[Game] (preseason) Kings @ Raptors in Vancouver, 10/8/2023 5pm Pacific 8pm Eastern

[Tetsujin]

The summer league Kings making things ugly on both sides of the floor

 

[Tetsujin]

Sasha just so good moving off the ball. Dude needs to see minutes with Sabonis

 

[Bfreeman]

It looks like Sasha just doesn’t know the sets yet, explains why coach kept him out.

 

[iowamcnabb]

It’s chess vs checkers with Sasha and the third unit

 

[iowamcnabb]

Dude this is awesome

 

[SacTownKid]

I don't know what Brown intends on doing but if this ends up being a battle between Lyles and Sasha, Trey might watch more basketball than he plays this season.

 

[iowamcnabb]

Brown didn’t pull any punches when talking about Slaw a couple days ago but he looks great tonight

 

[iowamcnabb]

And then he gets posterized haha

 

[Bfreeman]

Slawson could be a very handy enforcer.

 

[Sluggah]

Gradey Dick, uber goober.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I don't know what Brown intends on doing but if this ends up being a battle between Lyles and Sasha, Trey might watch more basketball than he plays this season.

Hopefully he's seeing what works. We have nothing to prove in preseason like maybe we did last year. We had a nice pre-season then stumbled out of the gate. I hope we stumble in preseason and then don't treat the start of the season like its 4 preseason games this year. Could cost us a playoff spot that matters.

 

[Turgenev]

Brown didn’t pull any punches when talking about Slaw a couple days ago but he looks great tonight

What did he say? Slaw was promising when it was coleslaw but I moved on after about a minute into summer league

 

[NiNetNiNe]

Team looked a little tired, probably because of the five days of pretty hard practices they had. I'm not worried, but I do wish we saw more of Sasha.

 

[SacTownKid]

Hopefully he's seeing what works. We have nothing to prove in preseason like maybe we did last year. We had a nice pre-season then stumbled out of the gate. I hope we stumble in preseason and then don't treat the start of the season like its 4 preseason games this year. Could cost us a playoff spot that matters.

It's just interesting so far with Lyles getting no time at C. I thought we saw enough to know last season that did work. If he doesn't play C then this certainly becomes a battle for time between Barnes, Keegan, Sasha, and Lyles. Someone is getting crunched. I kind of hope Brown tries out a Raptors sized lineup of Fox/Barnes/Keegan/Sasha/Domas at some point.

 

[Turgenev]

I didn't watch the game but from the thread I figure the key takeaways are: Keegan scoring 2s, Jones and Sasha showing something, Duarte doing nothing, bench unit a bit of a sieve?

 

[Capt. Factorial]

What did he say? Slaw was promising when it was coleslaw but I moved on after about a minute into summer league

One of the beat reporters was trying to put Slawson into the rotation and Brown basically said that Slawson was going to be in the G-League this year and hopefully he would be able to work hard and turn himself into an NBA player someday.

 

[Turgenev]

One of the beat reporters was trying to put Slawson into the rotation and Brown basically said that Slawson was going to be in the G-League this year and hopefully he would be able to work hard and turn himself into an NBA player someday.

That sounds fair.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

It's just interesting so far with Lyles getting no time at C. I thought we saw enough to know last season that did work. If he doesn't play C then this certainly becomes a battle for time between Barnes, Keegan, Sasha, and Lyles. Someone is getting crunched. I kind of hope Brown tries out a Raptors sized lineup of Fox/Barnes/Keegan/Sasha/Domas at some point.

But I think he knows what Lyles can do at C, so he might be evaluating how/where Len and McGee fit in?

My biggest sad was that it took so long to get Sasha in. I want to see how he slides in with the first and second teams.

 

[iowamcnabb]

What did he say? Slaw was promising when it was coleslaw but I moved on after about a minute into summer league

one of the media members told Brown that Slawson looked like a promising two way player (meaning offense and defense) and Brown said yeh he is a two way player, as in heading to the Gleague, haha. He said if he works hard he may put himself in a position to have an opportunity down the road. He sort of implied he is two years away from being two years away.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

That sounds fair.

Yeah, I think it was fair. I suspect that Brown was a bit more blunt than normal because the enthusiasm of the question didn't really fit with the team's expectations for Slawson this year.

 

[TaxMan]

was sorta watching the game. First unit looked great at the start. Loving Keegan's aggressiveness. I think we seem him take a leap up near 18 ppg. Love the Sasha minutes, but wish he would have gotten a run with the second unit. I was originally thinking brown was just sitting him today. I wonder if keegan or HB takes the next game off and Sasha gets a run with the first team. Was hard to really get a feel for his defense in a game like this, but man seems like he's such a natural fit for what we run.

oh.. and super happy with JaVale. He is going to be a perfect 15 minute a game guy to back up Domas.

