Whiteside calls Nets ‘offensive juggernaut,’ says Kings might need players-only meeting
Kings center Hassan Whiteside talked about what he witnessed from the Brooklyn Nets and what he’s seeing in his own locker room following another frustrating loss Monday night at Golden 1 Center.
Whiteside had his biggest game yet for the Kings with season highs of 26 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots, but the Kings couldn’t match Brooklyn’s incredible firepower in a 137-126 loss to the Nets.
Whiteside indicated the Kings (12-15) might benefit from a players-only meeting after losing their fourth in a row, but even that wouldn’t have stopped the Nets (17-12). Kyrie Irving scored 40 points, James Harden recorded a triple-double and the Nets set a franchise record with 27 3-pointers, all despite the absence of former MVP Kevin Durant, a 10-time All-Star who sat out with a hamstring injury.
Whiteside called the Nets an “offensive juggernaut.” They are No. 1 in the NBA in scoring at 121.4 points per game, but they are 28th in opponent points per game at 117.7.
“That team is struggling defensively, but offensively they’ve pretty much got everything,” Whiteside said. “It’s unbelievable. If they ever figure out their defense, or if they ever get somebody that can play really good defense, that’s a really, really scary team.”
The Nets shot 57.3% from the field and 57.4% from 3-point range. Eight of the nine players used by coach Steve Nash shot 50% or better. Irving made 15 of 22 field-goal attempts and 9 of 11 from beyond the arc. Harden made 10 of 18 overall and 6 of 10 from long distance, finishing with 29 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds.
“Them guys, offensively, are unbelievable,” Whiteside said. “They iso and they were hitting a lot of shots. Guys were contesting them, but it was just one of them nights. There’s a reason they’re the No. 1 offensive team in the league.”
Whiteside said the Kings invited Irving to get hot by letting him knock down two 3-pointers in the first 42 seconds of the game.
“I’ve known Kyrie since he was in high school and that guy’s a bucket,” Whiteside said. “You can’t come in there and let him see two shots. I think after he hit the second one, James Harden was like, ‘Yeah, Kyrie, it’s one of them days.’ Like they already (knew), you know. (When) you hit a couple shots that rim gets bigger.”
The Kings demonstrated marked improvement on defense while winning seven of eight in late January and early February to move above .500. Coach Luke Walton said they have shown regression over the past three games while dealing with injuries to De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III and Richaun Holmes.
“It’s unfortunate, but we knew this was going to be that type of test,” Walton said. “We’re in an area as a team where we’ve got to grind out of it together again for the second time this season, and we will, but we have work to do.
“Our guys, they work and they’re willing to work and they want to get better and they want to win and they want to build something. We’re just in the process of doing it.”
Whiteside said the Kings might need to hold a players-only meeting to address some of their issues. Fox didn’t seem to feel that was necessary, saying “we’ve talked about what we need to do already,” but he admitted a players meeting might be beneficial.
“I think it’s definitely starting to get to that point,” Whiteside said. “We’ve lost four straight, five straight. I think it’s definitely something that needs to be reconciled and that’s something we’ve got to talk about and figure out what it is, because it’s our team. It’s our team. It’s the players out there, so we’ve got to take pride in it. It’s our season.”
Whiteside was also asked about the team’s identity.
“I think we need to be a more physical team,” Whiteside said. “We’re a very young team. This is a very young team. I think we’ve got to use the youth to our advantage, especially maybe picking up full (court); more scrappy, you know, a high-level, physical team that can get out and run and shoot and that can finish at the rim. We’re a really great rim-finishing team.
“What would it take to get there? I don’t have the answer, to be honest, but I think that’s what this team is. It’s a youthful team that can really use their speed and quickness, and we can definitely be a lot better, I think.”
This story was originally published February 16, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
