[Game] (preseason) Kings @ Lakers in Anaheim, 10/11/2023 7 pm Pacific, 10 pm Eastern

[NewArena]

Keep in mind

https://twitter.com/x/status/1712565530882965944

 

[SacTownKid]

Pathetic defense. If Brown is trying to incorporate defensive principles into this team it looked like they all said, "Whatever, teach, we're taking the night off." Heurter looked particularly inept, but he had lots of company. To me, the most inept defensive lineup on this team would have Heurter AND Sasha in the lineup at the same time. I don't ever want to see that.

I hate to say this, but the the Lakers bench looked great. I particular hate to say it because so many of their bench players were gotten for chump change. There's been a lot of talk about how great the Kings' bench is going to be, but the Lakers bench looks superior to me. Granted, the Lakers bench needs to be superior because of LBJ's age and Davis's propensity for injury, but if those aforementioned All Stars can be healthy for 70% of the season, the Lakers could be pretty good this season.

I thought the worst one in this game and the one that got creamed was Sasha, Lyles, and McGee. Just straight shotted right to the hoop. Going that big might work against certain opponents but coming out and showing on screens or quick shooting on the other end against quicker teams and having them run back is a bad, bad idea. The reality is this is a team that has to and should be able to get to somewhere between 15-20 in the defensive standings. Beyond that? Eh, I mean, this is still a small team at G-F and oversized on the wing without a ton of athletic ability. With the kind of teams that are in the West right now being 26-28 on defense this season even if the offense doesn't fall off might not net any more wins than last season.

The Lakers, Clippers, and Suns are the teams to watch. I just don't know how many options Brown has against teams like that to match up defensively. It might come down to Monk and the small G units going nuclear this year. While I still don't get Brown's fascination with going big and not pounding teams and instead continuing to run the same offense, he has shown his willingness to do what it takes when the time comes unlike a lot of stubborn coaches.

 

[SacTownKid]

I expect the lineup to change when regular season start. I expect Sobonis rotation just like last year where Fox sit while Sabonis continue to play through the 1st quarter. In this pre-season game, they both came out and when that happened, the game is lost...I don't think Monk and McGee will do much damage. I expect McGee only come in after Sabonis take a breather and when Fox come in....so it's going to be Fox, Monk McGee....and probably Sasha and Trey Lyle....or maybe Duerte and Trey Lyle. I like Duerte's defense...so I expect Brown to play him often. It maybe Fox Monk Mitchell, Duerte and Murrey or Lyle or Barnes...in the small lineup. The main thing is how do you put a lineup that can score points without Sabonis in there...or even without Sabonis and Fox. Mitchell still doesn't impress me...same style...same attacking hesitation, same missing shots.

Yeah, it's probably going to have to be that way unless Keegan really steps up. Barnes has looked like the Barnes you want to fill that role, but will he just stop feasting like always? The Fox Domas staggering thing this season will either continue to work or be impossible with the depth of the conference this season. Very early on all the intel will be in.

 

[SacTownKid]

I will do the same. Between summer league and preseason, the amount of focus on meaningless NBA games are at an all time high. It’s easy to overreact one way or the other when the reality is we really don’t know until they get into a normal rotation and intensity staring game 1. Of course I’d rather have them winning these and looking great than not, but outside of getting a peak at Sasha and seeing if Keegan really does look like he has taken a year two leap, these games aren’t fun.

The concern isn't these games for sure, it's that in reality the league is flat out different post trade deadline last season. That parity? Just might be gone if the superteams stay healthy. That means you have to be better, not the same, not worse. Right now Brown is pretty loose with his rotations, yeah, once he starts booting guys is when things will hit the ground if they do. Then once Brown does that it's up to Monte to look to refine some of his roster. Monte knows all of this, if he didn't he wouldn't have put his hat in the ring for Beal, which I wonder if that's got Huerter a little miffed. He seems as off as he did in the playoffs so far.

