Kayte Christensen: Why Trey Lyles benefited from being away with injury

NBC Sports California analyst Kayte Christensen joined “The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross” on Wednesday to discuss the Kings’ win over the Clippers, how Trey Lyles and the bench have stepped up in the face of injuries and more.

In his second game back since returning from a nine-game absence due to an MCL sprain, Lyles finished the night with 15 points, four rebounds, and five assists over 26 minutes.

“I honestly think that the time that Trey was off was probably a good thing for him because he was shooting the ball really poorly prior to his injury. He had a stretch of games where the three-ball was not falling for him and that’s a really big part of his role, to be able to come in and knock down those open three, kind of be a stretch guy,” Christensen said. “So I think, from a mental standpoint, when you have that time off and you forget ‘hey, I’ve been struggling shooting the ball.’ He steps back in, he looks good, and he’s shooting the ball with confidence.”

Additional topics discussed include:

• How the Kings’ bench stepped up against LA
• Guys like Davion Mitchell and Sasha Vezenkov adjusting their roles with recent injuries
• Since the NBA All-Star break, Kings coach Mike Brown has “gotten great production from the ancillary guys on the bench”
• What will the team miss from Malik Monk
• Thoughts and reactions to Lindsey Harding being named the NBA G League Coach of the Year
• If the franchise could lose associate head coach Jordi Fernandez this offseason

Click here to watch and listen to the full interview with Kayte Christensen.

Listen to The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross from 6 – 10 a.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140. Subscribe to their podcast here. Follow us on Twitter and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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