[Game] 57/82: Hornets @ Kings 24 FEB 2025, 7pm PT/10pm ET

["Him"mer Fredette]

I questioned the offense last game, this game i have to give credit where it is due. They played loose and fun. Im being greedy but I would really like to see our play initiator be a little more tight with the ball. Sometimes when we get on ball pressure especially dribbling into a set it gets clunky or a turnover ensues. Boy, when we make the extra pass and get the defense to shift, we seem nearly unstoppable.

 

[megapoxy]

So it turns out that wasn't the best game of LaVine against the Hornets

https://twitter.com/statuses/1894259974307496247

 

[Löwenherz]

Having been on this forum since 2007, and assuming you were also a fan for many years prior to that, you should already know by now that we can never have nice things.

We can have nice things for a little bit.

That way it hurts more when they get taken away.

 

[hrdboild]

I'm not saying with a volume uptick he won't produce, but even in college he wasn't getting the same kind of shots you see from LaVine. The comp was LaVine which again, is a totally different type of player. Keegan is assisted on 80% of his FG's this season and this is largely why he has games where he's shooting the ball 4 times or whatever. Which fans complain about, but in reality he's playing his role and doing it well more often than not. Can he get his own? Probably in some ways, but I wouldn't expect him to do what you saw out of LaVine very often.

I wasn't commenting on Keegan playing like Zach, I was commenting on your assertion that Keegan needs to be spoon-fed to put points on the board. As I've said before, I hate watching Zach LaVine play basketball so Keegan playing like him is the last thing I would ever want to see. For one thing, Keegan plays defense. For another, being a low usage player who puts points up anyway could be seen as an advantage. Especially if we're still trying to build a team around Sabonis' creation skills.

From my point of view, having a complete non-defender out there on the floor playing 36 minutes per game is worth -10 points so LaVine might be averaging 23.4 ppg on the season but that's really more like 13 ppg in the aggregate. I'm pretty sure Keegan can beat that with another 6-8 shots per game.

 

[Joshyjosh31]

Jake got defensive player of the game and he deserved it great job out there Christie needs to find minutes for him

 

[Jc121]

I believe we are a very deep team being 9 or 10 deep. Have not had that in forever.
2 quality bigs, 3 guys the can get you a ton of points, and even 3 or 4 defensive players.

If they play together as a team and buy into DC,s defensive mind set they could be very good.
Alas the draw back we have 4 good defenders but only 1 in the starting lineup.

But It’s just possible that we may have a future starting PG in Fultz from what I’ve seen. Also love having Jonas as the backup over Trey with his size and skill set with lyles as a small ball backup when needed.

Oh boy hope again!!! (MAYBE)

 

[Vinny Basketballerino]

WOW!

So guys, I'm in Serbia right now, which I can confirm (and have been confirming) has very very good wine.

This means I can't catch the games live unless I get up at four in the morning, and as previously mentioned, the necessary confirmation of good wine does conflict with that agenda.

Nonetheless, you can imagine my delight when I woke up this morning to see Levine has not only found his groove...

but went absolutely LASAGNA MODE on the Hornets.

Good trade.

 

[serbiangoat]

I loved the Val/LaRavia/Monk/Zac/Fultz unit the ball just flows way better I really think to see the best of Jake he needs 22-28 mins a game his passing and defense are so badly needed on this team

 

[Spike]

Granted, this was a reeling Hornets team that played pretty awful basketball, but the Kings have lost to teams like this in the not-so-distant past.

That said, you could see the potential for what this team looks like in the post-Fox era, and it ain't as bad as some of us would think. I liked Christie's substitution patterns, and they looked aggressive on defense. These are professional athletes - they all can play on both sides of the ball.

He seems to have motivated some players by removing those that are unmotivated.

 

[bball_nomad]

Awesome for LaVine to have a game like this. He's just such an unbelievable 3-level scorer; him and Domas, in theory, should be an incredible fit offensively with Domas getting him open for jumpers and easier shots.

I'm from Chicago. Zach played alongside Vucevic with Bulls and Vuc had many easy baskets from Zach's passes. Like when Domas dunked yesterday after Monk's pass. BUT, it's not just that. Zach is a willing passer who actively looks for his bigs. The way he yesterday recovered his "feel' for the shot, it's just a matter of time when he will get into the rhythm with Sac's bigs. I use plural, cause Domas is a beast in a paint, JV is not bad either. If JV gets ball in a right place timely - he is even better finisher around the rim than Domas.

