
SACRAMENTO –- The Sacramento Kings are a work in progress, but signs of improvement are everywhere.
Tonight they improved to 2-1 in the preseason when they knocked off the San Antonio Spurs by a final of 95-92, but the record means very little this time of year.
One of the major weaknesses in the Kings’ game a year ago was their lack of three-point shooting. Playing for three separate coaches, Sacramento ranked 28th out of 30 teams in both 3-point attempts and 3-point makes. The answer in the offseason was to add shooters like Marco Belinelli, Caron Butler and Seth Curry, but improvement from within was always an option as well.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Rudy Gay has always had a sweet stroke from the perimeter, but you wouldn’t call him a knockdown shooter from behind the arc. A career 34.3 percent shooter from distance, one of the items on his list for this summer was to improve from the outside.
[HAM: Instant Replay: Gay drops game high in Kings win over Spurs]
It’s a small sample size, but Gay is finding his groove from deep early in the preseason. After a lackluster first game, Gay has dropped in 56 points over his last two starts and hit an amazing 8-of-10 of his 3-point attempts.
“The ball is just going in man,” Gay said from his locker room stall. “I’ve been practicing and shooting, doing what every NBA players’ been doing. I guess it’s just been going in for me.”
NBA
The potential has always been there. Is it possible we are now seeing what Gay can do in a George Karl offense?
“I think he just has the freedom that we want to shoot the ball from the three-point line and he has it, he’s always shot a good percentage, he’s big and I think he’s just got to take advantage of shooting over the top of the defense. He wasn’t shooting the ball very well for most of training camp, he didn’t play very well in Portland –- I think it was just pride that he came out and said he wanted to come out and start playing better.”
If the trend continues, the Kings will have two elite scoring options in Gay and DeMarcus Cousins. The Kings bested a short-handed Spurs team missing three sure-fire Hall of Fame players and the best coach in the league tonight. But defensive stat Kawhi Leonard started opposite Gay and the Kings’ veteran wing lit him up.
THE GOOD
Sacramento has been searching for a pass-first point guard to pair with Cousins since he came into the league. Rondo is starting to show that he is that guy.
“It’s my first time with a pass first point guard,” Cousins said. “He’s very intelligent, he knows the game. It’s my first time, but it’s been fun so far.”
In 25 minutes of action tonight, the former All-Star ran the Kings offense to perfection, finishing with six points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and zero turnovers. Rondo jumped all over the Spurs in the third quarter, showing a spark that we haven’t seen from the 29-year-old guard in some time.
“That’s what I know he can do,” Gay said of his close friend. “Obviously it’s just a matter of time. He’s learning us just like we’re learning him. It’s going to take a little time, but once he gets comfortable, he’ll definitely be the floor general we know he can be.”
THE BAD
Karl continues to tinker with his starting lineup and his rotation is still in flux. Players are having to learn to their teammates on the fly and for the most part, the team is showing signs of gelling.
Ben McLemore may be the exception to the rule. The 22-year-old shooting guard continues to struggle early in the season. After starting the first two preseason games, Karl went with veteran James Anderson alongside Rondo in the starting backcourt. When Karl turned to his bench, it was Marco Belinelli and not McLemore that got the initial call.
“It’s all about figuring out how the pieces fit, it’s not about any one individual being judged right now,” Karl said. “It’s only three games, it’s what, eight practices, nine practices in the season right.”
It’s very early, but McLemore once again had a forgettable performance, finishing 1-of-6 from the field and missing both of his 3-point attempts. Through three games, McLemore is averaging just 3.7 points per game on a combined 3-for-15 from the field.
Karl will give him time to right the ship, but with Belinelli and Anderson pushing for minutes behind the former Kansas star, the clock is ticking.
THE TAKE
Willie Cauley-Stein is quietly cementing himself as a starter next to DeMarcus Cousins. The 22-year-old rookie out of Kentucky isn’t putting up gaudy stats, but his athleticism and defensive acumen stand out. Following another solid performance, Karl spoke highly of his rookie big.
“Right now my feeling is Kosta (Koufos) probably fits the bench better than Willie does,” Karl said. "And Willie probably fits Cuz a little better, too. I’m not sure that’s where I’ll go, but that’s probably where I’m tilted right now.”