And this is the real crux of the problem. In my opinion, our problem isn't whether Fox and Haliburton are a good enough 1-2, the problem is that the Kings play just about the most undisciplined basketball I've ever seen from an NBA team. Pretty much everyone is a matador on the perimeter defensively, everyone loses their man when guarding off ball resulting in cuts and easy layups, we give up the fourth highest opp. FG% on pick and rolls (our PnR defense is atrocious), we are tied for 3rd lowest defensive rebound % in the league (none of our players box out, often because they're out of position due to our amateur perimeter defense). It's like we're a pickup team from the local gym lacking fundamentals and discipline playing against professional teams. Staying in front of your man, eye on man and ball, boxing out, etc. are all things basketball players learn on youth basketball teams.
Now, the question is what is the source of these issues?
Is it coaching? I know Luke was awful and Gentry hasn't had a training camp or anything, but he hasn't made many, if any, changes since acting as head coach.
Is it player development? New draft picks and young players won't fix that.
Is it just players are broken? It's hard to believe that for 15 years the Kings have just happened to choose all the players who lack fundamentals.
Is it cultural? Are players just picking up bad habits being with this team? You need a Chris Paul type player or Popovich type coach to fix that sort of thing, which is obviously not easy to get.
Doesn't matter who our top two players are if this type of basketball is what we play. I would like the team to prioritize playing more disciplined, smarter basketball, which could include roster moves, over anything else.