Did Kings sharpshooter Kevin Huerter break out of his February shooting funk vs. Thunder?
The Kings have gotten different versions of Kevin Huerter this season: The 3-point marksman who was key in their early-season success and the slumping shooter who struggled to find a rhythm when the calendar turned to February.
Huerter shot just 29% on 3s for the month — the worst clip over a full month in his five-year career — and that didn’t include his first appearance in the 3-point contest at All-Star Weekend. He was eliminated in the first round with the lowest point total of the competition.
Of course, Huerter made a splash early in his first season in Sacramento after being acquired in a trade from the Atlanta Hawks over the summer. He hit 53% of his 3s in six games in October, 41% in November and a combined 37% in December and January. Despite the slow February, the Kings’ starting shooting guard ranks 30th in 3-point percentage among all players with at least 250 attempts.
Sacramento head coach Mike Brown during the team’s stay in Oklahoma City this week said he had a conversation with Huerter about his shooting earlier in the month when the team played two games in Houston to end a season-long seven-game road trip. It came while Huerter was mired in a 9-for-42 (21%) stretch.
“One of the things that we talked about at the beginning of the year was our slogan of ‘all in,’” Brown said. “And if you’re all in, then no matter what the circumstance is or situation is, you’re going to buy into whatever the game plan is to go get a win, because that’s the most important thing.”
Before Tuesday, Huerter had been passed over for playing time in the most important portions of the double-overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers last Friday and the first of two victories in Oklahoma City on Sunday. Huerter played the first half of the third period in L.A., but he didn’t get back in the game in the fourth quarter or either overtime. He didn’t return to the Thunder game after exiting at the 5:32 mark in the third quarter.
Brown reminding Huerter of the “all-in” focus was about maintaining the right attitude. Brown made the entire team sign a contract before the season started stipulating each player would remain committed to the all-in approach throughout the season, no matter what individual circumstances players dealt with. It’s been one of the team’s unofficial mantras since Brown was hired.
And while Huerter was struggling with his shot, he was focused on other ways he could help the team win.
“A lot of it was just playing both sides of the court,” Huerter said. “Not letting our offense dictate defense, watching film, getting more on the same page with what everyone else is doing, and just continuing to try to grow on both ends.”
Huerter sat on Friday in favor of Malik Monk, who exploded for 45 points against the Clippers. Reserve Trey Lyles took the bulk of the fourth-quarter minutes on Sunday when Brown elected to try a scarcely used lineup of De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, Harrison Barnes and Lyles, which has only been used nine minutes all season. Lyles scored 16 points while Huerter had six.
But Huerter rebounded on Tuesday with one of his best showings in weeks. He scored 20 points for the first time since Jan. 25 and had one of his best overall games on the offensive end despite making just two of his six attempts from long distance. Huerter drove into the lane, hit a series of floaters and layups, and dished out a season-high nine assists.
He also led the team with 10 points in the fourth quarter after after sitting on the bench in the fourth of the previous two contests.
“He’s a smart guy,” Brown said following Tuesday’s 123-117 win. “And he knows that he didn’t play his best in the last game, in particular the four turnovers he had. When we’ve talked before, I’ve always told him, ‘Your shooting may not be there every night, but you’re gonna have to do other things for us. You’re gonna have to rebound. You’re gonna have to defend. You’re more than capable of playmaking, which is obviously what he did tonight.”
The Kings are hoping Huerter left his slump in February. After all, that performance against the Thunder came on the last day of the month, with the first game of March coming Friday against the Clippers at Golden 1 Center.
What’s the key for Huerter to get out of a shooting slump?
“Just be a complete player,” he said. “Try to stay aggressive, obviously, just try to get in the flow of the game and, obviously, keep shooting.”
