Three Games, Three Observations
Dec 28, 2020, 10:42 AM | Updated: 11:50 am
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Sacramento Kings are 2-1 over the first three games–just like we all expected…right?
When the first portion of the 2020-21 regular season schedule was released by the NBA earlier this month, the only true outcome I could see was an 0-3 start.
Here we are today, with the Sacramento Kings holding a 2-1 record heading into action on Tuesday night.
It’s funny how expectations work. On Wednesday morning prior to the season opener in Denver, I would imagine that if you took a poll, 90% of Kings fans expected a loss–probably even a blowout loss at the hands of the Nuggets.
That wouldn’t be the case, with Sacramento stunning the Nuggets on their own home floor to steal a 1-0 start to the season.
Following Wednesday night’s heroics, the Kings returned home to face a Phoenix Suns team that is considered to qualify for the postseason after the big offseason move of acquiring legendary floor general Chris Paul.
Sacramento would once again put forward a strong effort, holding off the Suns to improve to the franchise’s first 2-0 start since the 2003-04 season.
On Sunday night, the Kings fell flat in the second game of the back-to-back after a brutal third-quarter, losing to the Suns by final of 116-100. Foul trouble hampered De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III down the stretch, giving Phoenix a chance to close things out.
All things considered, fans should be quite pleased with the way that this young Kings team has performed thus far.
Expectations are not high for this team. Through three games, they look like they can compete on any given night, reminiscent of the 2018-19 team that nearly broke the playoff drought.
With three games in the books, let’s take a look at three big storylines from the Kings’ first three contests:
Tyrese Haliburton is going to be a fan-favorite
It didn’t take long for Sacramento Kings fans to fall in love with rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton.
The 20-year-old has looked incredibly sharp over the first three games, proving that he can play on both sides of the ball at an efficient level.
Watching Haliburton run the offense and make smart plays is a refreshing sight. The lengthy guard has done a great job running the second unit, dishing 15 assists and only turning the ball over once.
That’s right. One turnover over 83 minutes. That is not easy to do.
Along with his notable playmaking and anticipatory defense, Halburton has looked good shooting the basketball, knocking down 50-percent of his field goal attempts and 41-percent of his three-point attempts.
Over three games, Haliburton is averaging 9.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game over almost 28-minutes per appearance.
Sacramento has seemingly found a gem in Haliburton, who somehow fell into their laps at pick number twelve in last month’s NBA Draft.
Marvin Bagley III returns
When the season opened up last week, it had been nearly a year since Marvin Bagley III had appeared in an NBA game.
Bagley’s last appearance was on January 20th in Miami, where he put up a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double before sitting out the rest of the season to to foot injuries.
It seems like the young forward has picked up where he left off, scoring 12.3 points and grabbing 9.7 rebounds per game over the first three games, including two double-double performances.
Bagley opened up the season with a double-double in Denver, logging 13 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out late.
The 21-year-old looked sharp in Sacramento’s home-opener, being ultra aggressive in going right at Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton–the player who was drafted right ahead of Bagley in the 2018 NBA Draft.
After his second-straight double-double on Saturday night (13 points, 11 rebounds over 20 minutes), Bagley got into foul trouble on Sunday night. The 6’11 big fell scored 11 points to go along with eight rebounds over 27 minutes.
Some of Bagley’s shot selection has been questionable, but there’s no doubt that the former Duke Blue Devil is playing with some serious tenacity this season.
Over the first three games, Bagley has not shied away from going hard in the paint at his defenders, getting to the rim often and getting chances for his patented jump half-hook.
While his three-point shot still remains to need improvement (one-of-seven so far this season), Bagley has the set shooting form that–in my opinion–can someday turn into more of an outside threat.
Bagley is going to have a big year if he can stay healthy.
Per 36 minutes, Bagley is putting up 17.5 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. Over the first three games, he is nearly averaging a double-double with 12.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
Shot selection must improve (39-percent from the field), but Bagley will find his rhythm. The Kings need their big man in order to have expanded success in 2020-21.
Buddy Buckets struggles to get into a groove
Last season, Buddy Hield was struggling to find his shot while acting as the starting shooting guard over the first half of the season.
Eventually, head coach Luke Walton opted to move Hield to the bench so that Bogdan Bogdanovic could get a minutes with De’Aaron Fox in the starting five.
Hield went on to flourish in a bench role, scoring almost 18 points per game on 45-percent shooting from three-point range over 28 games.
With Bogdanovic gone, Hield is back in the starting unit.
While it has only been three games, Buddy has struggled from both the field and three-point range, only converting 37-percent of both his two-point and three-point field goal attempts.
After a solid opening night showing in which he scored 22 points and knocked down five of his 11 three-point attempts, Hield couldn’t find his shot during the two-game set with the Suns.
Hield went a combined 10-of-30 from the field and five-of-16 from downtown over the two games.
While his shot might not have been working, Hield’s defense was notable over the first three games. Nuggets guards Jamal Murray and Gary Harris struggled on Wednesday when covered by Hield, as did Suns All-Star Devin Booker.
When it comes down to it, Buddy Hield is one of the best shooters in the game today. Maybe it can be chalked up as a bad weekend or possibly the fact that the Phoenix guards did a good job taking him out of the game, but one thing is certain:
Buddy Hield will not continue to struggle to this capacity.
The Kings are at their best when Buddy is knocking down triples and running the floor, something that I expect will improve in the coming games. This early in the season, it’s all about getting back into your comfort zones and figuring out how to play within the system–especially with new pieces.
If by any chance Hield can’t find his stroke down the line, it is possible that Walton flip-flops Haliburton and Hield’s roles in the rotation.
That could be a last-resort type of move near the mid-point of the season, however. Haliburton is the heartbeat of the bench unit, something that shouldn’t be messed with, in my opinion.
Again, it’s only been three games.
I expect Buddy to shake off the rough Suns series and be the sharpshooter that Kings fans have come to appreciate.
