SACRAMENTO -- After a disastrous 1-7 start and a complete blow up earlier in the week, the Sacramento Kings are rolling. Winners of three straight, the Kings leave Tuesday morning for their five-game Eastern Conference road trip with a renewed sense of excitement and focus.
It’s truly an amazing transformation taking place. From a dysfunctional mess to a team just a game and a half out of the playoff conversation in a week’s time speaks to the patience needed to survive an 82 game NBA schedule.
“Frustration and passion for losing you want on your team,” coach George Karl said. “You may want to have team togetherness first. But this is 10 new guys, it’s too early to come to decisions, in my mind.”
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Injuries are a huge part of the Kings slow start. Rudy Gay has missed two games, DeMarcus Cousins four and Collison has missed the last five with a strained left hamstring. The Kings have had their top four players healthy and on the court together just one time all season, but when you assemble the talent the Kings did this summer, expectations rise.
Why the sudden turnaround? Maybe it was Tuesday’s team meeting. Maybe the group has had a few more practices under their belt and things are starting to click. Maybe it’s a combination of many things.
“I think we’re playing good team ball,” Cousins said. “I think our defense has been pretty good lately. I think we’re moving the ball well. I think we’re communicating. I think we’re starting to find our chemistry.”
“We’re playing fast, we’re playing for each other, we’re moving the ball, we’re playing defense,” Gay added.
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The Kings aren’t going to ask many questions. They like the feeling of winning and they want to continue to push in a positive direction.
“Winning solves everything, man,” Gay said. “No matter what you went through, when you win a game, you feel like it was worth it.”
The Kings leave the friendly confines of Sleep Train Arena after nine home games in the team’s first 11 contests. There are winnable games during their season-long five-game trip, but staying together during difficult times is something this group has struggled with.
“We haven’t been on the road much,” Karl said. “We all know that it takes a little more to win on the road, but I think the momentum of winning three in a row can be a positive.”
This road trip won’t define this Kings team, but it may give everyone a better understanding of where they stand.
THE GOOD
Cousins if off to a great start. In his last three games, he has scored an incredible 109 points and he is now averaging 28.0 points per game on the season, which ranks fourth in the NBA.
Everybody knows Cousins can put the ball in the basket. The All-Star center averaged 24.1 points per game last season, but he has added a three point shot that has really opened the floor up for his teammates.
“I can shoot the ball, it happens,” Cousins said.
The 6-foot-11, 270-pound big came into the season having hit just 11 career 3-pointers in 69 attempts (15.9 percent), Through seven games, he has already made 13 of 29 attempts which equates to a blistering 44.8 percent.
Is the newfound 3-ball sustainable? You never know. With Cousins clear of the lane, Rajon Rondo is finding room to cut through. Rondo has a knack for putting players in a great position to take an open shot and Cousins has been a reliable option early this season.
THE BAD
The Toronto Raptors came into Sunday’s contest against the Kings ranked 19th in the league in 3-point field goal percentage at 32.8 percent. They averaged just 6.5 makes on 19.8 attempts over the team’s first 10 games.
“They didn’t see nothing but the rim,” Gay said. “We were in their face. Kosta contested a couple of them. They just take tough shots, sometimes that happens.”
The Kings have a way of making other teams look good offensively, but allowing a team to shoot 15-for-31 from behind the arc is crazy. Be it an issue with the defensive scheme or the Raptors catching fire, Sacramento almost gave away Sunday’s game.
“We were switching a lot of pick-and-rolls and our big guys were just not getting up high enough,” Karl said. “I’ll be honest with you, Lowry had some shots going in that even if we were good defending, they might still go in.”
Toronto hit 7-of-9 3-balls in the third quarter and walked into the fourth having hit 58.3 percent of their 24 attempts through 36 minutes. Be it fatigue or change in game plan, the Kings held the Raptors to just 1-of-7 shooting from behind the arc in the fourth, which is likely the reason the Kings outscored the Raptors 28-19 in the final frame and came away with the 107-101 victory.
THE TAKE
DeMarcus Cousins is much more than meets the eye.
For all of the bad press he received this week for his handling of the George Karl situation following Monday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the tide has quietly turned for Cousins over the past 48 hours.
Not only is the 25-year-old center playing incredible basketball that has led to three straight victories for the Kings, but his role as a community leader has people looking at him in a new light.
Cousins’ decision to pay for the funeral of a local high school football player who senselessly lost his life on Friday was generous. The fact that he tried to keep the gesture completely private tells you even more about his character off the court.
“It touched me,” Cousins said. “I’m a parent myself and I couldn’t imagine losing one of my kids.”
On Sunday evening, the family of Jaulon Clavo, the 17-year-old high school senior who was gunned down on Friday night, sat courtside as guests of Cousins. They held a private meeting with Cousins after the game and even spoke to reporters on site.
“Once upon a time, I was one of those kids, I didn’t have a lot of opportunity, I didn’t have the glamor and gold or whatever the case may be,” Cousins said. “So I know exactly what those kids are going through and I’m just a testament that you can believe in yourself, that you can do things. Don’t become another statistic.”
Cousins is the most visible Kings player in the Sacramento community. He takes time out of his busy life to make unannounced visits to local Sacramento high school sporting events. He is always generous around the holidays, but this was different. In a time of absolute tragedy, Cousins provided support for complete strangers and impacted their life in a real way.
“It’s my responsibility as a child of God,” Cousins said of reaching out to the family. “It has nothing to do with my profession. I’m just playing my part.”