Bricklayer's Season Preview

[Bricklayer]

I have prepared a little Season Preview for those returning to the board, or the team, and for those who for whatever reason do not get to see/hear about the team much in your local markets:

Overview
Coming off a franchise worst 17-65 debacle, there is nowhere to go but up this season. The Kings were surprisingly quiet over the summer, making only one minor draft day trade and signing several vets to cheap one year contracts. However, the "reward" for the terrible season was a high lottery pick used to select Tyreke Evans, who has looked to have star potential in preseason and gives hope for the future.

A number of the biggest problems which contributed to the collapse last season have been at least somewhat addressed. PG play was a season long weakness, leading to the drafting of Evans and acquisition of Sergio Rodriguez as additional depth. The inexperienced coaching carousel has been replaced by a veteran coach in Paul Westphal with a history of success in the league. And the season long rebounding and defensive woes have at least been partly addressed through the draft and free agency in a series of moves resulting in a younger and tougher roster than began the season last year. A lack of size on the roster figures to be a season long concern, with Spencer Hawes the only true center on the roster, and more of a finesse player than a banger. But all of the PFs list rebounding as a strength, the SF corps is full of scrappy roleplayers, and Evans will add toughness to what otherwise remains a soft guard line.

The team remains too young to win many games this season, but that is also a reason for hope for the future. Four of the five starting positions now feature young starters, with leading scorer Kevin Martin being the old man of the crew at 26/27. And if Omri Casspi can continue his impressive play from preseason, its possible that all five positions will be manned by young starters by the end of the year. The natural development of players like Hawes, Casspi, Jason Thompson, and Evans could lead to a nice young lineup in a few seasons. Throw in what figures to be another lottery pick next summer, as well as a possible free agent signing in a big free agent offseason next summer, and there is a real chance to turn the corner in the near future. But for the present there will be more struggle.

Things to watch for this season will not be wins so much as player development. Can Evans become that star the Kings have been looking for? Will Hawes toughen up and become the inside force his skills suggest he can be? Can Casspi seize the SF position? How good can Thompson become? Success in the W/L column will depend on how quickly the team comes together under Westphal's schemes, whether players like Martin and Hawes can shed their softness labels and have the scrappiness rub off on them, and how quickly Evans develops. Ballhandling and a lack of interior defensive presence will likely continue to hinder the team, but a solid improvement of perhaps 10 games or so does not seem out of the question.

Players By Position

Center
Spencer Hawes (7'1" 245lbs Age:21) -- skilled offensive minded center with impressive post moves, but who often prefers to drift outside to shoot three pointers. Questions about whether he is tough and physical enough to realize his potential.
08-09 Stats: 77gms 29.3min 11.4pts (.466 FG% .348 3pt% .662 FT%) 7.1reb 1.9ast 0.6stl 1.2blk 2.1TO

Power Forward
Jason Thompson (6'11" 250lbs Age:23) -- high energy power forward who combines solid skill level with hustle on the glass. Needs to cut down on unnecessary fouling (he led the league in fouls last year) and improve defensively.
08-09 Stats: 82gms 28.1min 11.1pts (.497 FG% --- 3pt% .692 FT%) 7.4reb 1.1ast 0.6stl 0.7blk 1.8TO

Sean May (6'9" 266lbs Age:25) -- former lottery pick for Charlotte who has shown flashes of rebounding and an effective jumpshot, but who's career has been derailed by injuries and weight issues. Needs to stay healthy and work on defense.
08-09 Stats: 24gms 12.5min 3.9pts (.398 FG% 1.000 3pt% .700 FT%) 2.9reb 0.4ast 0.2stl 0.2blk 1.1TO

Jon Brockman (6'7" 255lbs Age:22) -- Kings second round pick out of Washington, an undersized scrapper at power forward who specializes in rebounding but who will need to prove that he can score and defend against bigger NBA players.
08-09 Stats (COLLEGE): 34gms 30.5min 14.9pts (.526 FG% --- 3pt% .640 FT%) 11.5reb 1.1ast 0.9stl 0.1blk 1.9TO

Kenny Thomas (6'7" 245lbs Age:32) -- seldom utilized veteran power forward entering the final year of his contract. Undersized but mobile on the boards. Rarely shows much else anymore.
08-09 Stats: 8gms 7.8min 0.8pts (.375 FG% --- 3pt% --- FT%) 1.9reb 0.1ast 0.8stl 0.1blk 0.1TO


Small Forward
Andres Nocioni (6'7" 225lbs Age:30) -- scrappy veteran small forward out of Argentina, strong enough that he can also play some power forward. Has solid offensive skills both inside and out, but best when used as a complimentary roleplayer. Will be looked to for veteran leadership.
08-09 Stats: 76gms 26.2min 11.4pts (.427 FG%, .399 3pt% .792 FT%) 4.8reb 1.3ast 0.5stl 0.4blk 1.5TO