 

[SacTownKid]

Keep in mind

https://twitter.com/x/status/1712565530882965944

Yes but keep in mind also, that's a very thin line true contenders don't usually walk. Too deep, too big, too tough in the West, burning up Fox early can't be a thing. Not unless the Kings become not just competent but good on defense.

 

[Chupacabra]

Jaxson Hayes joining a long line of annoying looking lakers

Yes indeed. It's always either an annoying appearance, name, or both.

 

[Caccia]

Len was only in for eight minutes, but I was impressed with his mobility on defense. He also had two rebounds, a block, and two assists. Perhaps Coach Brown has the wrong man penciled in on the second unit?

 

[Vinny Basketballerino]

I would like to congratulate the Kings for becoming a team that isn't trying to win preseason games in order to sell tickets and generate excitement among the fans. Instead we are using the preseason for what's it's meant for: getting a look at players, getting the starters into shape, and tinkering with different lineups and combinations.

Typical Spurs preseason from the mid to late 2000s.

 

[Kingster]

I thought the worst one in this game and the one that got creamed was Sasha, Lyles, and McGee. Just straight shotted right to the hoop. Going that big might work against certain opponents but coming out and showing on screens or quick shooting on the other end against quicker teams and having them run back is a bad, bad idea. The reality is this is a team that has to and should be able to get to somewhere between 15-20 in the defensive standings. Beyond that? Eh, I mean, this is still a small team at G-F and oversized on the wing without a ton of athletic ability. With the kind of teams that are in the West right now being 26-28 on defense this season even if the offense doesn't fall off might not net any more wins than last season.

The Lakers, Clippers, and Suns are the teams to watch. I just don't know how many options Brown has against teams like that to match up defensively. It might come down to Monk and the small G units going nuclear this year. While I still don't get Brown's fascination with going big and not pounding teams and instead continuing to run the same offense, he has shown his willingness to do what it takes when the time comes unlike a lot of stubborn coaches.

Yeah, I'm not going to be expecting a top-10 defensive performance from this team. I'm waiting for Sasha to get several games under his belt to see if he is going to be ok on the defensive end. Maybe he can play with Off Night and some other defensive guys and his defensive deficiencies will be masked somewhat. The guy I still like off the bench to provide physical defense and offense is Lyles. I thought Lyles did everything that was asked of him and more last year and I hope he gets plenty of minutes this coming season.

The only way I see the Kings making big strides from last year's record is for Murray to start playing like an All Star. The West is just too tough this year.

 

[SacTownKid]

I would like to congratulate the Kings for becoming a team that isn't trying to win preseason games in order to sell tickets and generate excitement among the fans. Instead we are using the preseason for what's it's meant for: getting a look at players, getting the starters into shape, and tinkering with different lineups and combinations.

Typical Spurs preseason from the mid to late 2000s.

Yeah, now it's time for Brown to pick his poison though. There are some serious differences between that Spurs team and this one. Most if not all of them fit on fingers.

 

[Jones2006]

Len was only in for eight minutes, but I was impressed with his mobility on defense. He also had two rebounds, a block, and two assists. Perhaps Coach Brown has the wrong man penciled in on the second unit?

My hope is McGee is just running with bench in preseason to get him reps - Len has already played with that group so technically he doesn’t really need the reps. Some people here get on me for supporting Len, but I would find it amusing if Len is relegated to a benchwarmer role like last season … I mean would the Kings really make the same mistake back 2 back seasons? I mean I’ve never heard of a guy clearly excelling in a backup role to finish a season, is only 30 years old, and then the next season when he’s clearly in shape & ready to go be replaced by a career backup guy who’s 35 year old and who barely played the previous season for a WORSE team and who was waived.

That was a mouthful of a sentence above but it’s so odd in my opinion.

 

[Vinny Basketballerino]

Yeah, now it's time for Brown to pick his poison though. There are some serious differences between that Spurs team and this one. Most if not all of them fit on fingers.

