The Kings have started the season 1-2, after one victory over a bad(?) Blazers team and two relatively close hard-fought losses to one of the best teams in the west last season in the Jazz and the Warriors in the midst of an incredible hot streak led by vets milking every single minute of playing time they can get before all the young guys get healthy and Draymond starts having coronaries again. The defense has looked improved though the stats don't necessarily show it (playing Dame + CJ, the Utah Jazz. and reigning player of the week Steph Curry tends to have that effect) while the offense appears to have reverted to the ugly style of play that got the Kings off to a rather unbelievable 0-5 start in Walton's first season with the team two years ago. Harrison Barnes has randomly looked like the world-destroying player we all thought he would be watching blurry youtube videos of his high school games while essentially every other player not named Richaun Holmes has struggled to look like a competent offensive player at times. On defense, Davion Mitchell has lived up to the hype and more while his teammates have mostly shown improved effort on that end. And yet, 1-2 with the Suns waiting in the wings.
Last season, by comparison, the Kings were 2-1 with victories over the Nuggets and Suns and a loss to those very same Suns, largely behind solid defense and a bad bench randomly putting up points to start the year (CoJo had 15 points against the Nuggets for some reason) and the Suns and Nuggets were still trying to figure out things after the bubble. Also, it was the COVID year and things were weird as hell.
So here we are, playing the Suns again in the fourth game of the season. Last year it was a loss. This year?
Awards Time
Tony Delk Memorial Award- Gary Payton II. In what I can only assume was a direct clapback at the multiple posters on this forum who called Davion Mitchell "The Glove 2.0", the actual Glove 2.0 hit two threes (something that rarely happens since he has inherited his dad's shooting form) and played defense like a man named Gary Payton should. Also his nickname is apparently "The Mitten" which is freaking awesome.
Jason Hart-Andres Nocioni- Cory Joseph Award- Terence Davis, who has had a rough go of it ever since torching the Lakers to end the preseason. The most concerning thing about this performance was that he only took 2 shots in twelve minutes, which is as decidedly un-TD-like as possible. Hopefully he breaks out of this funk but, until then, get takes home this trophy.
Thomas Robinson Revenge Game Award - Nemanja Bjelica. New award for guys who make lots of noise about the circumstances of their departure from the Kings only to fall flat on their faces when facing them. After starting the season looking like the third best player on the Warriors at time, Bjeli found himself reverting to the terrible play that got him summarily benched by Luke Walton last season, getting so demolished by Davion Mitchell in weird switches (seriously, why did the Warriors keep letting Bjelica switch onto a 6'2" speedy guard?) that he got benched in the second half. Better luck next try, Bjeli.
Luke Walton Vacuum Cleaner Award- Luke Walton. Welp, it only took three games but bad Luke is bad! Odd rotations that exhaust your main players before the end of the game (you know, the part of the game when someone should be good to go), bizarre new offensive gambit that is largely just a new way to disguise the same dumb strategies that weren't working last season or the one before (Luke runs the offense through his bigs as a tribute to his dad). Luke Dyson Walton is back, baby!
WTF Moment of the Game-
+++Game 4+++
Kings @ Suns
@Footprint Arena
There is something to be said for not being a massive pile of dogturds. Case in point, Robert Sarver, owner of the Phoenix Suns. Sure, your team can go from missing th playoffs to the NBA Finals in on season and dudes can be posting all sorts of flowery things about you after years of proclaiming you the worst owner in the NBA (link) but mere months later the shine can wear off, reporters can do some digging into certain accusations, you can randomly decide not to max your star center, and suddenly you're back to square one: being the worst owner in the NBA.
Yes, we appear to have finally figured out the logical limits of the old adage "Winning cures all" because if it did, Robert Sarver would no longer be the owner of a multibillion dollar sports franchise. Since the rumors of bombshell allegations became public, the Suns have won against the Lakers (which may or may not be impressive at all) and gotten absolutely shellacked by the Blazers. Who knows how they come out against the Kings in their first game at home since the pre-Sarver Bomb bomb dropped.
