Kings over .500/playoff bound?

Entity

Hall of Famer
#31
Just chiming in to say that, barring injury, the Kings are going to make the playoffs.

Our bench, with those two young bigs, is simply dominant. We have three level scoring with Bags down low, Giles all over, and Bogie bombing threes. Both bigs are active, have a motor, and give a damn on defense. Plus both rebound outside of their areas.

Rebounding and impact wise, reminds me of the young Brian Grant & Michael Smith duo--but both Bags and Giles have so much more upside.
in order for us to make the playoffs we have to have a better record than the Lebrakers all the rest are pulling away. maybe the jazz come back down to earth.
 
#32
in order for us to make the playoffs we have to have a better record than the Lebrakers all the rest are pulling away. maybe the jazz come back down to earth.
I'm less worried about what other teams do.

Based entirely on the Kings getting much better and much deeper. This isn't an old team that has topped out. The players are accelerating--JJ is in the corner waving his hands like crazy, because he's open and wants to nail the corner 3. When earlier in the year, he would've pump fake and drove.

Barring injury or Giles/Bags slotting into the starting lineup, the Kings bench will win every rebounding battle till the end of the year.
 

Entity

Hall of Famer
#33
I'm less worried about what other teams do.

Based entirely on the Kings getting much better and much deeper. This isn't an old team that has topped out. The players are accelerating--JJ is in the corner waving his hands like crazy, because he's open and wants to nail the corner 3. When earlier in the year, he would've pump fake and drove.

Barring injury or Giles/Bags slotting into the starting lineup, the Kings bench will win every rebounding battle till the end of the year.
you are correct. I fail to think that now with Giles and Bagley progressing and giving us a collective 35-40 min of hustle, post scoring, rebounding and blocking shots. also Jackson playing solid defense and hitting open shots. We are better now than we were a month ago.
 
#35
in Fact collectively WCS, Belli, Shump

73 min
22 pts 23 fg% 22 3pt%
17 reb
6 ast
3 stl
3 blck

Jackson, Bagley, Giles
56 min
34 pts 57% fg 43% 3pt
18 reb
3 ast
2 blk
Yea. The numbers back it.

Outside of that 2 min burst from the startersin the third period, the bench extended rather than lose the Kings lead.

Jackson, Bags, Giles > WCS, Bjelly, Shump.

But I'm fine with the kids coming off the bench for this year. It's minutes anyways.

But what happens with the kids enter the starting lineup in the future? The key going forward is to continuing to draft and develop players. The Kings have three seconds in 2019, which I really hope they grab someone like Kris Wilkes. Put him into a weight and development program and he'll be a two contract contributor for this team.
 

Entity

Hall of Famer
#36
yeah i mean the starters were going against starters and bench vs bench much of that time. Now that was pretty bad numbers from the starters last night that is the exception not the rule normally and the chemistry is there with fox and buddy and bogdan.
 
#37
Just chiming in to say that, barring injury, the Kings are going to make the playoffs.

Our bench, with those two young bigs, is simply dominant. We have three level scoring with Bags down low, Giles all over, and Bogie bombing threes. Both bigs are active, have a motor, and give a damn on defense. Plus both rebound outside of their areas.

Rebounding and impact wise, reminds me of the young Brian Grant & Michael Smith duo--but both Bags and Giles have so much more upside.
I think we'd need to make some smaller moves if we wanted the playoffs. Picking up a backup PG would be very helpful.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#38
you are correct. I fail to think that now with Giles and Bagley progressing and giving us a collective 35-40 min of hustle, post scoring, rebounding and blocking shots. also Jackson playing solid defense and hitting open shots. We are better now than we were a month ago.
Without question. What I wonder is this: Is it reasonable to believe that this team can improve, say, 7-10% over what it is now by the beginning of March? If they improve faster than the competition just because they are so young it could be the little extra edge they need to get to the playoffs.
 

Entity

Hall of Famer
#39
Without question. What I wonder is this: Is it reasonable to believe that this team can improve, say, 7-10% over what it is now by the beginning of March? If they improve faster than the competition just because they are so young it could be the little extra edge they need to get to the playoffs.
i think it is entirely feasible that this Kings team could finish with 45+ wins
 
#41
we have 38 games left and at current record 18 of those teams are under .500. Lets say we go chalk the whole way and lose ALL 20 games against teams over .500 and win all 18 of the games against teams under .500. That puts us with a losing record the rest of the way and 41-41 for the year.
The 8 seed is definitely in play. I feel like we even have a realistic shot at 7. 5 and 6 seeds are not out of the question. In my opinion. We are only 1.5 games behind the clippers.
 
