Kings coach Luke Walton calls out defense, explains backup roles for Fox and Bagley
Kings coach Luke Walton called out his team for its porous defense following a 119-105 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
“You talk about guarding your man and there were three or four possessions early where somebody just drove right past us into the paint,” Walton said. “When you do that at this level, you just put so much pressure on the rest of your defense. If you let your man just go by you one-on-one, it’s tough to get any stops.”
The Kings (12-16) shot 45.1 percent and made 10 3-pointers, but the Pacers (20-9) shot 52.3 percent and made 14 of 31 from 3-point range. Seven players scored in double figures for the Pacers. T.J. Warren had 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting. T.J. McConnell had 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting. T.J. Leaf might have had his way against the Kings, too, but he only played three minutes.
“I feel like they imposed their will and we didn’t respond,” Kings center Richaun Holmes said.
Kings visit Grizzlies
The Kings, coming off back-to-back losses to the Charlotte Hornets and Pacers, will conclude a four-game road trip when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies (10-19).
The Kings are trying to establish continuity for the first time all season after point guard De’Aaron Fox and big man Marvin Bagley III returned from prolonged injury absences. Walton explained he is bringing Fox and Bagley off the bench because Fox is playing restricted minutes after missing 17 games with an ankle injury and Bagley, who missed 22 games with a broken thumb, hadn’t practiced with the team until Wednesday.
“They’re both continuing to get better and we’re thrilled to have both of them back,” Walton said. “Minutes and everything else will continue to grow for them.”
The Kings have been much better defensively this season, but they have taken a step back in losses to the Hornets and Pacers.
“We’ve done it in previous games,” Holmes said. “We’ve put together games before. I think we’ve just got to go out there and decide who we want to be.”
‘Too many breakdowns’
Kings point guard Cory Joseph was asked what the Kings need to do to get back on track defensively.
“We’ve got to focus on the game plan a little better, pay attention to the details throughout the full course of the game and we just have to eliminate our breakdowns, because over the course of a game it adds up,” Joseph said. “There are some things that people may not be able to pick up on, and we’ve just got to pay attention to the little things, the details. I think if we will, over the course of a game, we could definitely win like that. Maybe we just let our guard down a little bit in that sense, maybe started to feel too good for whatever reason.
“We’re just having too many breakdowns and, over the course of a game, it adds up. … We’ve just got to pay attention to the details a little bit better and carry out a game plan and execute for a full 48 minutes. I think we’re just letting down our guard a little too much and all those possessions add up.”
Holmes said the Kings’ defense will suffer if they can’t stop penetration.
“Anytime you get penetration, the team is put in a tough spot,” Holmes said. “When people are able to get into the paint, into the middle of the floor, it puts a lot of stress on your defense. You’re constantly trying to react, trying to recover and scramble, so we have to do a better job of guarding the ball at the point of attack.”
Former Kings coach Dave Joerger often talked about penetration and “straight-line drives.” Walton has emphasized defense since the day the Kings hired him, but he knows his team still has work to do.
“I know this year we have gotten better at it as the year has gone and we need to continue to get much better at it,” Walton said. “You have to be able to guard your man in this league, keep him in front of you one-on-one, and we did not do a good job of that tonight.”
Kings upcoming schedule
Dec. 21 at Memphis Grizzlies, 5 p.m.
Dec. 23 vs. Houston Rockets, 7 p.m.
Dec. 26 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 7 p.m.
Dec. 28 vs. Phoenix Suns, 6 p.m.
Dec. 31 vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 2 p.m.
This story was originally published December 21, 2019 at 2:50 AM.
