How will the Kings stretch the floor?

[King Baller]

This is an interesting article over on STR.

According to the writer, Babygiraffe, the Kings shot the 3 point shot at a better percentage after the Boogie trade. STR has this article:

https://www.sactownroyalty.com/2017/8/18/16119652/sacramento-kings-free-agency-shooting

One of the writers comments is:
"DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Tolliver, Rudy Gay, Matt Barnes, Darren Collison, Ben McLemore, Arron Afflalo, Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi, and Langston Galloway all departed in either the Cousins trade, were cut, or were allowed to walk in free agency, and the Front Office did little to replace those shooters this summer, especially from the front court positions."

Of the players mentioned only Tolliver, Collison, McLemore, Afflalo, Evans and Galloway played significant minutes after the trade.

The question becomes can the addition of Hill, Bogdan, Jackson and Mason Make up the difference in the long ball shooting? Malachi should play and contribute with the long ball which did not happen last season. Can Fox and Skal hit some 3's?

So how do you think this seasons Kings will do from the 3 point line?

 

[kingsboi]

I see the Kings struggling from deep with the current roster. They will need to hustle their tails off and play a decent amount of defense if they have any chance in staying in their games IMO.

 

[pshn80]

I agree with the above. Things will be hit and miss no matter who starts and will slowly improve. What would be nice s if some of our young talent do their improving and ganing confidence sooner than we expect. I believe the talent is their but I just have to guess how it will go for our gaggle of youngest. Should be interesting to watch. Pan mixed with pleasant surprises.

 

[206Fan]

I think our roster construction is terrible right now. We have guys in different age gaps and stages of their career. Here's the groups:

• Zach Randolph (36)
• Vince Carter (40)

• George Hill (31)
• Garett Temple (31)

• Kosta Koufos(28)
• Bogdan Bogdanovic(25)

• Willie Cauley-Stein(24)
• Buddy Hield (24 in Dec)

• Justin Jackson(22)
• Frank Mason(23)

• Skal Labissiere (21)
• DeAaron Fox(20 in Dec)
  
• Malachi Richardson( 21)
• Harry Giles (19)
• Georgios Papagiannis (20)

When you talk about lack of floor spacing, I think that problem starts with DeAaron Fox. He's simply a non 3pt shooter at this stage in his career. He'll be coming off the bench for us, and we'll need to run super small-ball to compensate for the 3pt shooting. Traditional teams typically have at least 3 shooters on the team with it being the PG, SG, and SF. Kings will need to have shooters at SG-SF-PF instead. We'd need Temple, Jackson, or Malachi to play "PF". Another thing overlooked is the amount of ball handling SG/SFs we have. So it might be less about floor spacing and more about offensive fit as a whole. Again, troubles arise because Fox is a ball dominant PG himself.

 

[Suicide King]

I keep hoping season after season that we become one of the better defenses vs. outside shots. It would be yet another avenue for hanging with the three point barrages of the Warriors and Rockets of the league that is independent of our own three point abilities . I prefer that balance over hoping to simply outgun each other.

 

[ESP47]

I'm not too worried about floor spacing at the moment. We don't have a stretch 4 but I believe Skal will get there with his nice shot. Randolph doesn't stretch the floor but he does have a mid range shot.

Hill, Buddy, Bogdan, Jackson, Mason, Malachi, Temple and Carter are all average to great 3 point shooters. I think we will be ok on that front. We might not be at the top of the league in 3 pointers attempted but I think we will be top 10 in 3 point percentage again.

 

[Chupacabra]

Somehow the OP managed to leave out our biggest 3pt threat. His name isnt anywhere in the post.

 

[pshn80]

I think our roster construction is terrible right now. We have guys in different age gaps and stages of their career. Here's the groups:

• Zach Randolph (36)
• Vince Carter (40)

• George Hill (31)
• Garett Temple (31)

• Kosta Koufos(28)
• Bogdan Bogdanovic(25)

• Willie Cauley-Stein(24)
• Buddy Hield (24 in Dec)

• Justin Jackson(22)
• Frank Mason(23)

• Skal Labissiere (21)
• DeAaron Fox(20 in Dec)
  
• Malachi Richardson( 21)
• Harry Giles (19)
• Georgios Papagiannis (20)

When you talk about lack of floor spacing, I think that problem starts with DeAaron Fox. He's simply a non 3pt shooter at this stage in his career. He'll be coming off the bench for us, and we'll need to run super small-ball to compensate for the 3pt shooting. Traditional teams typically have at least 3 shooters on the team with it being the PG, SG, and SF. Kings will need to have shooters at SG-SF-PF instead. We'd need Temple, Jackson, or Malachi to play "PF". Another thing overlooked is the amount of ball handling SG/SFs we have. So it might be less about floor spacing and more about offensive fit as a whole. Again, troubles arise because Fox is a ball dominant PG himself.

Why is it terrible right now? Because we are young, inexperienced? Where have you been lately? I agree that spacing isn't the immediate problem. It is who will play how much and who will play with who. It's too early to say whether Fox's style (or bag of tricks) will work to our advantage or less so. What we need is to play a game and then another one etc. etc. Be fun to see where the chips fall. Our hopes are not riding on how one or two turn out but on how six or eight or even more turn out. Who could complain if our eventual stars turn out to be Cooley and Sampson.

 

[bajaden]

Why is it terrible right now? Because we are young, inexperienced? Where have you been lately? I agree that spacing isn't the immediate problem. It is who will play how much and who will play with who. It's too early to say whether Fox's style (or bag of tricks) will work to our advantage or less so. What we need is to play a game and then another one etc. etc. Be fun to see where the chips fall. Our hopes are not riding on how one or two turn out but on how six or eight or even more turn out. Who could complain if our eventual stars turn out to be Cooley and Sampson.

Your absolutely spot on. Everything is speculation right now, and for some of the players there's not a lot to go on. Fox didn't shoot the three that well at Kentucky, but he did shoot the three well in highschool, so which is the real Fox? I suspect that he's working on his shot as I write this, so who knows how much his shot will improve. Jackson shot the ball fairly well in summer league, and shot it very well at North Carolina. Hield shot the ball well after he got to the Kings. Bogdanovic is one of the best shooters in Europe. George Hill has been a solid 3 pt shooter his whole career and shot 40% from the three his last two years in the league.

And, by the way, Vince Carter is a lifetime 37% shooter from the three. So on paper at least, I don't see a problem with spacing the floor. I see the biggest problem as inexperience. Not making the right switch on defense, or forcing a bad shot at a crucial point in the game. Young players tend to play hero ball more than they should, and that can lose you games.

I don't see the age differences as a problem. We have by design, some older experienced players that won't be around for more than a couple of years, and we have some young players that hopefully will be the future of the team. Hopefully the young players listen to the older players and learn how to play the game the right way. I'm sure Randolph can show them the right way to use a backpack. Sorry Zach, I couldn't resist.

 

[SacTownKid]

It's all speculative obviously, but what the Kings are capable of, or are not capable of will largely depend on Joergers rotations. In the past he's used lineups that made little sense and the struggles followed. In theory the Kings should have plenty of spacing ability if Skal starts working towards the 3 point arc instead of mostly post offense. Skal and Willie on each block while Fox is attempting to drive and dish is a great game plan if they're shooting for that number 1 pick.

Hield and Bogdan are going to be key elements if the team is going to stay competitive from the 3 point line. Jackson has shown he's got easy street 3 point range as well. Hill is a good 3 point shooter. The issue is most of the 3 point shooters on the team crossover into the same positions. Hill being able to play with Fox and Hield and Bodgan fitting together is going to be huge.