• Tuesday night’s exhibition against the Los Angeles Lakers will give Kings fans their first opportunity to see many of the team’s new offseason additions in a real game setting, including new head coach Dave Joerger.  While the games don’t actually count for anything, they can still provide some clues about the team’s plans moving forward.

    One of the bigger talking points coming out of training camp was the renewed commitment on the defensive end of the floor.   It will still be too early to tell how well the new system will work, but it’ll be interesting to see how engaged the team is on that end. There were definite struggles with George Karl’s system last season, and at times the energy and effort on defense was lacking.  Joerger’s teams have been known for their defensive prowess, so it will be interesting to see what he can do with a Kings team that was among the worst defensively in the NBA last season.

    Joerger will also be unveiling his new offense.  There has been a lot of talk revolving around using DeMarcus Cousins in the high post, as well as a bigger offensive role for all of the team’s big men, similar to the way that Memphis uses Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.  Cousins has always shown potential as a passer, averaging 4.6 assists per 100 possessions last season, but the transition will not happen overnight.  Either way, having Cousins closer to the basket should be a much better fit for him once everything is worked out.  Tonight will be a good opportunity to see how much the team sticks to that plan, and how far along they are in learning how to run the offense.

    Willie Cauley-Stein will also be adjusting to a larger role on offense.  It’s hard to know what to expect here, largely because he has never been counted on to do too much, even going back to his days at Kentucky.  Without any previous history to look at, it will be hard to predict exactly how he will handle the new responsibilities given to him, but it should be interesting to see if he can develop into more of a two-way player for the team.

    Beyond that, this will be Cauley-Stein’s first chance to show how much his defense has improved from his rookie season.  He came out of college with the reputation as an elite defensive prospect, one with the rare ability to defend the paint and keep up with smaller players on the perimeter.  He showcased a lot of that last season, but certainly has room to grow.  A coach like Dave Joerger should be able to help him take that next step.

    A few new faces will also be competing for both roster spots and minutes, with the most watched battle so far being between Jordan Farmar and Ty Lawson.  Both are on non-guaranteed contracts heading into the preseason, so it’s likely that only one will make the final roster.  Malachi Richardson, Georgios Papagiannis and Skal Labissiere, the team’s first round picks from this summer, will all be trying to show that they can handle being in the rotation next season.

    Tonight will give a good glimpse of how all of the players fit in with both their new roles and their new teammates.  Players like Willie Cauley-Stein and Ben McLemore will be looking to turn some of their potential into production, and in the process hopefully solidify their spots in the rotation.  For some of the newer players, the game will be our chance to see how they are going to be utilized. Many of the newly signed players are known for their ability to handle multiple positions, so it will be worth watching where they play and who they play well with.

    The game tonight will likely only begin to answer most of these questions, but it will be fun to see what this team can do on the first night.

     

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x