Rewind: After Loss in Orlando, Kings Remain a Work in Progress

Panic. Widespread hysteria. Crying in the streets.

No, the Sacramento Kings aren’t trying to break their lease at the new Golden 1 Center and relocate to Nashville. They haven’t traded DeMarcus Cousins for a bag of magic beans or fired another head coach.

They’ve lost three in a row on the road, including a forgettable 102-94 performance on Thursday night in Orlando. Adversity is trying to wear them like a retro Members Only jacket and they still have two more games on the trip before returning home.

This isn’t a Sam Hinkie, “trust the process” moment. But anyone who knows basketball can tell you that implementing new systems on both ends of the floor with eight new rostered players and without your starting point guard was going to have some peaks and valleys.

Is it alarming that Willie Cauley-Stein, a 7-foot big man, has four total rebounds in five games? Absolutely. Is there an issue when Cousins and Rudy Gay are the only two players averaging double digits in scoring? That is a resounding, YES!

But it’s a work in progress. And six games is a really small sample size in the NBA.

The Kings’ missteps against the Magic were similar to their past failures. Poor rebounding, turnovers leading to easy baskets for the opponent and missed opportunities are plaguing this team early.

''They just got too many second chances with our turnovers and too many second chances on the offensive glass,'' said Joerger told reporters following the game. ''That's the story of the game.''

Sacramento still has the look and feel of five individuals on the floor, instead of a cohesive unit. Orlando outscored the Kings 23-13 on second chance points. They outrebounded Sacramento 44-39 and they beat them on fast break points 14-8.

The rebounding number has become a huge issue for Sacramento. Through six games, they’ve won the rebounding battle just once, against Miami earlier in the week. For a team that boasts one of the best bigs in the game and starts two centers on most nights, that unacceptable. But it’s not just on the frontcourt.

“In the first half, we had too many guys, especially on the wings, who didn’t come down and rebound,” Joerger said.

After 12 rebounds in Miami two night’s earlier, Gay finished with just two rebounds in 32 minutes of action. Starting shooting guard Arron Afflalo didn’t record a board in 18 minutes of action and Cauley-Stein grabbed a single rebound in nearly 25 minutes of floor time.

The Kings will get a chance to turn things around on Saturday night when they travel to Milwaukee for game four of their five game road trip. Following the contest against the Bucks, they’ll finish out the trip Sunday in Toronto before returning home to face the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night with a returning Darren Collison.

An Omri Casspi Sighting

Omri Casspi returned to the floor after missing the previous two games due to illness. He looked like he was on roller skates for portions of the game, but overall, he brought an energy that has been clearly missing from the Kings second unit.

The 28-year-old forward missed more than a week of training camp due to a hip injury and another illness. He fell behind both Matt Barnes and Anthony Tolliver in the rotation, but on Thursday in Orlando he played 23 minutes off the bench for Joerger, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field and 2-for-4 from long range. He added five rebounds, including three on the offensive end and brought a spark to second unit.

Casspi missed a couple of breakaway opportunities and like his teammates, he’s still trying to find a comfort level with the system. But his speed and perimeter shooting appeared to open the floor and bring a change of pace to the game.

With Casspi seeing extended minutes for the first time this season, Barnes played just nine minutes in the loss and Tolliver received the dreaded DNP-CD (did not play - coach’s decision).

Coach Joerger is still searching for the right combinations on the floor. Casspi brings 3-point shooting and another gear on the break. Tolliver is a defensive-minded stretch four with range. Barnes is a multi-faceted veteran that brings a toughness to the squad. Each gives Joerger something different, but finding time for all three won’t be easy.
 

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