A Royal Pain
Fansided

The Sacramento Kings Tricked Us All With A Treat!

By John Kelly

SACRAMENTO, CA - OCTOBER 8: Buddy Hield #24 of the Sacramento Kings looks on against the Maccabi Haifa during a pre-season game on October 8, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - OCTOBER 8: Buddy Hield #24 of the Sacramento Kings looks on against the Maccabi Haifa during a pre-season game on October 8, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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After a confusing preseason where Dave Joerger gave Sacramento Kings fans and the media the run-around, he has given fans a pleasant treat: winning basketball.

Joerger Keeps Information Hidden

I have reported that Dave Joerger has a reputation for keeping team information in-house. That includes preseason starting lineups. The Sacramento Kings’ preseason lineups were experiments for seeing how some players would fit together on the floor. And the preseason also proved Joerger was hiding a secret.

Joerger planned to surprise the NBA world to begin the season. You knew something was up when Yogi Ferrell scored 26 points and then was shut down.

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The Trick

Joerger threw out the statement that this team was not as far along as he wanted, according to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee.

"“Kings coach Dave Joerger has dropped subtle and not-so-subtle hints that his team might be much further away from being competitive than some might have hoped.”"

When watching preseason games this year, teams like the Lakers, for example, played LeBron James and Rajon Rondo to give the team a chance to build chemistry. Joerger, on the other hand, kept some of his key players out. In my opinion, he was up to something.

I could only guess it was a way to let teams think the Kings would be an easy win, as the Kings’ preseason play had tempered my hopes as the defense looked as horrid as some of the trick-or-treating costumes on the streets tonight.

The Treat

The real surprise was the players I saw over the summer hanging out with one another and putting in the work. Examples were guys like Bogdan Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield hanging out together, Iman Shumpert posting his workout videos on social media, and Kosta Koufos making the effort to improve his offensive game.

I stated that I have never seen a group of any Kings teammates working this hard over the summer and that this is the season for it to pay off. Adding that the team would have third and fourth-year players that would finally put it all together.

The trick and the treat was that the coaching staff knew exactly how good their core unit was. Willie made a comment that I felt was motivation over the offseason. Some of the players were sick of losing and so is Willie.

The team passes the eye test and their solid play proves it. Joerger knew he could say “I will focus on the youth” without giving away the secret that his team had already taken the next step. The treat is that they are winning with his style. The Kings are making some noise in the NBA and with the national media.

Final thoughts

I do not know of anyone who said the purple and white would have this many wins (five) so early in the season, but Grant Napier and Doug Christie said they thought this team was better than the national media had projected.

I said defense and a faster pace of play that used the team’s quickness was an advantage the Kings needed to use. That is proven to be the case so far, as the major key to almost every win for the Kings has been defense.

When needed, the Kings are able to lock down opponents and get stops. Add that with a faster pace on offense and you have a competitive squad. Major props to the coaching staff and players for making some noise in the NBA! Hopefully, they can continue to turn heads with their exciting play.

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