One Area of Improvement for each Kings Player: Guards

Aug 28, 2024, 10:12 AM | Updated: 12:14 pm

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 18: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings reacts with teammate Mal...

De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings reacts with teammate Malik Monk #0 after a play in the third quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center on March 18, 2024 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Sactown Sports writer

External improvement via trades, free agency, and the draft often steal the headlines during an NBA offseason. Because of that, internal improvements can be overlooked but are just as vital to a team’s progress and development.

Regardless of age, NBA players always aim to improve individually from one season to the next. The Sacramento Kings have just two players in their thirties and plenty of players who could take notable strides heading into the 2023-24 season.

This exercise is divided into three pieces by position — not including rookies or two-way players. To start, I struggle to differentiate positions in today’s NBA. As head coach Mike Brown says, in Sacramento, positions one through four are interchangeable—it’s just about being able to match up defensively with the opposition.

That was seen throughout the seasons with lineups where Keegan Murray is at the typical shooting guard spot and other moments where Kevin Huerter is the second-tallest player on the floor.

So, forgive me if some of the positional definitions for these players seem a bit funky. They’re a somewhat unnecessary title in the modern NBA, particularly with the Kings.

That being said, I separated the players into guards, wings/forwards, and centers. I started with guards, whom I defined as players capable of bringing the ball up the floor and guarding the opposing team’s shorter, shifty initiators.

Here is one area of improvement going into 2024-25 for each of Sacramento’s “guards”:

De’Aaron Fox (27 years old): Shot Selection

Fox significantly improved as a deep threat last season, largely thanks to his consecutive years of offseason work with assistant coach Luke Loucks.

In 2022-23, he converted 32.4 percent of his five three-point attempts per game. Last year that jumped to 36.9 percent on 7.8 attempts.

It’s a crucial aspect of his long-term development, forcing defenders to respect his range. There were stellar games where he went 7/17, 8/16, and 7/13 from three, but it’s the moments where he converted just 2/12 or 5/15.

When it comes down to it, his elite skill remains as a finisher around the rim, making at least 65 percent of his attempts within four feet for the past four seasons, per Cleaning the Glass.

When he’s feeling it and knocking it down, by all means, keep letting it fly from three. But the Kings were 2-3 in games where Fox shot double-digit triples and made 35 percent or fewer.

The first step was showing the rest of the league that they must respect that shot. Now, use that to get back to your money and relentlessly attack the rim.

Malik Monk (26 years old): Fewer turnovers, consistency

This one is a bit tricky because part of Monk’s appeal is his willingness and ability to make tough plays, and with that comes inconsistencies. So, I went with his playmaking rather than asking him to iron out his shot selection.

Monk’s passing is crucial to Sacramento’s second unit’s offense, which led to him finishing second in Sixth Man of the Year voting. He averaged 5.1 assists per game—not far behind Fox’s 5.6.

The Kings were 13-2 in games where Monk tallied at least eight assists, often setting up Domantas Sabonis or backup centers Alex Len and JaVale McGee. Limiting turnovers could improve his consistency.

While he had a mere eight games with four or more turnovers, Sacramento went 4-4 in those showings. His playmaking responsibility may be lessened with the addition of DeMar DeRozan, but limiting mistakes (particularly live-ball turnovers) could greatly benefit the team.

Keon Ellis (25 years old): Ball handling

Coach Brown shared that coming into the 2023-24 season, he had placed Ellis as the fourth-string point guard behind Fox, Davion Mitchell, and rookie Colby Jones.

He quickly realized the value of Ellis’ 6’8.5 wingspan and the disruptive defense he provided, eventually starting him at the two for 17 of their final 19 games.

In a low-usage offensive role, Ellis has little room for turnovers. There were instances where he was tasked with bringing the ball up the floor and struggled to do so against standout perimeter defenders due to his handle.

If he can continue to develop that skill, it will allow the third-year guard to attack closeouts with more intent and bring the ball up the floor more promptly to initiate the offense.

Jordan McLaughlin (28 years old): Prove the improved three-ball is real

The most notable free agent signing the Kings made this offseason, McLaughlin spent his first five NBA seasons as a backup point guard for the Timberwolves.

Despite being listed at just 6’0, he’s a hound on the defensive end and an intelligent playmaker on the other.

Last season, his primary growth came as a perimeter shooter, knocking down 47.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes. Yet, in 2022-23, that number sat at 29.6 percent, and 32.8 percent in the year prior.

McLaughlin will need to prove that last season’s conversion rate is the new norm to optimize his time on the floor alongside playmakers such as Fox, DeRozan, and Sabonis.

Colby Jones (22 years old): Ball Handling

Jones seems to be following a career path similar to that of Ellis. He logged double-digit minutes with Sacramento on seven occasions in his rookie season.

Still, he averaged 36.1 minutes in 13 G-League games as a do-it-all guard with 19.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and two steals on 51.3 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three on 6.2 attempts.

The potential route to improvement is evident in his 3.4 turnovers per game with Stockton. While playing with Sacramento in Houston, he had three turnovers in 18 minutes.

As a second-year player, he will surely focus on improving multiple aspects of his game, but making strides as a ball handler could improve his chances of eventually earning the backup point guard role down the line.

When is the next Sacramento Kings offseason date of interest?

Now that we know when the Kings will suit up for their season-opener, we can look forward to October 24th, when the Beam Team will face the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Training camps will begin at the end of September, meaning general manager Monte McNair could still make a move or two — potentially including signing some of the above NBA free agents — to round out Sacramento before players report to Golden 1 Center.

Be sure to stay locked into Sactown Sports for all of your Sacramento Kings news on player signings, trades, game recaps, and more for the upcoming season.