Matt Barnes says Sacramento Kings, Kevin Huerter in a ‘delicate situation’
Oct 18, 2023, 3:26 PM
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Kevin Huerter #9 of the Sacramento Kings dribbles the ball past Jerome Robinson #18 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Golden 1 Center on October 15, 2023 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Matt Barnes, NBA analyst for NBC Sports and ESPN, joined “The Drive Guys” Wednesday prior to discuss how the Kings have looked during the preseason, his thoughts on Mike Brown benching Kevin Huerter for Chris Duarte in the last preseason game, and more.
Huerter’s benching and his reaction have been a topic of conversation in Sacramento since last weekend. Barnes said he hopes coach Mike Brown doesn’t read too much into Huerter’s slow shooting start during the preseason. In the 2022-23 season, the 25-year-old guard had career years for three-point field goal percentage (.402), field goal percentage (.485), and points per game (15.2).
READ MORE FROM SACTOWN SPORTS: Is Kevin Huerter’s starting spot in jeopardy?
“It is a delicate situation. Obviously, defense is not necessarily one of his strengths, but when he’s on, he’s one of the best shooters in the game,” Barnes said. “It will be interesting to see moving forward, how Mike [Brown] handles this and I hope he handles this with care because not only is he a shooter… but just on the offensive end, his arsenal, him and Keegan Murray, to me, both are labeled as spot-up shooters, but both of these guys can make plays. I think their play-making abilities are underrated. I think their pull-up game is underrated. Being able to finish at the basket. They both do all that very well, so they’re not just your typical shooters.”
Additional topics discussed include:
- Recording episodes of “All the Smoke” podcast with current and former members of the Sacramento Kings.
- If fans or analysts should put much stock into preseason results
- How has Sasha Vezenkov looked in training camp and preseason?
- What similarities are there between this current Kings team and the teams’ Matt Barnes played on in the 2000s?
- Where does he see the Sacramento Kings finishing this season?
- Are there similarities between the “We Believe” Warriors from 2006-07 and the current Kings team?
- What are the biggest storylines in the Eastern Conference that fans should pay attention to?
Click here to watch and listen to the full interview with Matt Barnes.
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