Having watched our Kings improve over the past 6 weeks has really been a relief to my blood pressure and my doctor sincerely thanks the Maloofs for finally acquiring a defensive quarterback. And oddly enough the injuries which decimated our team throughout the year will in the end be a contributing factor to our Kings returning to the playoffs. The injury bug which has plagued us this year allowed our young players much needed experience and importantly confidence.
However, there is still one glaring weakness which the Kings must address. And that is our reliance on taking the first open jump shot available. Any team which relies so much on taking outside shots will inevitably be up and down. I am not saying that we must abandon our offensive principles; however, shot selection is something which must be stressed while the Kings are reviewing game tape.
I would estimate that 25% of our perimeter shots are shots which could be had at any time without running any offense. If you at least go through the progression on offense and find no opportunities, then I have no problem. I do, however, have a problem with our players flying down court and putting up 3's with 20 seconds left on the clock. Aside from being poor shots, they lead to long rebounds and transition offense. And unless the Kings are not congnizant of this fact, they are not the Detroit Pistons. Defense is not our strong point, especially transition D.
IMO we need to give Reef and Artest more set plays in the post. This will at the very least spread the floor so that our perimeter shots will not always be contested. Both players are very gifted and efficient in the post and will put much needed pressure on opposing defenses.
I am not proposing we abandon the Princeton; however, we must add some post variations to the perimeter oriented offense. It just makes no sense to turn a 20ppg post scorer such as Rahim and turn him into a jump shooter whose primary purpose on offense is to set picks for Bibby and Martin. We need a balanced offense. Post play is the equivalent of the running game in football. In order to be great any team must pound the ball. And while the run and gun may be prettier, in the end it rarely wins championships.
However, there is still one glaring weakness which the Kings must address. And that is our reliance on taking the first open jump shot available. Any team which relies so much on taking outside shots will inevitably be up and down. I am not saying that we must abandon our offensive principles; however, shot selection is something which must be stressed while the Kings are reviewing game tape.
I would estimate that 25% of our perimeter shots are shots which could be had at any time without running any offense. If you at least go through the progression on offense and find no opportunities, then I have no problem. I do, however, have a problem with our players flying down court and putting up 3's with 20 seconds left on the clock. Aside from being poor shots, they lead to long rebounds and transition offense. And unless the Kings are not congnizant of this fact, they are not the Detroit Pistons. Defense is not our strong point, especially transition D.
IMO we need to give Reef and Artest more set plays in the post. This will at the very least spread the floor so that our perimeter shots will not always be contested. Both players are very gifted and efficient in the post and will put much needed pressure on opposing defenses.
I am not proposing we abandon the Princeton; however, we must add some post variations to the perimeter oriented offense. It just makes no sense to turn a 20ppg post scorer such as Rahim and turn him into a jump shooter whose primary purpose on offense is to set picks for Bibby and Martin. We need a balanced offense. Post play is the equivalent of the running game in football. In order to be great any team must pound the ball. And while the run and gun may be prettier, in the end it rarely wins championships.
Last edited by a moderator:
