NBATV Airs Their 2019-2020 Sacramento Kings Preview

NBATV recently aired a Sacramento Kings Team Preview which fans can catch on NBA TV.  During the segment, Kevin McHale and Brendan Haywood provided analysis on the Kings.

During the first part of the Sacramento Kings Preview on NBATV, Kevin McHale and Brendan Haywood provided their thoughts on De’Aaron Fox, saying the ceiling is “higher than this studio room”.  They had some solid analysis about Fox and how difficult it is to guard against his speed. They added that Fox needs to improve on passing the ball to his shooters when he drives.

They also highlighted Marvin Bagley, and how he needs to find a way to be more aggressive and get stronger, moving to areas on the floor where he can score. They described how young he is, and that strength and toughness will come with more experience in the league. They believed that Bagley will be in the starting lineup this season.

Coaching & Veterans

They then moved on to Luke Walton and his past coaching accolades. They said that this is the opportunity for Luke “to finally put a stamp on the team,” adding that Walton needs to have well-defined roles for the team as well as a good offensive system. They pointed out that the Kings were 9th in scoring last season but gave up more points on the defensive end.

The NBATV crew described the veterans that the Kings have such as Trevor Ariza who Kevin McHale coached during the 2014-15 season when the Rockets went 56-26. He described Ariza as being vocal when the team isn’t giving much effort, and how he isn’t very much of an outspoken individual unless you are not meeting his expectations. They also described Dewayne Dedmon and his shooting ability, adding that this will open up more space for Fox to drive inside. They say teams will have a hard time guarding outside shooters like Dedmon and Buddy Hield.

Brendan Haywood then went on to talk about Hield and how he thought the Kings made the wrong move when initially acquired him, though he changed his mind when he listened to the Kings and how they needed a culture change. He described Hield as the culture-changer, adding that guys like Ariza and Hield are “high-character” players.

Fox & Predictions

The NBATV crew then showed an interview conducted by Matt Winer, who asked Fox about the Kobe Bryant invitation-only practice. Winer asked what the Kings need to improve on. Fox responded by saying, “We can score with the best of them, but we need to take the next step on defense”.

Lastly, NBATV made predictions on over and under 38.5 wins. Both Haywood and McHale said over but they were reluctant to say if they see the team making the playoffs. Haywood said it would be a failure for the Kings to not make the playoffs even it meant winning 47-48 games, while McHale said it wouldn’t mean its a failure unless “they regress and win 37 games and guys are not developing”.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I think this preview provided some good analysis, and I believe the anchors were well educated on the state of the franchise. They had some good things to say about the Kings and also described what Sacramento needs to focus on for the season.

I agree with McHale on the over 38.5 wins. I believe the Kings will win close to 50 games, somewhere between 47-50, though it is not guaranteed that with this win total that they will make playoffs.

Catch the Kings Preview on NBATV!