Matchups
Richaun Holmes vs. Deandre Ayton - Ayton, whom I mentioned not getting offered a contract extension before the deadline hit, had a coming-out party in the playoffs, when he displayed the finishing ability around the rim and defensive versatility that made him a high draft pick. (The shooting touch and shot creation ability that got him selected ahead of Luka are still MIA.) Across from him, Holmes has had an odd start to the season, finding himself in near constant foul trouble while still producing at a pretty high rate. Richaun seems to have really worked hard on his post game this season for some reason, showcasing a new hook that he never really had before and probably shouldn't really show too much of considering how our offense works better without him clogging the paint for our drivers. Ayton is a bigger big, which of course means Richaun will be at a size disadvantage but Richaun is also coming back in to play a team he spent a year with before coming to Sacramento. Advantage: Ayton
Maurice Harkless vs. Jae Crowder - Moe and Jae is a matchup of defensive role-player dudes who are oddly integral to their teams' successes. Crowder plays a huge role for the Suns defensively, able to switch and guard all the forward and wing positions. On offense, he's the definition of a streak shooters, occasionally shooting like Jason Kapono, mostly shooting like Jason Kapono when there's an actual game being played. He'll still take those shots anyways. Case in point, this season Crowder is shooting .133 from three on five attempts per game, a shooting percentage and frequency that would get most players sent to China. Yet he'll remain in the starting lineup for the Suns all year, his defense and general feel for the game more than making up for the many shots he shoots and misses. The Kings, of course, are hoping Moe becomes that guy for them. Advantage: Crowder.
Harrison Barnes vs. Mikal Bridges - It's a matchup of dudes with unsustainably hot shooting splits! Harrison Barnes, by far the Kings' best player in the early part of the year, is currently shooting .556 from three with nine attempts per game, which is more than double the amount of attempts he had last year (4.4) when he shot .391 from beyond the arc, which is good but not the god-tier .556 he's at now. Mikal Bridges is also starting the season hot, shooting .533 from three with five attempts per game. While Bridges shot above 40% from three last year, he's not going to maintain this pace all year. Both are solid defenders, though Bridges is probably more versatile on the wing (not sure who he'll end up taking in our three guard lineups) so this matchup might just come down to who starts cooling down first. Advantage: Barnes
Tyrese Haliburton vs. Devin Booker - Devin Booker is currently shooting .396 from the field to start the year and played a large part in his team getting blown out by thirty points to the Trailblazers. In other words, he's due for a breakout game. Tasked to stop him, at least in the early parts of the game, will be Tyrese Haliburton, who was on pace for a triple-double at halftime of the Warriors game only to fade in the second half due to Luke's odd substitution patterns and he general malaise and lack of aggression that has plagued the start of Tyrese's sophomore season. He's a good player. We know he's a good player. He knows he's a good player. Then why is he passing out of shots like he's the 12th man on a final's team and everyone else around him is an all-star? Advantage: Booker, who I think has a big game.
De'Aaron Fox vs. Chris Paul - A key immolation point on the boards since the Jazz game has been De'Aaron Fox and his role on the team/future with the team going forward and, while his production has been far from good to start this season, it's important to remember that last year started in much the same way and that, hey, it's an 82 game season. On the other side, Chris Paul continues to chug along, subsisting on a diet of vegan meals and acolyte prayers. While asking for De'Aaron to get back on track against the best point guard of the century might be too much to ask, I'm gonna do it. Advantage: Draw.
Kings Bench vs. Suns Bench - The Suns most glaring weakness in their postseason run (especially later once Saric went down with an injury) was their bench and largely remains the same this year. That's not to say that the Suns have a bad bench by any means. Cam Payne is a solid backup point guard while Cam Johnson has been a sharpshooting stretch forward off their bench. This year, the Suns have added Javale McGee to their bench to provide them with a back up big who isn't Frank Kaminsky and Landry Shamet, solid bench depth guy who keeps getting traded every year and, behind them, Elfrid Payton as guard depth. If Buddy and Terence can manage to not suck at the same time, it feels like the Kings bench can take the upper hand and we get to see Davion continue his NBA guard gauntlet against CP3 and Devin Booker. Advantage (tenuously): Kings.
