It has been an up-and-down month of December for the Sacramento Kings, and things should get better after last night’s loss in Charlotte.
The Sacramento Kings battled the Charlotte Hornets yesterday in what ended up being a disappointing eight-point loss. Fans had some overreactions after the game, but need to keep in mind that there will be an adjustment period as the Kings are fully healthy for the first time since the preseason.
Another poor performance by the Kings & the roller coaster year continues
— Dejan Aleksic (@DejanAleksic70) December 18, 2019
That's great, but honestly--more concerned about the team winning games that they would seem to have the talent to win. Great that Fox is back so no more excuses. Time to play like you wanna win.
— joe (@ratermaj) December 18, 2019
De’Aaron Fox Comes Back
The Kings got their star point guard De’Aaron Fox back from an ankle injury that occurred over 4 weeks ago. He did not disappoint, scoring 19 pts, assisting on 8 made baskets, and making a couple of threes. His athleticism was on full display, and doesn’t seem to have any ill-effects from his injury. On one play, Fox wowed the crowd by completely jumping over Devonte Graham on defense.
https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/1207114856538636294
Turnovers
After coming off a win over the Warriors in which the Kings committed 29 turnovers, the most for any Kings team since 1996, the Kings took much better care of the ball in the Hornets game, in which they had an assist : turnover ratio of 23:10.
Marvin Bagley
Marvin Bagley had a solid game offensively, scoring 14 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Bagley also made another three-pointer in the game, which is a good sign for the second-year player, as well as for the team going forward. Bagley still has some kinks to work out, however, especially on the defensive end of the floor.
Final Thoughts
It is easy to get frustrated at the loss against the Hornets, but fans have to keep in mind that this is the first time that the team has been at full strength and need more games under their belt in order to get comfortable and build chemistry.
A lot of the fans were wrong in regards to their urging of the firing of Luke Walton after the 0-5 start, myself included. But Walton has responded, and his team is 12-10 since that dismal start. I expect Walton’s team to continue to respond after these losses. The defense wasn’t as great as it was when Bagley and Fox were out, but I expect that to get better as they acclimate to Walton’s system.
Kings fans who were calling for Luke Walton's job after the slow start, @GrantNapearshow has a message for you... pic.twitter.com/AdDUX4zwhC
— Sactown Sports 1140 (@Sactown1140) November 15, 2019