[Game] Kings vs. Warriors, 11/13/2022 6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern

[Livinthedream]

Metu is being played to his strengths. Last few years, the coach has been asking Kings players to play outside their skillset.

Metu and the other big man who will not be named were being used as floor spacers for Holmes. Make it make sense...

 

[Kingster]

Has anyone mentioned Brown putting Murray on point guards on defense? In the off-season we were all debating - Is he a 4? Is he a 3? Well, yes, he's played on defense against 3s and 4s, but he's also played against 1s. Did anyone mention this wonder-filled event during the off-season? If so, who was that crazy person? Brown mentioned that he would play against all the positions, but I didn't take that "coach talk" seriously. Sure enough, Murray is out there playing against Garland and Curry, and it wasn't just a switch; it appeared to be intentional, by design. I find this amazing on a lot of different levels. First, Brown had the guts to do it. Second, Murray actually did ok doing it, not that he's a Mitchell or a Fox doing it, but he held his own. When asked about this in an interview Murray is his typical Murray self: Well, I wanted to go against the best and that's what I'm doing. Ho hum. He's a 6'8" rookie trying to defend against probably the best shooting guard that was ever created. Yeah, that's what I do and who I am. Another day at the office for Murray.

 

[funkykingston]

Has anyone mentioned Brown putting Murray on point guards on defense? In the off-season we were all debating - Is he a 4? Is he a 3? Well, yes, he's played on defense against 3s and 4s, but he's also played against 1s. Did anyone mention this wonder-filled event during the off-season? If so, who was that crazy person? Brown mentioned that he would play against all the positions, but I didn't take that "coach talk" seriously. Sure enough, Murray is out there playing against Garland and Curry, and it wasn't just a switch; it appeared to be intentional, by design. I find this amazing on a lot of different levels. First, Brown had the guts to do it. Second, Murray actually did ok doing it, not that he's a Mitchell or a Fox doing it, but he held his own. When asked about this in an interview Murray is his typical Murray self: Well, I wanted to go against the best and that's what I'm doing. Ho hum. He's a 6'8" rookie trying to defend against probably the best shooting guard that was ever created. Yeah, that's what I do and who I am. Another day at the office for Murray.

We saw it a little bit in Summer League but what's maybe the most amazing thing with Keegan is that even as the talent level he faces jumps up considerably (from college to SL, from SL to the NBA) he seems to operate at the same high level.

His two biggest advantages on the defensive end are (1) he has a high BBIQ and awareness of where he should be and when to rotate and (2) for his size he flips his hips remarkably well to stay with smaller, quicker offensive players.

And I'm sure it is by design. We saw it when Okpala was starting and Brown essentially putting him on the other team's best player regardless of position (and of course the Kings didn't face Embiid or Jokic during that stretch) to try and get them out of an early rhythm. Brown seems to like the idea of bothering guards with length vs just trying to match their quickness.

 

[iowamcnabb]

Metu is being played to his strengths. Last few years, the coach has been asking Kings players to play outside their skillset.

Metu and the other big man who will not be named were being used as floor spacers for Holmes. Make it make sense...

and Kudos to Metu for accepting that role. He has pretty much been a chucker who would occasionally show flashes. He has been much better at playing within the flow so far this season.

 

[iowamcnabb]

Keegan is already good off the ball and has shown he has the ability to be a good on ball defender in time. He has made a bunch of rookie mistakes but they are correctable. I fully expect him to be a a plus defender when he gets more experience

 

[sactowndog]

After tonight Huerter is shooting 51.1% from 3 on 7.3 attempts per game. Absolutely unreal

yeah not sustainable. Some other guys need to up there game as Huerter comes to a more normal %

 

[Woot!]

yeah not sustainable. Some other guys need to up there game as Huerter comes to a more normal %

Huerter at 51% not sustainable, but Kings at 37.1% from 3 overall (7th) should be sustainable. Even with Huerter's over-the-top shooting (and fox doing better than expected from distance0, the fact that they're shooting 37.1% w/HB shooting 23% is pretty incredible.

 

[The_Jamal]

yeah not sustainable. Some other guys need to up there game as Huerter comes to a more normal %

Good news is the Kings also have a huge positive regression candidate (Barnes, 23%, 3.3 Att) on the other side of the coin. So if/when Huerter 3pt% starts to stabilize closer to career norms, hopefully Barnes also comes back up to normal to make up the difference.

