Kings mailbag: Style of play, starting lineup, rookies, free agents and Marvin Bagley III
So much has happened in Kings Land and so much has changed over a short period of time as the NBA hurtles through an accelerated offseason calendar toward the start of the 2020-21 season.
In his first year as head of basketball operations, Kings general manager Monte McNair manned the controls as the league lifted the trade moratorium, conducted its annual draft and opened the floodgates of free agency, all in a span of five days. De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley III and Richaun Holmes are still here, but Bogdan Bogdanovic and Harry Giles III are gone. In their place, the Kings have brought in vets like Hassan Whiteside and Glenn Robinson III and rookie additions Tyrese Haliburton, Jahmi’us Ramsey and Robert Woodard II.
McNair has signaled what looks like a soft rebuild and a roster reset around Fox, Hield, Haliburton and Bagley, so more changes will come over the course of the season. In the meantime, coach Luke Walton has lineup and rotation decisions to make as the Kings prepare to play their first preseason game on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 11.
Who should start? Who should come off the bench? How much will we see the rookies? What do we know about the team’s style of play? What is Whiteside doing here? We discuss those questions and more in this week’s Kings mailbag.
Note: Some questions have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Style of play
@csolis28 asks: What style of basketball do you see the Kings playing this year? The team is pretty much set, correct?
The training camp roster is set, but the battle for starting jobs, backup roles and roster spots is just beginning. Some of those decisions will influence the team’s style of play to an extent, but this week we’ve learned quite a bit about the Kings’ plans.
Walton is working with new assistants Alvin Gentry and Rex Kalamian to implement what McNair repeatedly referred to as “this system” during a Zoom call with reporters. Walton said some of the changes will be subtle but acknowledged there are “definitely some philosophy moves that are going to be a little different this season.”
The Kings have arguably the fastest point guard in the league in Fox, so they want to push the pace. Walton talked about “how quickly we want to get the ball up court” and run more of a 5-Out motion offense.
After finishing third in the NBA in pace in 2018-19, the Kings dropped to 19th last season under Walton, who somewhat inadvertently slowed them down while emphasizing half-court execution. The extended absence of Fox was a factor as well.
The Kings always wanted to run last season, but they didn’t appear to be in great shape after the preseason trip to India and they didn’t establish a consistent rhythm until a 20-game stretch before the coronavirus shutdown. This season they intend to pick up the pace from the start.
Fox referred to the offense Gentry ran as head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. Harrison Barnes pointed out “how much of a track meet that was.” What they’re describing sounds like an up-tempo offense that looks to attack in transition and then spread the floor, using dribble handoffs and screens to create open paths to the basket and 3-point opportunities.
The players think the new system sounds like fun and the team should certainly be looking to run with the speedy Fox, but the Kings haven’t given up on the idea of predicating their running game on defense. Under former coach Dave Joerger in 2018-19, the Kings could inbound the ball after a made basket and get a layup at the other end of the floor in just four seconds. They want to utilize that same blinding speed, but they would rather do it off defensive stops.
Walton talked a lot about getting better — and tougher — defensively last season. McNair is making moves to address those concerns. McNair has used the word “aggressive” to describe what he wants from his offense, his defense and his front office. Defensively, that means deflections, steals, swarms of defenders creating chaos and transition baskets. The signing of an elite shot blocker and rebounder like Whiteside, coupled with the acquisition of younger wings with size, athleticism and defensive upside, signal a clear move in that direction.
Free agent signings
@MinigamesMop asks: What’s Monte looking for with these free agency signings? Trade them later in the season or just filling out the roster?
Why not both? McNair filled out the roster with Whiteside, Robinson, Frank Kaminsky and Chimezie Metu, all on short-term, team-friendly contracts. Whiteside, Robinson and Kaminsky all signed one-year, minimum deals, and all three could become commodities when contending teams look for reinforcements at the trade deadline.
