk, or Carter won’t be on the roster at the start of next season. Sometimes you have to wait for the right deal to present itself before you can fully balance the team. This isn’t NBA 2k where you can essentially balance your roster whenever you want. It can be a process.
The numbers you posted don't tell me anything I didn't already know: that those two guys are better defensively than what the Kings currently have. In my Personal Record Book™, there's a lot of middle ground between "better than what the Kings have" and "game changer."
If the Kings trade Fox, they need to bring back a haul. Those two guys don't fit the bill, AFAIC.
I don't wager on events in which I don't have the ability to personally impact the outcome; I'm philosophically opposed to the concept.
If the Kings trade Fox, they need to bring back a haul. Those two guys don't fit the bill, AFAIC.
I don't wager on events in which I don't have the ability to personally impact the outcome; I'm philosophically opposed to the concept.
I would also prefer to move forward with a guard rotation of Fox, Ellis, and Monk. The issue is handling the egos as the ideal rotation with those 3 would be to have Monk come off the bench AND to no longer have Monk close out games.
I’m not overly optimistic that Monk would be happy with that role. Are you?
I’m not overly optimistic that Monk would be happy with that role. Are you?