Can defensive identity help Sacramento Kings remain unbeaten in Las Vegas Summer League?
Nothing comes easy against the young Kings on Sacramento’s summer league roster. The Washington Wizards learned that the hard way Tuesday evening in Las Vegas.
The Kings were already leading by 19 when Washington attempted to inbound the ball with 7:32 to play in the fourth quarter, but the Wizards had nowhere to go against Sacramento’s relentless and stifling defense. The Wizards called a timeout to avoid a five-second violation. Unfortunately for them, they were out of timeouts, resulting in a technical foul.
Rookie point guard Davion Mitchell jumped out of his seat to lead a spirited celebration on the Sacramento bench as the Kings cruised to an 89-75 victory. That play — and others like it — demonstrated the defensive mindset and sense of togetherness the Kings have shown under summer league coach Bobby Jackson.
“When you get stops, it just gives you a lot of confidence at the offensive end,” Jackson said. “It gets you out, allows you to run, come up with turnovers, and we just try to play aggressive, physical defense, communicate, talk, have each other’s backs. The guys are doing an amazing job and they’re competing for me every single night.”
The Kings (2-0) will try to remain undefeated in the Las Vegas Summer League when they play the Memphis Grizzlies (1-1) at 6 p.m. Friday at Cox Pavilion. Sacramento was one of seven unbeaten teams going into Thursday’s games. A win over the Grizzlies would move the Kings a step closer to their first summer league championship since 2014.
The Kings opened summer league play with an 80-70 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. They held the Hornets to 39.7% shooting from the field and 25% shooting from 3-point range, recording 16 steals, three blocked shots and 22 turnovers.
The Kings were just as good defensively against the Wizards, who shot 38.2% from the field and 24.1% from beyond the arc. In that game, the Kings came up with 11 steals, blocked three shots and forced 21 turnovers.
“Defense makes teams great,” said rookie center Neemias Queta, a second-round draft pick out of Utah State. “I feel like defense is the most important part of the game. If you’re really good defensively, you’re always going to find ways to score.”
That’s what the Kings have done. Mitchell, the No. 9 pick in last month’s NBA Draft, has been the defensive catalyst, but Queta, Chimezie Metu, Louis King, Jahmi’us Ramsey, Emanuel Terry, Matt Coleman, Jordan Schakel and Ade Murkey have all contributed. The Kings are leading Las Vegas with 13.5 steals per game. King and Coleman are tied for the summer league lead, averaging 3.0 steals per game.
“First and foremost, it starts with Davion,” Queta said. “He’s out there on the perimeter the whole time, and when he sets the tone for the first six, seven, eight seconds of the possession on his guy, that just translates to all of us and we all take that energy.”
That same energy is evident on the Kings’ bench, where every block, steal, deflection and contested shot is cause for celebration.
“It’s fun,” Jackson said. “When everybody buys into it, it allows the game to be fun. It’s contagious with the players and it’s contagious with the coaches, because once we know we can get in you and rattle you, it allows us to play the game with more confidence.”
This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