#42
we have 38 games left and at current record 18 of those teams are under .500. Lets say we go chalk the whole way and lose ALL 20 games against teams over .500 and win all 18 of the games against teams under .500. That puts us with a losing record the rest of the way and 41-41 for the year.
It probably makes more sense to go with their current win percentages: 32% against teams over .500 and 79% against teams under .500.

If they continuing winning at those rates, then they would go 6-14 against teams over .500 and 14-4 against teams under .500, ending up the season at 43-39.
 
#43
It probably makes more sense to go with their current win percentages: 32% against teams over .500 and 79% against teams under .500.

If they continuing winning at those rates, then they would go 6-14 against teams over .500 and 14-4 against teams under .500, ending up the season at 43-39.

This seems reasonable. I’d like to think a contributing Giles and an improved Bagley could net us 2 more wins for a 45-37 final record.

And hey, maybe we will get a guy to take a second half leap like Buddy last year. I think Blob mentioned Goose Egg Jackson as a darkhorse candidate.
 
#44
It probably makes more sense to go with their current win percentages: 32% against teams over .500 and 79% against teams under .500.

If they continuing winning at those rates, then they would go 6-14 against teams over .500 and 14-4 against teams under .500, ending up the season at 43-39.
All we need now is someone to do home-road splits and figure how many are on b2bs or facing teams coming off b2bs and then do this for every other team in the west and we can figure out if we'll make the playoffs or not without having to wait!
 
#45
This seems reasonable. I’d like to think a contributing Giles and an improved Bagley could net us 2 more wins for a 45-37 final record.
I think that would get us in as a 7 or 8. Would be a hell of an improvement on 27 wins. It's pretty amazing that this is realistically on the table. Given how tough our first half was coupled with just a reasonable mount of expected improvement from our young guys this isn't fantasy talk. And yet I'm still going to delight in every single win improvement over last season no matter where we finish.
 
#46
This seems reasonable. I’d like to think a contributing Giles and an improved Bagley could net us 2 more wins for a 45-37 final record.

And hey, maybe we will get a guy to take a second half leap like Buddy last year. I think Blob mentioned Goose Egg Jackson as a darkhorse candidate.
Dont forget, teams will go into full tank mode too.
 
#47
Dont forget, teams will go into full tank mode too.
Only question is when?

With the bottom of the East being so far below the West and all but Phoenix in playoff distance, unless a team takes a nosedive in the next month they might all fight for that 8th seed until they are mathematically out since it will be difficult to finish below 6th.
 
#48
As long as the playoffs are a possibility, the Kings and Joerger ought to keep the focus. .500 is the goal with the Playoffs a subsequent goal.
With this many teams in the mix, and if it continues, tie-breakers are possible, and the Kings unfortunately do not have quite a few of those tiebreakers. Head to head matchups against Western Teams hold a bit more weight.
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#49
in Fact collectively WCS, Belli, Shump

73 min
22 pts 23 fg% 22 3pt%
17 reb
6 ast
3 stl
3 blck

Jackson, Bagley, Giles
56 min
34 pts 57% fg 43% 3pt
18 reb
3 ast
2 blk
so what those stats tell us is that the Kings only have two good starters and need to fill the other three
 
#50
We fought hard for this. Portland likes to play physical an we bullied them often. good run boys.
This is spot on point. Portland was playing VERY physical. Collins especially was being very physical with Bagley, trying to get in his head which is why Bagley ended up in foul trouble in the first half. Collins was getting away with little tricks that he should have been called for but wasnt.

I also want to point out how happy I have been with Jackson. Blob. Jackson has increased his confidence exponentially and I see a path for him to be a poor mans Tayshaun Prince. Not quite a starter but can fill in and be adequate for times. As long as he keeps his energy level up and his passion for fighting for position on both ends he will be fine. Good even. I like Jackson.
 
#51
Only question is when?

With the bottom of the East being so far below the West and all but Phoenix in playoff distance, unless a team takes a nosedive in the next month they might all fight for that 8th seed until they are mathematically out since it will be difficult to finish below 6th.
Dallas' pick to the Hawks is top 5 protected. Bet they start soon trading Smith, Mathews, Barnes.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#53
On one hand it's good to have everyone playing their best every night so that teams ahead of us get no easy wins. On the other hand we want some teams to throw in the towel so we can exercise our trade chips by the deadline.
Heard a guy today talking about Dallas being one of those teams that might throw in the towel by the trade deadline and therefore being "sellers" in the trade market.
 
#59
The Kings have their high lottery picks. Now they must learn to acquire talent from trades and free agency. Having a winning record should make this much easier, even thought Sacto is a smaller market.

Playoffs are a question mark in the West, but it is great to even have the team in the discussion for a change.
 
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