Final Predictions
This is a tough one. Both teams badly (maybe not desperately) need a win. The Suns are embroiled in controversy yet again (fingers crossed the actual article drops before the game and the Suns are left in complete and total disarray) and the Kings are embroiled in Luke Walton trying to coach an unbalanced roster in perfectly balanced zen-sketball, the game of everyone getting the ball at least once during a possession and baskets only counting when there have been at least seven aimless passes around the perimeter of the court. The Kings defense is improved and watching Davion against his other mentor (read that pre-draft Athletic piece about it if you haven't already) should be fun. The Suns are currently the better team though and a victory in their arena might be tough to come by.
Suns 113, Kings 104
Last season, by comparison, the Kings were 2-1 with victories over the Nuggets and Suns and a loss to those very same Suns, largely behind solid defense and a bad bench randomly putting up points to start the year (CoJo had 15 points against the Nuggets for some reason) and the Suns and Nuggets were still trying to figure out things after the bubble. Also, it was the COVID year and things were weird as hell.
So here we are, playing the Suns again in the fourth game of the season. Last year it was a loss. This year?
Awards Time
Tony Delk Memorial Award- Gary Payton II. In what I can only assume was a direct clapback at the multiple posters on this forum who called Davion Mitchell "The Glove 2.0", the actual Glove 2.0 hit two threes (something that rarely happens since he has inherited his dad's shooting form) and played defense like a man named Gary Payton should. Also his nickname is apparently "The Mitten" which is freaking awesome.
Jason Hart-Andres Nocioni- Cory Joseph Award- Terence Davis, who has had a rough go of it ever since torching the Lakers to end the preseason. The most concerning thing about this performance was that he only took 2 shots in twelve minutes, which is as decidedly un-TD-like as possible. Hopefully he breaks out of this funk but, until then, get takes home this trophy.
Thomas Robinson Revenge Game Award - Nemanja Bjelica. New award for guys who make lots of noise about the circumstances of their departure from the Kings only to fall flat on their faces when facing them. After starting the season looking like the third best player on the Warriors at time, Bjeli found himself reverting to the terrible play that got him summarily benched by Luke Walton last season, getting so demolished by Davion Mitchell in weird switches (seriously, why did the Warriors keep letting Bjelica switch onto a 6'2" speedy guard?) that he got benched in the second half. Better luck next try, Bjeli.
Luke Walton Vacuum Cleaner Award- Luke Walton. Welp, it only took three games but bad Luke is bad! Odd rotations that exhaust your main players before the end of the game (you know, the part of the game when someone should be good to go), bizarre new offensive gambit that is largely just a new way to disguise the same dumb strategies that weren't working last season or the one before (Luke runs the offense through his bigs as a tribute to his dad). Luke Dyson Walton is back, baby!
WTF Moment of the Game-
+++Game 4+++
Kings @ Suns
@Footprint Arena
There is something to be said for not being a massive pile of dogturds. Case in point, Robert Sarver, owner of the Phoenix Suns. Sure, your team can go from missing th playoffs to the NBA Finals in on season and dudes can be posting all sorts of flowery things about you after years of proclaiming you the worst owner in the NBA (link) but mere months later the shine can wear off, reporters can do some digging into certain accusations, you can randomly decide not to max your star center, and suddenly you're back to square one: being the worst owner in the NBA.
Yes, we appear to have finally figured out the logical limits of the old adage "Winning cures all" because if it did, Robert Sarver would no longer be the owner of a multibillion dollar sports franchise. Since the rumors of bombshell allegations became public, the Suns have won against the Lakers (which may or may not be impressive at all) and gotten absolutely shellacked by the Blazers. Who knows how they come out against the Kings in their first game at home since the pre-Sarver Bomb bomb dropped.
Matchups
Richaun Holmes vs. Deandre Ayton - Ayton, whom I mentioned not getting offered a contract extension before the deadline hit, had a coming-out party in the playoffs, when he displayed the finishing ability around the rim and defensive versatility that made him a high draft pick. (The shooting touch and shot creation ability that got him selected ahead of Luka are still MIA.) Across from him, Holmes has had an odd start to the season, finding himself in near constant foul trouble while still producing at a pretty high rate. Richaun seems to have really worked hard on his post game this season for some reason, showcasing a new hook that he never really had before and probably shouldn't really show too much of considering how our offense works better without him clogging the paint for our drivers. Ayton is a bigger big, which of course means Richaun will be at a size disadvantage but Richaun is also coming back in to play a team he spent a year with before coming to Sacramento. Advantage: Ayton
Maurice Harkless vs. Jae Crowder - Moe and Jae is a matchup of defensive role-player dudes who are oddly integral to their teams' successes. Crowder plays a huge role for the Suns defensively, able to switch and guard all the forward and wing positions. On offense, he's the definition of a streak shooters, occasionally shooting like Jason Kapono, mostly shooting like Jason Kapono when there's an actual game being played. He'll still take those shots anyways. Case in point, this season Crowder is shooting .133 from three on five attempts per game, a shooting percentage and frequency that would get most players sent to China. Yet he'll remain in the starting lineup for the Suns all year, his defense and general feel for the game more than making up for the many shots he shoots and misses. The Kings, of course, are hoping Moe becomes that guy for them. Advantage: Crowder.
Harrison Barnes vs. Mikal Bridges - It's a matchup of dudes with unsustainably hot shooting splits! Harrison Barnes, by far the Kings' best player in the early part of the year, is currently shooting .556 from three with nine attempts per game, which is more than double the amount of attempts he had last year (4.4) when he shot .391 from beyond the arc, which is good but not the god-tier .556 he's at now. Mikal Bridges is also starting the season hot, shooting .533 from three with five attempts per game. While Bridges shot above 40% from three last year, he's not going to maintain this pace all year. Both are solid defenders, though Bridges is probably more versatile on the wing (not sure who he'll end up taking in our three guard lineups) so this matchup might just come down to who starts cooling down first. Advantage: Barnes
Tyrese Haliburton vs. Devin Booker - Devin Booker is currently shooting .396 from the field to start the year and played a large part in his team getting blown out by thirty points to the Trailblazers. In other words, he's due for a breakout game. Tasked to stop him, at least in the early parts of the game, will be Tyrese Haliburton, who was on pace for a triple-double at halftime of the Warriors game only to fade in the second half due to Luke's odd substitution patterns and he general malaise and lack of aggression that has plagued the start of Tyrese's sophomore season. He's a good player. We know he's a good player. He knows he's a good player. Then why is he passing out of shots like he's the 12th man on a final's team and everyone else around him is an all-star? Advantage: Booker, who I think has a big game.
De'Aaron Fox vs. Chris Paul - A key immolation point on the boards since the Jazz game has been De'Aaron Fox and his role on the team/future with the team going forward and, while his production has been far from good to start this season, it's important to remember that last year started in much the same way and that, hey, it's an 82 game season. On the other side, Chris Paul continues to chug along, subsisting on a diet of vegan meals and acolyte prayers. While asking for De'Aaron to get back on track against the best point guard of the century might be too much to ask, I'm gonna do it. Advantage: Draw.
Kings Bench vs. Suns Bench - The Suns most glaring weakness in their postseason run (especially later once Saric went down with an injury) was their bench and largely remains the same this year. That's not to say that the Suns have a bad bench by any means. Cam Payne is a solid backup point guard while Cam Johnson has been a sharpshooting stretch forward off their bench. This year, the Suns have added Javale McGee to their bench to provide them with a back up big who isn't Frank Kaminsky and Landry Shamet, solid bench depth guy who keeps getting traded every year and, behind them, Elfrid Payton as guard depth. If Buddy and Terence can manage to not suck at the same time, it feels like the Kings bench can take the upper hand and we get to see Davion continue his NBA guard gauntlet against CP3 and Devin Booker. Advantage (tenuously): Kings.
Final Predictions
This is a tough one. Both teams badly (maybe not desperately) need a win. The Suns are embroiled in controversy yet again (fingers crossed the actual article drops before the game and the Suns are left in complete and total disarray) and the Kings are embroiled in Luke Walton trying to coach an unbalanced roster in perfectly balanced zen-sketball, the game of everyone getting the ball at least once during a possession and baskets only counting when there have been at least seven aimless passes around the perimeter of the court. The Kings defense is improved and watching Davion against his other mentor (read that pre-draft Athletic piece about it if you haven't already) should be fun. The Suns are currently the better team though and a victory in their arena might be tough to come by.
Suns 113, Kings 104
