What to make of the Sacramento Kings’ loss against the Warriors?

This article will dive into my takeaways from the recent Sacramento Kings’ preseason game against the Golden State Warriors.

Note #1: The Warriors are pretty good.

I would assume everybody in the world knows this already. The Golden State Warriors click like they have been playing together for years. Oh yeah, that is because they have been playing together for years. Justin Jackson had his hands full as Kevin Durant is a hard matchup for anyone. But maybe that is because Justin was tired from covering LeBron James the night before.

This is what preseason is used for. These games do not count and that is why you let anyone play who needs experience. To see what the Sacramento Kings have in their younger players and what they need to do to get better.

Note #2: Are the Kings this bad?

Let us get a few facts on the record. First, the Kings have not played any of their veteran players yet. Not even one second in the preseason. Kosta Koufos would have defended the paint like the veteran he is. Zach Randolph would have scored in the paint as the wily old professional he has been for years. And Nemanja Bjelica has not seen the floor with the Kings either.

Even with the veterans on the floor, I still think Sacramento would have lost, but not by a margin of 28 points. We know the focus is developing the youngsters but is Wenyen Gabriel really going to get serious playing time? So I think the Kings are not as bad as the score indicates, but at the same time, they have work to do.

Note #3: What to expect in future games?

I have to be honest and say I do not know what to expect. Will any of the veterans make an appearance and play in any games? The loss against the Warriors is not a surprise but how bad the Kings played defense was.

The Warriors are just a better team. The Kings’ coaching staff is aware of what their main players can do. After watching the guys in practice for a couple of weeks, Joerger must have a good sense of what kind of team he has going forward. Coach knows who is starting and who is coming off the bench.

I expect to see the younger players on the court more during the preseason. Once the regular season starts, some will not get as many chances for playing time. These are free games to experiment and tinker with different lineups. Joerger might not show us his game plan till opening night.

Final Thoughts

If a team loses by one point or by fifty points it still equals one loss. The Kings will have a lot of tough games this year. What they must do is work hard, show hustle, and show improvement over the season in order to get enough wins to surpass last year’s total of 27.

Joerger and his staff will have to scrape a few extra wins from better teams. Right now, it is too early to panic. Let us get through the first 15 games of the season first. Then we can decide if we need to worry. I just want to see an honest team effort on defense. The offense seems to be ok but their defense will keep them competitive in games.