 

[NewArena]

I wouldn't know how to feel if it was Fox torching it up in Indy and we got to keep the Sabonis/Hali combo.

Yea i honestly like this fit better. I love how unselfish Sabonis and Hali are, but, at times one or both of them aren’t as aggressive as I’d like. Tyrese was especially passive at times and that would equate to more losses IMO. Fox is the kind of guard in the clutch that you dream about, not just relying on 3’s.

 

[hrdboild]

I wouldn't know how to feel if it was Fox torching it up in Indy and we got to keep the Sabonis/Hali combo.

I think we'd be in good shape either way. A Hali/Domas combo or the Fox/Domas combo we have now are likely both better than the Fox/Hali combo. I'm sure Mike Brown would have done a better job of balancing the lineups if we still had our backcourt duo from last season but bringing in Huerter and Monk and opening up more minutes for Davion means we still have excellent guard depth and now we have an All-Star big guy from them to play off of.

On a similar note, I'm sure we would still be playing well right now if Monte had drafted Jaden Ivey or Bennedict Mathurin instead but the roster fit with Keegan and his high ceiling (yeah, I said it) because of his off the charts basketball IQ and efficient shot-making ability probably gives us more room to grow than drafting another guard would have. Fox and Domas are playing like All-Stars, the supporting cast is answering the call, and Keegan looks like a rookie but a rookie who will be in the running for rookie of the year if he continues to play such a big role on both ends of the floor and we make the playoffs.

For the first time in forever I think we can stop looking around the league wondering "what if" and just enjoy watching the team we do have.

 

[The_Jamal]

I think we'd be in good shape either way. A Hali/Domas combo or the Fox/Domas combo we have now are likely both better than the Fox/Hali combo. I'm sure Mike Brown would have done a better job of balancing the lineups if we still had our backcourt duo from last season but bringing in Huerter and Monk and opening up more minutes for Davion means we still have excellent guard depth and now we have an All-Star big guy from them to play off of.

On a similar note, I'm sure we would still be playing well right now if Monte had drafted Jaden Ivey or Bennedict Mathurin instead but the roster fit with Keegan and his high ceiling (yeah, I said it) because of his off the charts basketball IQ and efficient shot-making ability probably gives us more room to grow than drafting another guard would have. Fox and Domas are playing like All-Stars, the supporting cast is answering the call, and Keegan looks like a rookie but a rookie who will be in the running for rookie of the year if he continues to play such a big role on both ends of the floor and we make the playoffs.

For the first time in forever I think we can stop looking around the league wondering "what if" and just enjoy watching the team we do have.

Should be noted, Keegan navigating how to fit into a very high USG established core is a real skill in itself. Paolo looks awesome, but he also got the keys to the franchise from game 1. Fox/Sabonis get All-star level USG while Monk/Huerter/Barnes all hover around 18-22% themselves.

I think it'll allow him to develop on a more natural curve as well as he gets more and more comfortable going to his scoring moves. We see a creation flash just about every game that really gets you excited about his long-term future once you pair it with the shooting. Add on the fact Brown apparently trusts him to defend the best scoring guards in the NBA... sky's the limit. I don't understand it, but Brown knows 100000000000x more about NBA defense than I do.

 

[See_Hanks]

He's in the conversation, that's for sure. Definitely the best shooter of all time. I don't think it's close in that regard.

Steve Kerr? I remember the Bulls of the 90s and Kerr making almost every shot he took. He's not on the same level of a basketball player, but he was one of the most automatic shooters I remember. They didn't take as many shots back then from 3pt as they do today, but that guy was above 50% in the best of the Bulls years.

 

[Woot!]

I've thought since the beginning that pairing Sabonis and Haliburton was McNair's plan A but the Pacers balked at trading Domas and filler for Fox.

But it doesn't really matter now. I'm happy with this team and I'm sure Indy is happy with Hali.

100%.

And, to be clear, my reference to how Tyrese and Sabonis would have loved playing together was in no way a veiled comment on Tyrese vs. Fox. That ship has sailed. Nor will TH's performance from here on out have much to do w/my assessment of the trade.

It's ALL about what the Kings under the leadership of Sabonis and fox are able to do THIS year and from here on out. Happily, Fox and Sabonis clearly enjoy playing together. Let's hope we get to see that pairing for years to come.