Franciso Garcia (6'7" 195lbs Age:28) -- INJURED (out 3 months w/ broken arm) -- lanky three point shooting small forward with solid ballhandling skills, is as much shooting guard as he is small forward. Will compete on defense and can lead with his fiery demeanor, but mistake prone and frequently plays out of control. Scouting Report
08-09 Stats: 65gms 30.4min 12.7pts (.444 FG% .398 3pt% .820 FT%) 3.4reb 2.3ast 1.2stl 1.0blk 1.7TO

Omri Casspi (6'9" 225lbs Age:21) -- the second of the Kings two first round picks, is the first player from Israel to make the NBA. Scrappy and has good size for a small forward. Will no doubt go through the normal rookie growing pains, but looked impressive in preseason.
08-09 Stats (EUROPE): 16gms 17.4min 8.8pts (.505 FG% .450 3pt% .771 FT%) 3.1reb 0.4ast 0.8stl 0.2blk 1.1TO

Desmond Mason (6'5" 222lbs Age:32) -- veteran small forward/shooting guard made the team out of training camp and may end up starting on opening night as Coach Westphal likes his defense and stability (he played for Westphal early in his career). Former high flyer who's career has faded with age and injuries, prefers to slash to the hoop than shoot from outside.
08-09 Stats: 39gms 27.3min 7.5pts (.435 FG%, --- 3pt% .541 FT%) 4.0reb 1.2ast 0.4stl 0.8blk 1.4TO

Donte Greene (6'11" 226lbs Age:22) -- lanky young second year small forward with some growing up to do. Nice kid with good physical skills and the ability to play some power forward, but questions about his dedication to improving his game. Has a tendency to get lazy and shoot low percentage three pointers on offense, and must focus on defense to secure more minutes.
08-09 Stats: 55gms 13.2min 3.8pts (.326 FG% .260 3pt% .823 FT%) 1.6reb 0.5ast 0.3stl 0.2blk 0.7TO


Shooting Guard
Kevin Martin (6'7" 185lbs Age:26) -- skinny shooting guard is the Kings best player and a prolific scorer, but needs to work on doing everything else. Deadly outside shooter with his feet set and one of the league's best foul drawers, but needs to overcome a reputation for soft defense and diversify his game to take that next step. Has been injury prone in recent years. Scouting Report
08-09 Stats: 51gms 38.2min 24.6pts (.420 FG% .415 3pt% .867 FT%) 3.6reb 2.7ast 1.2stl 0.2blk 2.9TO


Point Guard
Tyreke Evans (6'6" 220lbs Age:20) -- Kings prized high lottery pick this season is a big powerfully built point guard with excellent driving skills. Was impressive in preseason as a scorer and physical rebounder and defender, but needs to work on his outside shooting, cut down on turnovers, and prove that he is more point guard than shooting guard.
08-09 Stats (COLLEGE): 37gms 29.0min 17.1pts (.455 FG% .274 3pt% .711 FT%) 5.4reb 3.9ast 2.1stl 0.8blk 3.6TO

Beno Udrih (6'3" 205lbs Age:27) -- last season's starting point guard now reduced to a backup role, may get some minutes at shooting guard as well this season. Solid offensive player who can be erratic and who does not always work at the other end. Scouting Report
08-09 Stats: 73gms 31.1min 11.0pts (.461 FG% .310 3pt% .820 FT%) 3.0reb 4.7ast 1.1stl 0.2blk 2.2TO

Sergio Rodriguez (6'3" 176lbs Age:23) -- Spanish point guard once dubbed "Spanish Chocolate" (a reference to former Kings PG Jason "White Chocolate" Williams) for his flamboyant style. Has good court vision and is a willing passer, but has struggled in the NBA as a scorer or defender.
08-09 Stats: 80gms 15.3min 4.5pts (.392 FG% .325 3pt% .792 FT%) 1.6reb 3.6ast 0.7stl 0.0blk 1.5TO


Coaches
Paul Westphal -- former NBA coach with seven years of experience in the 90s with Phoenix and Seattle. Took a very talented Phoenix team to the Finals in his first season, but had declining success thereafter. Known as an open court offensive minded coach with a low key demeanor that was both a strength (did not rub people the wrong way) and a weakness (had trouble controlling big egos).
Career Record: 267-159; Career Playoff Record: 27-22


Likely Starters/Bench
C- Hawes (May)
PF- Thompson
SF- Mason
SG- Martin
PG- Evans

Bench- SF/PF Nocioni, PF/C May, SF/SG Casspi, PG/SG Udrih
Deep Bench- PG Rodriguez, PF Brockman, SF/PF Greene
Inactive- PF Thomas
Injured- SF/SG Garcia

 

[Rookie]

Cool post Brick.

thanks

 

[Jechtsphere]

Great preview, thanks Brick.

 

[Dreadnought]

And so the John Wall sweepstakes begins. If we win 25 games, this season will be a success.

 

[dbfish]

Well done Brick. You tell it like it is.

 

[piksi]

And so the John Wall sweepstakes begins. If we win 25 games, this season will be a success.

let me put it this way - if there are 1000 balls in the lottery and Kings had 997 - we would still have the 5th pick despite it being matematically impossible.

 

[Kingster]

Nice post. I'd like to get some opinions on what player people are looking at as the key to the season. My take is that Hawes is that player. As Hawes goes, so goes the Kings...