 

[bball_nomad]

I loved the Val/LaRavia/Monk/Zac/Fultz unit the ball just flows way better I really think to see the best of Jake he needs 22-28 mins a game his passing and defense are so badly needed on this team

I like Jake. One thing is to hustle, another - to do it efficiently. That requires smarts. Jake has it. Funny. New Kings reserves are REALLY smart cats. JV, Jake, Fultz - pleasure to watch.
BTW, JV used to play with less energy with Wizzards (he was tutoring youngsters mostly). Now he knows that he is just a back-up for his buddy Domas, so he goes into full throttle mode. Definitely not too slow.

 

[Tetsujin]

So it turns out that wasn't the best game of LaVine against the Hornets

https://twitter.com/statuses/1894259974307496247

13/17 from three is insane. I don’t think Steph’s even hit those numbers at that efficiency lol

 

[Joshyjosh31]

I loved the Val/LaRavia/Monk/Zac/Fultz unit the ball just flows way better I really think to see the best of Jake he needs 22-28 mins a game his passing and defense are so badly needed on this team

He’s easily our third best defender and at his size that’s very important if Christie can’t get him and Ellis 25mpg then I’ll question if he’s the right coach for us. Lower DD minutes and get those defenders out there Melo was struggling vs Jake/Fultz

 

[Vinny Basketballerino]

I like Jake. One thing is to hustle, another - to do it efficiently. That requires smarts. Jake has it. Funny. New Kings reserves are REALLY smart cats. JV, Jake, Fultz - pleasure to watch.
BTW, JV used to play with less energy with Wizzards (he was tutoring youngsters mostly). Now he knows that he is just a back-up for his buddy Domas, so he goes into full throttle mode. Definitely not too slow.

This is turning out to be a monster trade deadline for Monte. Just made the team better in so many ways.

 

[HndsmCelt]

In all honesty, I think that the starting five is still a bit problematic in terms of ball handling, and seeing that in turnovers, but the huge upside by putting together just an exceptional bench far out ways the damage to the starting five.

 

[Joshyjosh31]

https://twitter.com/statuses/1894231949625233552

https://twitter.com/statuses/1894464624357249427

 

[MizzouKing]

Cracking up at Malik and Deebo during post-game interviews when asked about LeVine's scoring after all the struggles...
Malik: "Its about time, he ain't been hittin NOTHIN."
Demar (sitting next to Zach): "It's about time!"

The compilation!!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGgqVvEJvPQ/?igsh=eXQ5b2tuajhjYm55

 

[SacTownKid]

I wasn't commenting on Keegan playing like Zach, I was commenting on your assertion that Keegan needs to be spoon-fed to put points on the board. As I've said before, I hate watching Zach LaVine play basketball so Keegan playing like him is the last thing I would ever want to see. For one thing, Keegan plays defense. For another, being a low usage player who puts points up anyway could be seen as an advantage. Especially if we're still trying to build a team around Sabonis' creation skills.

From my point of view, having a complete non-defender out there on the floor playing 36 minutes per game is worth -10 points so LaVine might be averaging 23.4 ppg on the season but that's really more like 13 ppg in the aggregate. I'm pretty sure Keegan can beat that with another 6-8 shots per game.

The comment I was responding to was about wanting to see Keegan do what LaVine was in some respect, they don't play like one another hence why that's not really a great bar to set for someone like Keegan.

 

[Caccia]

The guy you all label as a "shooting guard" had a double-double with ten assists last night. He leads the team with 6.5 assists per 36 minutes, or 8.7 per 48 minutes. That is good for 16th in the NBA, tied with SGA and Devin Booker. But he ranks 38th in the league in turnovers per 48 minutes.

When asked before the season if he considered himself a shooting guard or a point guard--quoting from memory--he answered "I'm a guard. Just a guard."

 

[Elektrik]

WOW!

So guys, I'm in Serbia right now, which I can confirm (and have been confirming) has very very good wine.

This means I can't catch the games live unless I get up at four in the morning, and as previously mentioned, the necessary confirmation of good wine does conflict with that .

. LOL! Enjoy!

 

[SacTownKid]

The guy you all label as a "shooting guard" had a double-double with ten assists last night. He leads the team with 6.5 assists per 36 minutes, or 8.7 per 48 minutes. That is good for 16th in the NBA, tied with SGA and Devin Booker. But he ranks 38th in the league in turnovers per 48 minutes.

When asked before the season if he considered himself a shooting guard or a point guard--quoting from memory--he answered "I'm a guard. Just a guard."

This the modern game in a nutshell. Jokic is a PG too in reality. Whoever controls a teams offense these days is typically doing it the same ways, pick and roll or dishing. You can either run pick and roll or you can't, that's the benchmark. Back in the day when post up play was it passing bigs would draw double teams or find cutters. If a big couldn't do it they were in a lower tier as well.

 

[megapoxy]

Despite missing several players lately the Jazz have been competitive with some young ones taking over (Collier, George, Filipowski).

https://twitter.com/statuses/1894557979900510559