 

[Woot!]

Steve Kerr? I remember the Bulls of the 90s and Kerr making almost every shot he took. He's not on the same level of a basketball player, but he was one of the most automatic shooters I remember. They didn't take as many shots back then from 3pt as they do today, but that guy was above 50% in the best of the Bulls years.

Kerr was a fantastic shooter - 45% from 3 FOR HIS CAREER. That's nuts under any circumstances. And, to your point about volume, he peaked at 2.9 3PA/game. Kerr attempted 1,599 3's in 838 games in his career. Curry took 1,551 3's 127 games in his previous two seasons. And, of course, he has shot 42.8% from 3 in the face of waaaaaaay more defensive pressure, every night, than Kerr ever had to deal with.

 

[KainLear]

Kerr was a fantastic shooter - 45% from 3 FOR HIS CAREER. That's nuts under any circumstances. And, to your point about volume, he peaked at 2.9 3PA/game. Kerr attempted 1,599 3's in 838 games in his career. Curry took 1,551 3's 127 games in his previous two seasons. And, of course, he has shot 42.8% from 3 in the face of waaaaaaay more defensive pressure, every night, than Kerr ever had to deal with.

If we have Kerr in the conversation of the best shooter of all time, we'd have to throw Mark Price in there. 40% 3pt career who was the focal point of his team's offense and shot 3.4 3PA/game.

Not sure maybe the admin can split this into its own thread if we wanna prolong this... haha

 

[Tetsujin]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1592321984180154368

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Kings coach try anything defensively beyond straight man to man or a basic 2-3 zone before.

 

[SacTownKid]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1592321984180154368

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Kings coach try anything defensively beyond straight man to man or a basic 2-3 zone before.

Didn't Walton run some box and 1? well, some horrid variation lol. It wasn't the Kings box and 1 that got Steph anyway, it was the blitz and running him off the screen into the hedge man. Curry doesn't like when players send him to his side, he wants spacing on his step back 3's. However, finally a coaching staff that appears to actually WATCH the "tape" this time, hahaha. A+ on their homework for sure.

 

[PorchSurfin]

Didn't Walton run some box and 1? well, some horrid variation lol. It wasn't the Kings box and 1 that got Steph anyway, it was the blitz and running him off the screen into the hedge man. Curry doesn't like when players send him to his side, he wants spacing on his step back 3's. However, finally a coaching staff that appears to actually WATCH the "tape" this time, hahaha. A+ on their homework for sure.

They were running a double at him when he had the ball, but one man always shadowed him - Walton didn't run a double to force a player to give up the ball.

It was a masterclass by Brown in making the WARRIORS beat the Kings, not letting STEPH beat the Kings. Brown forced the ball out of Stephs hands and kept him uncomfortable, making him have to work and expend energy to get anywhere with the ball. A+ coaching by Brown.

 

[PorchSurfin]

Has anyone mentioned Brown putting Murray on point guards on defense? In the off-season we were all debating - Is he a 4? Is he a 3? Well, yes, he's played on defense against 3s and 4s, but he's also played against 1s. Did anyone mention this wonder-filled event during the off-season? If so, who was that crazy person? Brown mentioned that he would play against all the positions, but I didn't take that "coach talk" seriously. Sure enough, Murray is out there playing against Garland and Curry, and it wasn't just a switch; it appeared to be intentional, by design. I find this amazing on a lot of different levels. First, Brown had the guts to do it. Second, Murray actually did ok doing it, not that he's a Mitchell or a Fox doing it, but he held his own. When asked about this in an interview Murray is his typical Murray self: Well, I wanted to go against the best and that's what I'm doing. Ho hum. He's a 6'8" rookie trying to defend against probably the best shooting guard that was ever created. Yeah, that's what I do and who I am. Another day at the office for Murray.

I feel this post for sure. Brown has been using Murray's length and shiftyness to help guard the perimeter on shooting smalls. The only problem (and a very correctable one) has been when Murray allows someone to get a head of steam coming at him and they are able to blow by him and finish before the help can arrive.

I would venture to guess with Keegs smarts he will eventually be able to not only close out better and force the drive to the side he wants but also be able to slide over in anticipation and draw a charge.

Loving Browns coaching as you can see improvement game over game.