The Kings plan to use consecutive off-days to re-emphasize the fundamentals

Dec 10, 2024, 6:07 PM

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 20: Domantas Sabonis #10 and Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings celebrate ag...

Domantas Sabonis #10 and Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings celebrate against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at the Scotiabank Arena on March 20, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

(Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Sactown Sports writer

Following their 141-97 win over the Utah Jazz Sunday night, the Sacramento Kings had just one game on their schedule over the next seven days.

Aware of that, Malik Monk joked in the locker room postgame that it would be like training camp all over again.

Based on Tuesday’s post-practice media availability, it sounds like he wasn’t far off.

It’s a rare break in the season and somewhat of a silver lining resulting from the Kings not advancing in the 2024-25 NBA Cup action after going 1-3 in the round-robin phase.

The guys were given Monday off but were back at the practice facility the next day. Head coach Mike Brown and his staff are emphasizing some of the crucial fundamentals they want their group to execute “possession after possession.”

With how hectic and packed the NBA schedule can be, practices are sometimes forced to be minimalized to a heavy amount of film work focused around the recent past or upcoming matchups. Now, they can dive into details they usually wouldn’t prioritize highlighting.

“Even if you’re not ‘poor’ in this area, (the extended break) gives you a chance to clean it up. Like today, we worked a little bit on post defense. We haven’t talked about post defense in forever, but it’s just an opportunity to revisit because we have some time. So, as coaches hopefully we’re picking out the right things to go back and revisit. First of all, we’re working on the things that we’re weak at on both sides of the floor. But then, on top of that, we’re picking out some things that we need to revisit right now because we have the time.”

Sacramento head coach Mike Brown after Monday’s practice (12/10/24)

When Domantas Sabonis was asked if the extended time off was beneficial, he responded, “Yeah, for sure.”

“We’re going to go over everything we did in training camp,” he continued. “Obviously, Coach has changed some things since training camp, so we’ve just got to freshen up.”

The Kings have won three of their last four games, averaging 127.8 points on 51.2 percent from the field while holding their opponents to 109 points on 43.3 percent shooting. Now, they’ve just got to maintain focus and try to continue to string some wins together.

But, sometimes, an extended break like the one in front of them can cause teams to lose their rhythm. They had a three-day break before playing the Los Angeles Clippers on the road this season and came out flat early.

Forward Keegan Murray provided some perspective on the pros and cons of this scheduled break.

“It can be a good thing as long as we all can stay locked in through that time,” he said. “For us, it could be a good thing. It could be a bad thing if you consider it a break, and it’s really not a break.”

Their lone game during those seven days comes against the injury-riddled New Orleans Pelicans (5-20), who sit at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. As fans and players will remember, the Kings went winless in six matchups against the Pelicans last year.

They’re hoping for a different outcome Thursday night.

Sabonis said they haven’t necessarily circled that matchup, “But we definitely can’t lose. That’s all I got to say.”

Hopefully, the “off-days” will benefit the Kings, as they hope to maintain their positive momentum from the games prior.

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

With the NBA Cup’s knockout stage set to begin next week, Sacramento will play just one game over the next seven days, providing Mike Brown’s group a chance to regroup and get some much-needed practice.

The Kings’ lone game this week will be against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night at the Smoothie King Center, the building that witnessed the end of Sacramento’s season in the Play-In Tournament just eight months ago.

New Orleans has been the Kings’ worst nightmare lately, going 6-0 against Sacramento last season.

Be sure to catch all of the Kings vs. Pelicans action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PT on The Drive Guys before action tips off at 5:00 PM PT from New Orleans.