[Game] Preseason Kings vs. Blazers 10/9/2022 6pm Pacific 9pm Eastern

[sactowndog]

1.8 - 4.7 - 39.4% (Barnes)
0.6 - 2.2 - 27.2% (Sabonis)
1.3 - 4.2 - 29.7% (Fox)
2.2 - 5.6 - 38.9% (Huerter)
1.9 - 4.7 - 39.8% (Murray college)
0.4 - 1.2 - 34.6% (KZ)
2.3 - 5.8 - 39.1% (Monk)
1.3 - 4.3 - 31.6% (Mitchell)
1.0 - 3.1 - 30.6% (Metu)
1.6 - 5.0 - 32.9% (T. Davis)
1.0 - 2.6 - 36.5% (Lyles)
15.4 - 43.4 - 35.4%

35.4% would put us in the middle of the league % wise at #16... As for the makes and attempts we would be at #1 in makes and #1 in attempts for 3pt shooting. Hopefully we improve on the %, but I have a feeling we will be in the top of the league for attempts and makes.

In the preseason games we shot 45 3pt shots and 39 3pt shots. Avg 42 3pt shots which is way up from 33 that we took last year on average.

Fox and Sabonis are the clear issues here. We will have to see if they can raise their percentage. But defense first.

 

[kingdivac]

Shumpert was not the best defensive player on the team. Stop it.

Yeah he was, - he was the tone-setting starting vet for that team and the leader through defense (completely lacking anyway on that team). That year was an "we're gonna outscore you" year.

This current team, if worth any salt, has to at least match the earlier team's record and really eclipse it. Its not as though the 2019 team was a great team; it was just the best Kings team in 16 seasons @ 39-43. That's the 2nd benchmark really....they might be able to make the play-in with that record.

 

[kingdivac]

In preseason I'm not looking so much at wins and losses, but rather at how certain Kings' lineups play against opposition lineups.

I think there is good reason to see better than .500 for the season. If they play with the disciplined, well-coached ball we saw against Portland, then they should be able to win a boat-load of games against OKC, Houston, Utah, SA and Portland. If they do just ok against the decent-outstanding teams, above .500 ball should be doable.

The team has not been over .500 after the new year except for that 2018-2019 team and maybe 1 other (but I dont think so)......proof has to be in results. That's 1 or 2 teams in 16 years and counting - no bueno. Great draft move-up and selection. This year do they have enough? I have no idea. Every year is the same song-and-dance. I like Murray - they gave up Hield/Haliburton for Sabonis, so they're gonna need Murray to take over marksmanship duties especially when Fox has off shooting nights. Murray will have the green-light no doubt.

 

[ESP47]

Summer League champs and #1 defense after two preseason games.

Best two year stretch for the Kings in over a decade and a half.

 

[Entity]

Wasn't it last year or two years ago we were blowing teams out in the pre-season, and we started the season at like 10-6 or something weird only to have everything fall apart?

This year seems different. We have people that can shoot 3pt at a high clip, who take a lot of shots. If we aren't in the top 5 3pt% and 3pt makes then I will be disappointed.

We pretty much sucked out the gate last 2 years although we were undefeated in preseason. The last time we were over .500 on January 1st was the 39 win Joerger year. We lost first three games in the new year that season and toyed with .500 rest of season but never could get over the hump by more than 1-2 games

 

[PorchSurfin]

Fox and Sabonis are the clear issues here. We will have to see if they can raise their percentage. But defense first.

I dont think this is as much of an issue as you make it out to be.

Not singling you out by any means, just saying that spacing via personnel will change those numbers.

When you have a rookie who hits 3ptrs at the clip Murray has it will change the focus of defense. All of a sudden teams are scheming not to let Murray snipe them which then means less defensive focus on Fox and Sabonis leaking back for shots.

All of a sudden you have teams scrambling to make sure Murray doesn't snipe them and a simple pass or 2 and you have a wide open shot for someone.

It's so much easier to make a wide open shot.