Whiteside, 31, and Kaminsky, 27, don’t look like long-term fits given Sacramento’s current timeline, but Robinson, 26, and Metu, 23, are young enough to stick if the Kings like what they bring to the team. Metu received a three-year deal, but only $50,000 is guaranteed in the first year and the last two years are not guaranteed.
The Kings believe these players help fill some of their needs now, but every move McNair made in free agency was intended to create or preserve future financial and roster flexibility.
“One thing we want to continue to do is add talent but also maintain as much flexibility as we can, and I think we were able to do that with how our free agency ended up,” McNair said. “We were patient and I think we ended up with guys like Hassan on good deals for us, so he can both impact us as well as give us that flexibility down the road.”
Rookie draft picks
@BlockedByBamba asks: How does the team feel about the roles of our rookies moving forward? How many minutes do you expect Haliburton, Ramsey and Woodard to receive in the rotation?
Walton saw his rookies on the floor for the first time over the past couple of days as individual workouts began at Golden 1 Center. Group workouts don’t begin until Sunday. Coaches will need time to assess their readiness coming out of an unusual offseason with no summer league and an abbreviated training camp.
There seems to be a fair bit of belief Haliburton, the 6-5 combo guard from Iowa State, will play a key role right away just weeks after being chosen with the No. 12 pick in the NBA Draft. We’ll probably see him get a good share of the backup minutes at both guard spots. With his versatility, he should be able to play next to any of the other guards.
The organization is also intrigued by Woodard and Ramsey, but only time will tell how much either is ready to contribute this season. Woodard, the 40th pick in the draft out of Mississippi State, already has the NBA body at 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds with a 7-1 wingspan. He has potential as a 3-and-D wing capable of defending multiple positions.
Ramsey, the 43rd pick in the draft, is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard from Texas Tech. He ranked second in the Big 12 Conference last season in 3-point shooting (.426) and 10th in steals per game (1.33), so he’s another young player with two-way potential.
Starting 5? What position does Bagley play?
@y_redrum0376 asks: Prediction on starting five and eight-man rotation?
This is guesswork until group workouts and preseason games begin, but here’s how I see it as the training camp competition begins.
▪ Starting 5: De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley III, Richaun Holmes.
▪ Bench: Tyrese Haliburton, Glenn Robinson III, Hassan Whiteside, Nemanja Bjelica, Cory Joseph.
I went 10 deep because that’s probably what Walton will do. Some nights, that might mean more minutes for Joseph or Bjelica. Other nights you might see more of DaQuan Jeffries, Jabari Parker or Kaminsky.
Fox is an obvious choice at point guard. Walton wouldn’t commit to starting Hield at shooting guard at the start of camp, but I’ll pencil him in until we see what Haliburton can do.
The backup small forward spot is up for grabs between Robinson, Jeffries and even Woodard. The starting power forward position is between Bagley and Bjelica. Holmes and Whiteside will compete for the starting job at center.
Those frontcourt assignments are up for grabs. For now, I’m going with Bagley at power forward because the Kings need to see what they have in him and would love to see him become a foundational piece. I’m giving the nod to Holmes at center because there is no question about his energy and he’s probably a better fit next to Bagley. I also like the idea of pairing Bjelica with Whiteside. Bjelica can spread the floor at the offensive end. Whiteside can grab rebounds and patrol the paint on defense.
@JbTochterman asks: Is Bagley playing power forward or center?
The organization has gone back and forth on this, but has mostly maintained that Bagley is capable of playing either position. I look at him as more of a power forward for now because he still lacks the strength and mass to defend the center position, but that could come as his body fills out.
McNair was asked whether he considers Bagley a power forward or a center during his video conference with reporters Sunday. He didn’t exactly clear up the confusion with his response.
“I think Marvin is obviously an incredible talent, but just another guy who can play in multiple situations,” McNair said. “So I think wherever Luke decides to use him and however he decides to implement him, I think he’ll be a force. … I think there are plenty of opportunities for how he can be utilized.”
This story was originally published December 3, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
