What did we learn about the Sacramento Kings in their Portland preseason games?

The 2020-21 Sacramento Kings hit the court for the first time over the weekend, traveling to Portland for a pair of preseason games. They lost one and won another, but the final scores are never the main attraction before the regular season arrives.

Fans got their first looks at rookies Tyrese Haliburton, Robert Woodard and Jahmi’us Ramsey, as well as free agent signings Glenn Robinson III, Frank Kaminsky and Chimezie Metu. So far, so good.

Everything has to be taken with a grain of salt in the preseason, but meaningful patterns can emerge. The Kings are learning things about themselves already. We should be learning things too.

WALTON’S PACE PROMISE SEEMS REAL

In coach Luke Walton’s first year in Sacramento, he coached the Kings into a far slower pace than his predecessor, Dave Joerger. Sacramento dropped from third to 19th in pace. With a lightning-fast point guard like De’Aaron Fox, many fans were left scratching their heads.

But last week, Walton said he was going to speed things up again. The numbers appear to back that up. The Kings currently rank 13th in preseason pace, but the eye test is much more reliable with this sample size. Walton is definitely pushing his team to run in a way we did not see last season.

We saw how quick the team can get, especially right out of the gate in the first game. It’s not a done deal, but positive indicators are there. Walton’s first year with the Kings has had extreme ups and downs. Hopefully the team can stay healthy and show consistency in this regard.

FOX STILL HAS WORK TO DO

Fox is officially a very rich man. The Kings will pay him as much they are allowed to over the next six seasons. That includes his five-year, $163 million contract extension, the largest deal in team history. There is no longer any doubt; Fox is the franchise.

Signing Fox to his maximum deal was the right move. Nothing can happen that will change that. But locking up Fox could be more than just the move the team had to make at the time. It could be the first move in laying the foundation for a new era of Kings basketball. But for that to happen, Fox has to take another leap.

Everyone knows what that next step is. He has to improve his shooting. After going 23% on 3-pointers and 50% on free throws in Portland, we know there is work to be done. He has plenty of time to come around, but the longer it takes, the longer the Kings will be stuck outside of the playoff picture.

HIELD IS GOING TO SCORE A TON

Buddy Hield is a high-volume scorer. He always has been. He already has 29 points in 49 minutes without shooting particularly well. The points don’t matter as much as the shots at this point. Hield led the team in attempts in both games while staying within the flow of the offense. In regular season games he will be fed the ball even more.

Hield’s primary competition for minutes, Bogdan Bogdanovic, is gone. And rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton prefers passing to scoring. Hield will be a major beneficiary of recent changes to the Kings roster. He has led the team in shots for two years running. Pencil him in for a third.

With the path completely cleared for him, expect Hield to reach numerous career highs this year and average at least 22 points per game. Whether that solidifies him as a core piece of the franchise going forward or simply inflates his trade value remains to be seen.

HALIBURTON CAN PLAY DEFENSE

The Kings’ first-round pick is what we thought he was. I don’t care that it’s the preseason and I don’t care that it’s only two games. The things we saw in college translated to the next level exactly as expected, and that is a very good omen.

Haliburton is a long wing defender whose feel for the game allows him to play as if he has even more length. He is already menacing passing lanes, including three steals in two games that mere mortals shouldn’t be able to make. He was never out of control or out of position on defense in Portland.

Those deflected passes led into easy transition offense, where he showed off his playmaking skills more often than not. His decision-making is already strong, and it will improve a ton this season. He might need a few years to come around as a versatile scorer, but for now he can settle for jumpers without disturbing the team’s offense.

JEFFRIES WILL GET HIS CHANCE

Of Sacramento’s returning players, DaQuan Jeffries was the biggest mystery heading into the preseason. He went undrafted in 2019 but played a big role for the Kings in the bubble. He is a young player with promise, but it was hard to tell if he would pick up where he left off.

He entered Friday’s game in the first substitution. That means he got onto the court before Robinson, a newly signed veteran who plays the same position. Unfortunately, Jeffries struggled in his 12 minutes and missed Sunday’s game with back soreness. Robinson played 17 minutes in each game and averaged 10 points.

It doesn’t matter who wins the backup small forward spot, but it does matter that Jeffries is getting his chance. He’s much younger and less experienced than Robinson. It would be understandable for him to struggle. But after he paid his dues in the G-League for a year, it is nice to see him being rewarded with early minutes.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

The Kings returned to Sacramento and play another pair of preseason games this week. They host the Golden State Warriors on both Tuesday and Thursday.

The most important situations to monitor come in the form of big men who have yet to take the court. Will Marvin Bagley be healthy? Can he achieve his potential this season? How will Hassan Whiteside fit in with this roster? Can he return to the team that drafted him in 2010 and rewrite his Sacramento story?

Those questions won’t be answered with finality this week, but the picture will start to come into focus.

This story was originally published December 15, 2020 at 6:50 AM.