Teams are going to run around trying to figure out who to stop with this current version. And honestly who do you stop? When you have a passer like Sabonis in the middle, and a drive threat like Fox, who do you double?

And then once you double, who do you leave open?

Congrats Huerter for earning that contract!

 

[kingdivac]

We pretty much sucked out the gate last 2 years although we were undefeated in preseason. The last time we were over .500 on January 1st was the 39 win Joerger year. We lost first three games in the new year that season and toyed with .500 rest of season but never could get over the hump by more than 1-2 games

That HAS BEEN the best team for 16 seasons - until another team can prove otherwise....its getting on 2 DECADES.

 

[PorchSurfin]

That HAS BEEN the best team for 16 seasons - until another team can prove otherwise....its getting on 2 DECADES.

Never showed dominance in the preseason like the last 2 games tho.

 

[sactowndog]

I dont think this is as much of an issue as you make it out to be.

Not singling you out by any means, just saying that spacing via personnel will change those numbers.

When you have a rookie who hits 3ptrs at the clip Murray has it will change the focus of defense. All of a sudden teams are scheming not to let Murray snipe them which then means less defensive focus on Fox and Sabonis leaking back for shots.

All of a sudden you have teams scrambling to make sure Murray doesn't snipe them and a simple pass or 2 and you have a wide open shot for someone.

It's so much easier to make a wide open shot.

Teams are going to run around trying to figure out who to stop with this current version. And honestly who do you stop? When you have a passer like Sabonis in the middle, and a drive threat like Fox, who do you double?

And then once you double, who do you leave open?

Congrats Huerter for earning that contract!

I agree and have a couple thoughts….

I think KZ will be in with the main group a bit more and it will be important he can hit that corner 3 ala Bruce Bowen who was at San Antonio when Brown was there.

Murray when in with Sabonis will be important on the same side from which teams will want to double team. It will make hard/impossible to double team Sabonis by coming off Keegan.

Lastly will be the Fox, Sabonis, Murray, Barnes, Huerter line-up which could well be our closing line-up, if Fox plays defense. To your point it will be hard finding from whom to help.

 

[PorchSurfin]

Worth a watch.

 

[coolhandluke]

Worth a watch.

Kings and defense? What timeline are we in? Is the universe ending soon?

 

[kingsfan101]

Worth a watch.

Wow! An opposing coach describing us as being physical on both ends of the floor. Warms my heart.

 

[Sac.Kings]

Worth a watch.

Pretty nice comments from an opposing coach. I haven’t heard something like that in years!

 

[Kingster]

Is it psychologically possible to be objective on the Kings' prospects with 20 years of PTSD trauma to overcome? I don't blame anyone for ultra negativity concerning this team. It's human nature to protect ourselves from getting our hopes dashed once again. I just try to imagine this team as one who has absolutely no memory prior years, a brand new Kings' fan as it were, and I see a pretty good team that probably won't be competitive with GS and the Clipps in the West, but with every other WC team should either be favored (OKC, Utah, Houston, Portland, SA) or at least given a fighting chance (Minni, Denver, LA, Phoenix, Grizzlies, Dallas, NO). We'll see if I'm just engaging in self-deluding Kings' fan idiocy soon enough.

 

[PorchSurfin]

Pretty nice comments from an opposing coach. I haven’t heard something like that in years!

He sounds shell shocked lol.

 

[MizzouKing]

Post-game presser

 

[Warhawk]

Pretty nice comments from an opposing coach. I haven’t heard something like that in years!

"I think a perfect preseason game is the one you just seen from the Kings." He also said we shot a lot of 3's but they were good 3's not just throwing them up and getting lucky. He discusses defense, pressure, ball movement, inside-out basketball forcing rotation coverages, etc. That interview is definitely worth a watch. I think my head just exploded.

Keep it up!!!

 

[iowamcnabb]

It’s nice when the other team has to watch the tape

 

[Capt. Factorial]

It’s nice when the other team has to watch the tape

The Blazers hired Luke?

 

[Sac.Kings]

He sounds shell shocked lol.

I’m right there with him, still just as surprised.