New Kings GM Monte McNair shares vision and thoughts on Hield and Walton
New Kings general manager Monte McNair laid out a little bit of his philosophy, vision and view of the situation in Sacramento during an introductory news conference Wednesday from Golden 1 Center.
He talked about Luke Walton’s status as the team’s head coach, De’Aaron Fox’s role as a catalyst in an up-tempo offense and Buddy Hield’s status as one of the game’s greatest 3-point shooters. He called Bogdan Bogdanovic a great player with “winning qualities” and said Marvin Bagley III is “an incredible young talent.” He even provided a fairly direct and perfectly reasonable response when asked if he was here to build up the team for an immediate playoff push or tear it down for a rebuild.
“I think our goal is going to be to compete hard and start building these winning habits,” McNair said. “We need to be more consistent and going forward we’re going to maintain our flexibility. Obviously we want to compete for the playoffs but we know we have some work to do, so my goal is to keep that flexibility and be aggressive whenever the time comes to improve the team.”
That opportunity might present itself during the draft, at the trade deadline in 2021 or some other time, but McNair came off rather convincingly as someone willing to utilize his assets to make bold and calculated moves to improve the roster. In addition to his extensive background in basketball analytics, McNair also learned a few things about asset management and trade while working with Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey for the past 13 years.
“In Houston I learned a lot,” McNair said. “We went through many different stages and ultimately became a contender, so I’ll learn from that. I think No. 1 we have to stay flexible and we can’t pigeonhole ourselves. There are a lot of ways to improve the team and what we need to do is be ready for whatever the opportunity and whenever it arises so we can capitalize.”
Working with Luke Walton
McNair seems smart. He’s only 36 — the third-youngest general manager in the NBA — but he’s a Princeton man who studied computer science and used his mastery of analytics to rise through the ranks in a Rockets organization that has produced several other top executives.
In Houston, McNair was described as the bridge between the coaching staff and the analytics department, someone who could present data and ideas to coaches in a collaborative way. We’re likely to see the same dynamic in Sacramento as McNair works with Walton to prepare for the 2021 season.
These two guys are a lot alike. Both grew up in Southern California and went on to become college athletes — Walton as a basketball player at Arizona, McNair as a football player at Princeton — and both ended up in the NBA. They both envision an up-tempo offense predicated on space, pace, 3-point shooting and high-percentage shots at the rim.
McNair might spend more time obsessing over little things like how many long jumpers the Kings take and how Buddy Hield shoots off the dribble compared to catch-and-shoot situations. Generally speaking, though, Walton and McNair seem to speak the same language. We’ve even heard McNair talk about getting tougher defensively, something Walton called for throughout the season and probably repeated in his first meeting with McNair.
McNair said they’ve already established a “great rapport,” adding that they are “aligned” in their vision.
“I’m excited to partner with coach Walton,” McNair said. “We’re going to build a winning culture here where our players can grow, thrive in our aggressive system and compete hard every night. … There’s a lot of talent on this roster and a lot of versatility, and I’m really excited to work with coach Walton on what we can improve.”
Assessing Kings’ roster
One of the more interesting aspects of this change in leadership will be McNair’s assessment of the roster former general manager Vlade Divac assembled over the past five years. Not long ago the organization was putting up posters and billboards featuring the promising young core of Fox, Hield, Bogdanovic, Bagley and Harry Giles III.
McNair now has to look at how those pieces fit and what else the Kings will need to end the NBA’s longest active playoff drought following 14 consecutive losing seasons. He offered some initial thoughts on a few of the team’s best players during Wednesday’s news conference.
He pointed to Fox’s speed and ability to create on offense and said Bagley’s injuries are just part of the game.
“I know he’s already working hard this offseason and I’m really excited to work with Luke and see him develop,” McNair said.
One of McNair’s most interesting answers came in response to a question about Hield, who grew unhappy after being moved into a backup role last season. Social media users have noted Hield seems to be flirting with Philadelphia 76ers fans who covet him in trade rumors, but Hield possesses the one skill McNair might value most.
“I think we all know in this league spacing is of the utmost importance and Buddy is one of the absolute elite shooters in this league, and we’re going to be able to utilize that skill set as we implement our system,” McNair said.
Before leaving the podium, McNair also made sure to connect with fans and identify with their plight. He didn’t promise an immediate end to their suffering, but he did offer hope.
“I understand the frustrations of all the loyal Kings fans,” McNair said. “I’ve already seen and heard about their passion and I think we’re aligned on that goal. I was fortunate enough to spend the last 13 years in an organization where we were able to build those winning habits and that culture where year-in and year-out we were expected to be in the playoffs and compete for championships. My goal is to recreate that here, and so we’re going to be flexible and just be ready whenever that opportunity arises to really improve the team and get us back to that consistent playoff hunt.”
This story was originally published September 25, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
