[Game] [VSL Game 1] Kings vs Magic, 7/10/2025 4:30 Pacific 7:30 Eastern (NBATV)

[sactowndog]

My biggest problem with the game is the Warriors are now going to demand Renaud in a trade for Kuminga.

 

[Joshyjosh31]

Regarding Carter, the offensive sputtering did not surprise so much. What disturbed me in this game was the fact he consistently went under screens and was not a force on defense. Why did he do that? And why didn't the Kings' coaching staff get on his ass immediately to stop him from doing it? The premise of his value is his defense. If he can't be a force on defense, then you're talking true bust potential. Is his shoulder, which was massively taped up, still bothering him to the point he cannot be a physical defender? This is troubling to me. I want to see the remainder of his SL games with him pestering ball handlers and disrupting the opposing offense by defending over screens, not passively dropping under them.

He held his shoulder like two minutes into the game the commentators pointed it out as well

 

[kingsfan101]

I’m worried about Carter. I don’t see time for him at the 2. He needs to be able to transition to the point to stick long term in the NBA. He didn’t seem to see the floor extremely well in that game. Maybe he gets better. We can hope because I love his on ball defense.

Agree. If he wants to stick around long term in the league, particularly in a guard heavy team like ours (despite so many guards, we still seem to be searching for a PG. I'm not sure why Monk/Keon/Devin can't fill the backup minutes), he has to play PG.

As the Davion experiment showed, just stellar defense has limited value. You need to have passable offense to find time on the floor.

The good news is that it can improve with time. The sample size was small, but Davion played really well for Heat. If that continues, we'll regret letting him go. Devin might have a similar trajectory, and if he can play some point, he can find time. Needs to show he can run the team, and/or hit the outside shot.

As another example, Tony Parker was a shaky shooter in his early years. No, I'm not comparing a 2nd year player trying to find his way with a 4 times champ, future HOF, and finals MVP. Just that he was an extremely inconsistent shooter. However, he had good court vision and excellent finishing skills around the basket (though some of these evolved over time). That said, if Kidd had agreed to sign with Spurs, Parker's career might have been completely different. Who knows if he would have even continued with the Spurs. So, we need to be patient.

In some ways, our situation is excellent for him. We aren't really competing this year, but since we are not tanking, we will have vets and a system, which is usually important for a young player's development. He isn't the lead guard, but can potentially find significant minutes at the 1 due to his defense. Over 82 games, there will be injuries, rests, off days for players ahead of him, etc. He needs to grab those chances whenever they come, though honestly, with Lavine, Monk, and Keon all ahead of him, the latter two will likely see some time at 1.

 

[iowamcnabb]

Jerry Reynolds on Thomas Robinson and whether you knew someone couldn’t play based on summer league

“the one thing he could do was rebound on the defense end but he didn’t want to that. He wanted to be Slick Dick Ma-Gik”

 

[Sherds]

I’m worried about Carter. I don’t see time for him at the 2. He needs to be able to transition to the point to stick long term in the NBA. He didn’t seem to see the floor extremely well in that game. Maybe he gets better. We can hope because I love his on ball defense.

Me too... Hope I'm wrong but at the moment I don't get the hype if he can't play PG

 

[Caccia]

He held his shoulder like two minutes into the game. The commentators pointed it out, as well.

That and the heavy tape are concerning. The season ended three months ago.