NBA in Threes: Devin Booker drops 40; Lakers are red-hot
By Jade Johnson
NBA Sacramento Kings Marvin Bagley III (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Sacramento Kings
This was my first look at the Sacramento Kings this season and while they came away with the win against the New York Knicks, I’m not sold on them as a playoff team. I’ve seen fans touting them as underrated but between what I saw in this game and their record so far this season, I have to say I think estimations that they’re just okay are probably the most accurate. Being a playoff team in the Western Conference is already a tough ask. A team like the Kings has an even bigger hill to climb.
They got their first quarter going with a 13-2 run after going down by five points. Even though they came out of the first quarter with a 32-23 lead, the defense was a step slow on their rotations and the Kings benefited from the Knicks’ inability to sink the many open shots the were allowed to take.
Sacramento came out in the second quarter playing much more intense defense and that got them rolling on the offensive end. Or maybe playing with a lead made them more locked in defensively. It’s hard to say in a very chicken/egg conundrum. In any case, the Kings ended the first half with a commanding 20 point lead.
I enjoyed watching the play of De’Aaron Fox. Man is that kid quick! And he’s got a bit of that swag that I like to see in young players. That one that says, “Yeah, I can hang.” That said, he missed several shots at or very close to the rim on his way to a 44 percent field goal shooting night. I’d like to see those close attempts cleaned up a bit.
To borrow a phrase from Walt Frazier, Buddy Hield‘s shooting is, “easy like Sunday morning.” He went 8 of 16 from the field including 5 for 11 from three for a 50 percent shooting night.
Ultimately though, I don’t think the Kings are a better team than their early record suggests. Do they have a lot of talent on their roster? Without a doubt. But there just seems to be something lacking from their play.
Their defensive intensity is not consistent enough to compete with the powerhouse scoring they’re up against in the West. Yeah, they had some good defensive showings in this game, but they also benefited from the Knicks simply missing open looks.