 

[OptimusRhyme]

Nice post. I'd like to get some opinions on what player people are looking at as the key to the season. My take is that Hawes is that player. As Hawes goes, so goes the Kings...

I think our key to winning will be a good Ast/To ratio and all around Defense.

I think Havoc should help the perimeter defense tho with his long arms. he should be able to contest some threes and close out on his man quicker.

Id like too see some more double teams downlow on skilled opposing Big man, We dont need JT and Hawes fouling out every game. Our guards should use some hard fouls instead of our bigs always hacking.

I would like to see that passing skill we saw from Hawes when Brad Miller was around. Jt has shown some nice passing in the preseason. it would be nice if both big could dish out 2-3 asts each per game.

I think our rebounding is already light years ahead of what we had last year.
Thompson is better, We have a rebounding PG and we added May & Casspi who are good rebounders.
Plus Truck Robinson seems too know what hes doing in that department.

Our strength on offense is getting to the rack. So hopefully Martin can teach Evans some tricks of the trade on how to draw fouls. It will really help Hawes and Thompson if we can get opposing bigs in foul trouble.

thats all i can think of for now.. But all in all i know its going to be a tough season with more losses then wins and anothe high lottery pick.. but like brick said we are looking for development right now from our young core (Evans, Martin,Casspi,Thompson,Hawes..and when Cisco comes back) ....

its going to be fun to watch them gel and improve together as one cohesive unit.

Lets go Kings!

 

[Kingsguy881]

Nice write up. Meat and potatoes, baby. Lets get this show on the road, son! 5pm.....

 

[Dime Dropper]

Spot on as always, Bricky.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

I wouldnt say Hawes is the key, but I would say Hawes is the player to watch.

Its his third year. He should make some significant progress this season.. he has the most to prove.

It hasnt started out well for him, reports are he will be coming off the bench tonight, but for his sake and ours I hope he can have a good season.

Im not one for predictions, but In order to pass my "significant progress/proving himself" test he's got to get around 15 ppg and 9 boards .. and show something on defense. He can do it, I just dont know if he will.

 

[OptimusRhyme]

I wouldnt say Hawes is the key, but I would say Hawes is the player to watch.

Its his third year. He should make some significant progress this season.. he has the most to prove.

It hasnt started out well for him, reports are he will be coming off the bench tonight, but for his sake and ours I hope he can have a good season.

Im not one for predictions, but In order to pass my "significant progress/proving himself" test he's got to get around 15 ppg and 9 boards .. and show something on defense. He can do it, I just dont know if he will.

we gotta remember he was playing all preseason on a bum ankle.. and its one of the worst injuries to play on physically and mentally.. first of all you loose pretty much all lateral quickness and second your scared to re-injure it.. which is so easily done while its weak.

I'm just hoping that his ankle was the main reason he seemed hesistant in the preseason.. i just know from personal experience that ankle injuries can get too you mentally... So for now Im giving Hawes the benefit of the doubt. Im confident he will come around sooner then later. The dude was excellent last year. Hes a smart guy hes not going to let us down.

 

[Rockmeister]

Very nice write-up Brickie. It will be May starting and Spencer coming off the bench for tonight's game.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

Nice write up brick.

 

[Wuster]

Nice summary write up. Thanks Bricklayer.

I must be getting old(er). Kevin Martin is now the old man on the roster.

 

[kennadog]

Thanks for the preview, Brick. Seems like a pretty realistic assessment of the team as it is known right now.

 

[Catalyst]

Nice post/recap Brick. Thanks for typing this up.

 

[HighTopKicks]

Hawes finished last season strong,so 15 & 8 shouldn't be that far fetched. Where the improvement needs to come is his low post scoring needs to increase in effeciency. With his 3pt scoring he should have a TS% over .500.

JT showed he still is the cleanup guy off the boards he was last year. But, he still isn't a player that can create for himself. Mid range jumper is ok, but he need to develop the ability to put the ball on the floor and drive to the rim. He's still the highest foul guy in preseason, & that has me worried.

Tyreke has to develop a consistent shot. Teams are going to defend the pick & roll by going beneath the screen until he starts making the outside shot. And, he needs to be more selective driving to the basket. Too many strips in the paint, he needs to cut off some of those drives when the defense is waiting for him. Maybe, he'll learn from Martin & Beno.

With the lack of height on the front line, I believe Omri & Donte are the keys to the Kings overachieving this season. Along with the injury situation, which seems no team is immune. It would certainly be to our benefit, if we were one of the more fortunate teams this year.

 

[chelle]

Thanks for the updates!!!

 

[swisshh]

I am not sure that this team can only go up from last year. Salmons and Miller were pushing out playing time from the youth, and each malcontents in their way, but they were talented NBA players, and worst of all they are talent the team lost and did not replace. Noccioni is not a gain when you cough up two decent players for one.

Fans should realize by now the whole addition by subtraction line that started with trading Webber, continued with Artest, and is in part legacy to Miller, doesn't really apply when you don't have players ready to replace them. The Kings have gone down in overall talent for the second season in a row. They could possibly challenge for worst record of all time.