Opponent Scouting: Sacramento Kings (15-12)
Tonight at 7:00pm EST the Detroit Pistons will be hosting the Kings of Sacramento at the LCA. The Pistons are on one day of rest after defeating the Hornets while the Kings are also on one day of rest off a victory over Toronto although this is their 3rd game in 4 nights.
The Them:
The Kings are…. good? Yeah, they are pretty good. A 15-12 record, the 5th-best offense and 18th-ranked defense in the league with several dynamic players who seem to fit well together make this already looks to clearly be one of the best Kings teams in a long time.
Domantas Sabonis, acquired last season by trading Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana, has been excellent. Not clear that trade will ever be fully justifiable given how Haliburton is panning out but Sabonis has held up his end of the bargain. 17.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 6.4(!!) assists per game. The big man is the driving force behind the vast majority of what the Kings do offensively, he is awesome out of the low or high post, bullies inside and has a jumper to move you out when called for. Sabonis doesn’t take many threes but is shooting a decent enough percentage that you can’t ignore him when he is on the perimeter. And to be clear, that 17.5 points don’t exactly jump off the page but Sabonis is shooting 62% from the field and sports a true shooting percentage of almost 68% which is genuinely absurd for any player that is a central offensive player. He also has shown awesome chemistry with De’Aaron Fox.
Speaking of Fox, he pairs up with Sabonis for their big two and while Sabonis is probably the best player in Sacramento Fox has still found an excellent stride since Sabonis arrived. Fox is averaging 22.5 points, 5.6 assists, and 5 rebounds per game, he’s shooting 36% from deep on good volume, his true shooting percentage is nearly 60%, and has generally learned how to play smarter than previously in his career. Fox always had wicked athleticism and speed but now he has a high level of understanding and skills to fully pair with it. Fox also is awesome defensively when he’s locked in.
After those top two, the Kings have several really solid role players. Kevin Huerter missed their last game with a knock and I haven’t seen anything confirming his status for tonight but if he plays, he’s now one of the league’s best shooters, hitting 41% from deep on high volume while also being capable of putting the ball on the floor some to the tune of 15 points per game. He’s not completely the same but there are real similarities between his game and Bojan’s in that they are primarily shooters but have some real umph with the ball in their hands. Keegan Murray hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire but he’s already a plus shooter and can score with the ball, Harrison Barnes just continues to be a great glue guy who does some of everything and plays both ends of the floor, although Barnes has not shot well from deep so far this year. Terence Davis filled into the starting lineup with Huerter out last game and he’s a good shooter but doesn’t do much beyond that. Malik Monk has fulfilled his destiny as a spark-plug shooter off the bench and is averaging 15 points per game in just 23 minutes, he isn’t super efficient but he can get buckets in a hurry. Pistons legend Trey Lyles can score a bit and isn’t a bad defender, Richaun Holmes is an athletic center. Davion Mitchell is a bulldog defensively.
This team is genuinely good, they are dynamite offensively and not a disaster on defense. They are not really even darkhorse contenders in the west but they could maybe be one good trade away from approaching that territory. Most notably, they are an exceptionally fun team to watch which is nice when the Pistons have some real stinkers.
Matchups to watch:
Sabonis vs. Duren: The Pistons might try Stewart on Sabonis but that seems doomed to fail because Stew is probably outright too small. Duren has the right physical profile to hold up but Sabonis is so skilled and smart that this could be something of a “welcome to the league” night for Duren. If Duren (or whichever bigs end up tangoing with Sabonis) can keep contact it will make a big difference, if it becomes a blood-bath for Sabonis though this could get out of hand quickly.
Hayes vs. Fox: Each are huge offensively for their respective teams, each guy has good size and each guy competes defensively. Obviously Fox is better than Hayes, but Hayes has shown that on any given night he could play up to the level of a guy like Fox.
Pistons vs. Winning on the wings: The wings for Sacramento are not bad, especially if Huerter does play, but in theory, if Ivey/Bojan/everyone else can play well this is where the Pistons can make good progress. Harrison Barnes is a tough defender for Bojan but he isn’t a defensive superstar. It’d also be fun if Ivey and Keegan Murray get matched up some given they were drafted one after the other.
Corey Joseph vs. Not being worthless: Self-explanatory
Pistons vs. Getting on a winning streak??: The Kings might have some tired legs, the Pistons should be coming in with some confidence, lets win two in a row.
Malik Monk vs. Alec Burks: This version of Monk and Burks are almost exact mirrors of each other. Both play about 20 minutes and score about 15 points, both shoot a ton. The bench mobs should be a fun duel between two shameless chuckers.
So in conclusion…
Run for the hills if:
Sabonis is working every big the Pistons throw at him.
Fox is getting out in transition.
Malik Monk is winning the 6th man duel
Wink knowingly at your friends if:
Jalen Duren steps up to the task
Killian Hayes is the best player on the court. Again.
Saddiq Bey finds some rhythm.
Opportunities for me to look stupid:
The Pistons have no answer for Sabonis
The Pistons offense finds a lot of traction
Burks wins the 6th man duel
Pistons 127 - Kings 120