If the Sacramento Kings have one major flaw they need to focus on out of their many flaws, it's defense. To be fair, they would need a defense in the first place to be able to work on it. That reality was on full display in game one, particularly amongst the starters who have to do better.
Okay, if we're all being honest with each other, it's been at least 20 years since the Kings had any kind of defensive identity to speak of. It's at the core of every other problem that they have. Great defense is the foundation of building a real contender, or at least a remotely respectable team.
Sacramento was actually on the verge of starting to build something, then injuries took out Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell. The twin sophomore towers were legit forces on defense, both together and separately. Their not being on the court is definitely a problem for the Kings.
The real issue right now is the starting five. None of them performed well on defense in the season opener against the Clippers. That includes the returning Keegan Murray, who is supposed to be one of the Kings' better defenders. Keep in mind that's generally been a pretty low bar to get over.
Kings' starters need to hold the line
Domantas Sabonis is a verified double-double machine, but he's also a well-known pylon on defense. Darius Acuff Jr. is supposed to be a scorer. Defense is a whole different problem. Zach LaVine is a shooter's shooter who cannot defend. And De'Andre Hunter is falling down at both ends of the court.
This doesn't work. The starting five has to be able to at least play serviceable team defense, and they are nowhere near being able to do that. There's hope for Acuff, and maybe even Murray, but the rest of them aren't suddenly becoming elite defenders out of the blue.
Even after only one game, it's become obvious that this isn't the starting lineup the Kings need right now. At the very least, Sacramento needs to swap out Precious Achiuwa for Hunter. Achiuwa performed better on offense against the Clippers and is well known for his defensive prowess.
Beyond that, the Kings may need to have Murray play off the bench for now. He is returning from injury and might need more time to reacclimate to the game. In the meantime, Sacramento could rotate Nique Clifford and Alex Karaban as the starting small forward to get them minutes.
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