It would be incorrect to insinuate that general manager Monte McNair and Kings coach Mike Brown are at odds, but it is reasonable to speculate that their opinions on offence vs defence may diverge somewhat.Brown has insisted since training camp began that Sacramento’s defence will be the key to any postseason success. As an assistant coach, Brown has been a part of four championship teams: three with the Golden State Warriors and one with the San Antonio Spurs. The reigning and unanimous NBA Coach of the Year is emphatic that the Kings need to improve their defence because he understands what it takes to win in the playoffs.
Brown has insisted since training camp began that Sacramento’s defence will be the key to any postseason success. As an assistant coach, Brown has been a part of four championship teams: three with the Golden State Warriors and one with the San Antonio Spurs. The reigning and unanimous NBA Coach of the Year is emphatic that the Kings need to improve their defence because he understands what it takes to win in the playoffs.
Brown has demonstrated a willingness to give up offensive potential in order to improve defence. Brown isn’t concerned about his team’s ability to score after breaking a record with the greatest offensive rating in NBA history the previous season, but McNair was obviously thinking about offence before the All-Star break.
As he addressed the media after the NBA trade deadline, McNair stated, “We know we’ve got to improve the offence back closer to what it was last year. If we do that, I think we can make some noise, but we’ve got some work to do because the West is tough 1 to 12 or 13 this year and every game is going to be a dogfight.” The Kings (31-23) continue to struggle with their identity as they enter the regular season after the All-Star break, with 28 games remaining. Last season, they won 48 games to secure the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, ending the longest playoff drought in NBA history, but they now sit eighth in the West.
Should the Kings attempt to make the playoffs by running and gunning it like they did last year? Should they continue to emphasise aggressiveness, attention, and defensive effort? When the Kings attempt to make a comeback to the playoffs after losing a thrilling seven-game series to the Warriors in the first round of the previous season, this question may decide their future. “We won’t have a chance if we’re going to rank No. 1 in the NBA on offence and No. 25 in defence, so we need to keep getting better on that end of the court to give ourselves a chance,” Brown stated. “As this team’s coach, even though it might not work out, I’d rather know I tried to do something.”
An examination of the figures is necessary for this discussion. With shooters like Keegan Murray, Harrison Barnes, and Kevin Huerter surrounding De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, the Kings finished the previous season ranked first in offensive rating (118.6), eighth in net rating (+2.6), and 24th in defensive rating (116.0). With an average of 120.7 points per game, they led the NBA in scoring and finished 25th in scoring defence (allowing 118.1 points per game). The Kings are No. 14 in offensive rating (116.6), No. 18 in defensive rating (116.1), and No. 17 in net rating (+0.5) after 54 games this season. They rank 21st in scoring defence (117.9 ppg) and sixth in scoring (118.4 ppg). The Kings are conceding 0.2 less points each game.