The comparison to the Spurs was meant to be strictly limited to not attempting to win preseason games to sell tickets and excite fans but using it more strategically. We're gonna have a great season.

 

[joemama]

Len was only in for eight minutes, but I was impressed with his mobility on defense. He also had two rebounds, a block, and two assists. Perhaps Coach Brown has the wrong man penciled in on the second unit?

Why?
Then would wouldn't have the league leader in turnovers.

 

[SacTownKid]

The comparison to the Spurs was meant to be strictly limited to not attempting to win preseason games to sell tickets and excite fans but using it more strategically. We're gonna have a great season.

True, but now strategy needs to start being more about prepping for the season. Things look a little wonky and now Brown should have some type of urgency in terms of getting into a flow.

 

[Vinny Basketballerino]

True, but now strategy needs to start being more about prepping for the season. Things look a little wonky and now Brown should have some type of urgency in terms of getting into a flow.

I suspect the final pre-season game to be the one we play to win. At some point you gotta let the dogs out.

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

My hope is McGee is just running with bench in preseason to get him reps - Len has already played with that group so technically he doesn’t really need the reps. Some people here get on me for supporting Len, but I would find it amusing if Len is relegated to a benchwarmer role like last season … I mean would the Kings really make the same mistake back 2 back seasons? I mean I’ve never heard of a guy clearly excelling in a backup role to finish a season, is only 30 years old, and then the next season when he’s clearly in shape & ready to go be replaced by a career backup guy who’s 35 year old and who barely played the previous season for a WORSE team and who was waived.

That was a mouthful of a sentence above but it’s so odd in my opinion.

I think that Len's role will be as a substitute starter. If Domas needs to take a game off, Len will slide into the starter role, and McGee can keep running with the bench unit he's familiar with. Len was doing a lot of high post handoffs and screens in the preseason games I saw, sort of a Domas'esque playstyle .

 

[Caccia]

Len was only in for eight minutes, but I was impressed with his mobility on defense. He also had two rebounds, a block, and two assists. Perhaps Coach Brown has the wrong man penciled in on the second unit?

Alex Len led the team in Defensive Rating last year. He played in 26 games. No one else was even close. He also led the team in the playoffs, among those that appeared in all seven games. That's why I and many other fans wondered just what he might have to offer? We did not find out until the final weeks of the regular season and the playoffs.

Coach Brown, keen and hard-working as he is, seems to have a few blind spots on occasion. Would it really have been so hard to slip Malik Monk into the starting lineup a few times, to see how he, Fox, and Sabonis worked together? It's early, but I fear things have not changed a whit.

 

[Jones2006]

I think that Len's role will be as a substitute starter. If Domas needs to take a game off, Len will slide into the starter role, and McGee can keep running with the bench unit he's familiar with. Len was doing a lot of high post handoffs and screens in the preseason games I saw, sort of a Domas'esque playstyle .

Possibly. Also, it could be just giving McGee the "1st shot" cause we know what Len provides. Meaning theoretically if both McGee and Len are getting "a shot" no matter what - in some world, if the Kings expect Len to be "that guy" as the backup, you'd almost start w/ McGee first & then go w/ Len ... Instead of going with Len, then randomly giving McGee his "shot", then going back with Len.

It all sounds confusing yes - I'm just running through scenarios in my head. Because I feel like it's Deja-Vu from last season. Kings need physicality, defense, from backup center, where could they possibly get it? Oh Idk maybe the 1 non-guard that provided those things last season on a consistent basis. McGee provides those things to an extent, but Len is more physical, and more sound defensively in my opinion. If McGee was 30 yrs old, they'd be more comparable - but Len's weaknesses (slow footed on perimeter, lack of shot creation) McGee is not any superior at this stage. One can argue Noel would have been a better complement to Len honestly - McGee is too similar to Len, but just worse whereas Noel at least has skills Len doesn't.