 

[HndsmCelt]

My favorite takeaway of the game we're seeing that Sasha seems to be as advertised when it comes to scoring.

 

[iowamcnabb]

what I loved
1) Keegan looks ready for that #3 or maybe even #2 scoring role. This is huge
2) Sasha- the shot, the cuts, the toughness

what I liked
1) Jones looks like a contributor
2) Slawson’s grit. Sure he won’t play this year but looking forward to see how he does in the G
3) Jordan Ford. Probably won’t make the team but he doesn’t make many mistakes and deserves a shot

what I didn’t like
1) don’t like the decision to let Lyles and Sasha battle it out for minutes at the 4. Sure it’s preseason and maybe this won’t be the case when the actual season starts but it would be a waste to not maximize their abilities imo. JM is better than Len but not so much so that his minutes reduce playing time for 2 better players in Lyles and Sasha. Or , and I promise this is the last time I bring it up, Sasha starts and you let Barnes take all the back up 3 minutes and some 4. That’s my favorite idea but probably isn’t on the table

Duarte didn’t play well but I’ll give him a pass.

 

[sono]

 

[PorchSurfin]

Jones can run pnr so he's going to stand out, but Kessler and Keon are playing pretty darn good defense here.

Yeah but their offense leaves a LOT to be desired

 

[joemama]

As a team many of the players looked intimidated by Toronto's defense, specifically getting into the paint.

Good
K33gs looks like he improved his ballhandling and seems more comfortable moving with the ball.
Colby continues to shine, has good instincts, reads plays well, makes solid passes and has some offense.
Barnes prob had the best game. Played within himself, used patience and IQ, got where he wanted and made good, solid plays.
Sasha is too talented to play with 3rd string. When he is open (for a shot) it's pretty much a guarantee. His quick release on free throws is just strange to watch, but it goes in. He has tools, IQ, boxes out, just does all the little things right.
Domas made a mid-range shot.

Need to see more
Javale had some nice effort plays, but I cringe when he has the ball on the arch or when he dribbles outside the paint.


Bad
As a team we just jacked up shots. Many times we allowed Toronto to dictate who they wanted taking shots. I can't remember how many times Davion ended up with an open shot because that is who they wanted taking the shot.
Fox's shot looked about as flat as could be, he didn't use his speed, didn't touch the paint and didn't even make a FG.

Horrible
Duarte. Just looked lost, missed shots, BAD passes, didn't see anything.
Kessler looked like he was playing too fast. He may be trying to prove he can play fast, but shot is still not there, bad reads, and like Duarte was a liability offensively.

 

[dude12]

If we shoot 9 for 89 from 3, we are not very good.
Duarte was rough. Colby Jones looks promising.
Sasha is going to be a difference maker.
We sure looked tired out there.

 

[Section 101]

If we shoot 9 for 89 from 3, we are not very good.
Duarte was rough. Colby Jones looks promising.
Sasha is going to be a difference maker.
We sure looked tired out there.

It's the first week of camp and on the road. Of course they will be tired.

 

[funkykingston]

I'm not going to get too worried about this game. Even with Fox having a subpar outing, the starters played Toronto's starters to a draw. The Raptor's underachieved last season and still have a fair amount of talent. Clearly the bench needs to get better.

Mitchell's shot looks better and Sasha scored 12 points in 11 minutes doing exactly what we wanted to see - smart cutting and relocating to three. Colby Jones looked like he belongs and is on track to beat out Keon Ellis for that last roster spot with the big club. Though if Duarte can't show more maybe Ellis should be taking his spot. . .

Duarte and Kessler looked pretty bad, and McGee (to me) looks like a good option off the bench that will get too much early PT based on his past experience with Mike Brown.

A 2nd unit of Mitchell, Monk, Duarte or Kessler, Vezenkov, and Lyles is much more balanced on offense and defense and I hope we see it.

 

[twslam07]

Wondering if the rotation ends up being something like…

Fox (28) / Mitchell (20)
Huerter (20) / Monk (24) / Fox (4)
Murray (32) / Huerter (10) / Sasha (6)
Barnes (30) / Lyles (12) / Sasha (12)
Sabonis (32) / McGee (10) / Lyles (6)

Fox = 32
Sabonis = 32
Murray = 32
Huerter = 30
Barnes = 30
Monk = 24
Mitchell = 20
Sasha = 18
Lyles = 18
McGee = 10