The McNair era slogs forward as the Sacramento Kings defense shows signs of life
The Sacramento Kings are showing signs of life. After a brutal stretch of nine losses in 11 games, the Kings now stand as winners of two games in a row. More importantly, those two games have also seen the Kings make progress in key areas where they had been struggling.
The Kings started this year by posting one of the worst defensive ratings in NBA history. But now the Kings have held the Knicks to 94 points and the Magic to 107. For context, prior to the Knicks game the Kings held an opponent to under 110 points only one other time. To keep this apparent progress in proper perspective, neither the Knicks nor the Magic are great offensive teams. The Knicks and Magic are both among the NBA’s worst in offensive rating. But as bad as the Kings defense has been, it can be considered a success when they keep any team under 120 points.
Of course there are some problems that remain unaddressed. Despite the report that Nemanja Bjelica has been benched to allow the Kings to play younger players, Luke Walton continues to rely heavily on older veterans. That’s less of a concern with productive players like Harrison Barnes, but it’s less understandable with struggling veterans like Hassan Whiteside and Cory Joseph. Walton gave minutes to Chimezie Metu, age 23, but Walton immediately reverted to using Whiteside, 31, when he was healthy.
Despite the small victories on the defensive end, we still see the same larger issues with the Kings. The problem is that we don’t know the Kings’ identity. Is this squad meant to be a young team that can grow alongside De’Aaron Fox? Or is this supposed to be a team fighting to make the playoffs?
If it’s the former, Walton is failing to play the right players. Young guys like Robert Woodard II, Kyle Guy, and Chimezie Metu ride the bench until garbage time. If the Kings are supposed to be chasing the playoffs, Walton’s rotations make more sense, but the team just doesn’t seem up to the task.
This season feels like the awkward transition between two eras, because in many ways it is. Relying on overpaid vets in a desperate attempt to make the eighth seed? That’s the Vlade Divac Kings. This year’s minutes are primarily being played by players Divac acquired, and they’re being led by the coach Divac hired to execute that vision. But what about the future of this franchise, the Monte McNair era? McNair has said he wants his team to be built with young players around De’Aaron Fox. This isn’t the Kings roster or rotation McNair has described.
NBA teams have three main tools to improve the roster. The draft, where the Kings added Tyrese Haliburton and they may be able to add another impact player next year, is the first tool. The second is free agency, which has generally been a challenge for Sacramento. And the third is trades. NBA trade season is about to begin in earnest. On Feb. 6, players who signed new contracts this season become eligible for trades, making it far easier for teams to build deals and match salaries. McNair had a very rushed offseason to make any changes, but as we approach trade season, we might see McNair begin to move his roster away from Divac’s construction and more in line with his own.
Greg Wissinger is the managing editor of KingsHerald.com and has been covering the Kings since 2009.
This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 7:39 AM.