Sacramento Kings: Takeaways From Last 5 Games

Accumulating a 4-1 record over their past five contests, which included an impressive four-game winning streak against several desperate teams jostling for playoff positioning, the Sacramento Kings looks to have found their groove under newly-instated head coach, George Karl.

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It has been thoroughly documented that the Kings have played at a much higher pace under Karl’s helter-skelter offensive scheme. While their offense flourished post All-Star break, their defense faltered.

In fact, Sacramento housed the league’s worst post-trade deadline defense before their recent five game tear.

However, the Kings have suddenly found their defensive footing under Karl, posting a highly-respectable 97.6 defensive rating, or points allowed per 100 possessions, over the last handful of games, which ranks them sixth in the association over said stretch, per NBA.com.

It is worth noting that Sacramento has remained top three in the league in pace, or possessions played per 48 minutes, and top 15 in offense during their successful week of play.

While it certainly didn’t hurt the Kings playing some of the most anemic post All-Star break offenses in the association during the aforementioned five game stretch, in the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and the Philadelphia 76ers, their positive play goes beyond the level of their competition.

Here are several key takeaways:

DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay Are A Matchup Nightmare

Karl has finally extracted his uptempo philosophy onto the Kings by implementing their highly-effective small ball lineup.

Specifically, Karl has inserted Omri Casspi into the starting lineup, alongside Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins in the Kings’ frontcourt. In doing so, it allows Gay to play closer to the rim as the de facto four on defense, and exploit certain cross-matches when the opposing team fails to switch in timely manner during transition situations.

With Gay and Cousins playing primarily as the team’s power forward and center, the multi-skilled duo is nearly unstoppable when placed in an environment with such fruitful spacing.

While their halfcourt offense is not, by any means, a work of art, as most of their sets end in a Boogie or Rudy isolation / post-up, you’ll be hard pressed to find a team with a four-five combination capable of containing the high-octane duo.

Sure enough, over the past five games, Cousins has averaged an awe-inspiring, Shaquille O’Neal-esque 29.0 points, 13.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.5 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game on 56.0 TS% (true shooting percentage). Meanwhile, his partner in crime, Gay, has similarly thrived over the stretch, putting up 22.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game on 56.7 TS%.

The stress the duo instills on opposing front courts is undeniable, as Cousins and Gay score over 106.7 points per 100 possessions when the two share the court with one another over the past five contests.

Omri Casspi Providing The Intangibles

His anecdotal production may be mundane, but his impact on the court is poignant.

With Casspi in the starting lineup as an interchangeable forward alongside Cousins and Gay, he effectively provides the spacing the Kings need, as well as an additional ball mover, on offense, and serves a high-energy, fully-engaged help defender on defense.

Casspi’s boundless persistence can also occasionally get under the opposition’s proverbial skin — leading them to commit silly flagrants, and in the process, turn the crowd on them as they make little girls cry.

His infectious energy, and willingness to move the ball via the pass, allows the Kings to play at their preferred breakneck pace. In fact, when Casspi is on the floor, the Kings play at an astonishing pace of 102.7, over the last five games.

Most importantly, Casspi gets his hands on balls, causes deflections, and inspires chaos, key ingredients to the success of the George Karl-led Denver Nuggets teams early on during the incumbent decade.

Defense Improving But Still Flawed

Their days in the cellar dweller, in terms of defensive efficiency, may have passed, but several concerning issues still linger.

Chief among them is their inability to defend in transition. Explicitly, the Kings still gave up the most fast break points of any team in the league over the last five games. To make matters worse, Sacramento played some of the slowest paced teams in the association during the stretch, in the Wizards, Hornets, and Pelicans.

However, their overall play on defensive end is trending upwards. Most glaringly, they have defended the 3-point line with more efficacy over the aforementioned stretch of games, allowing only 7.4 3-pointers made per game, tied for the tenth least in the league, on 21.6 attempts, the 13th best mark over past five.

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Not surprisingly, the Kings are, likewise, ranked 13th in opponent eFG% (effective field goal percentage), at 49.0 percent, over the stretch, a stark improvement from the low-to-mid 50s Sac Town was consistently relenting early on under Karl’s tried and true guidance.

Most encouragingly, though, the Kings are finally forcing turnovers, a vital hallmark of Karl-led teams, at an acceptable rate. In fact, they have forced the eighth most turnovers, in terms of the opposition’s turnover rate, over the last five games.

Sacramento’s season may, for all intents and purposes, be an ongoing circus. However, from the look of things, and for the sake of Kings fans everywhere, stabilizing their coaching situation is slowly turning things around.

While the season will still serve as a trial and error period for the Sacramento Kings’ brass, it is reassuring to see an identity gradually being formed and tangible progress being made.

Next: 5 Likely First Time NBA All-Stars Next Season

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