Sacramento Kings Ushering In A New Era With Dave Joerger
After quickly snatching up Dave Joerger for their head coaching position, the Sacramento Kings have gotten off on the right foot to make a fresh start.
What is there to say about the Sacramento Kings that hasn’t been said at this point?
We all know the turmoil, whether inside the front office, in the locker room or on the court, the numerous coaching changes over the last decade and the eternal debate of whether they should keep their star DeMarcus Cousins for the long haul.
The numerous bad decisions, or lack of one in some cases, the Kings have continued to make over the years have sent ripple effects throughout the league and it’s damaged their credibility as a franchise as a result.
However, with yet another chance to start over this offseason and after having an extensive coaching search, the Kings have done right with the hiring Dave Joerger as their head coach.
Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the Sacramento Kings
Having been the coach of the Memphis Grizzlies in the last three seasons, Joerger’s specialties check many of the boxes the Kings need to improve on, with the biggest one being the team’s defense.
Joerger’s a defensive-minded coach and it shows as he led the Grizzlies to the top of the NBA in terms of defensive rating (the Grizzlies were ranked eighth in 2013-14 and ranked fourth in 2014-15 ) in his first two seasons.
More from Hoops Habit
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
While the Grizzlies already had the style and personnel in place to help achieve that mark, Joerger nevertheless helped the team to keep that up on a nightly basis.
That key area alone will be big for the Kings moving forward as they have long performed without having a solid defense since their glory days in the early 2000s.
Secondly, and arguably the biggest thing for the team, is Joerger’s ability to motivate and uniting a unique cast of characters.
This season alone saw an endless amount of players walk in and out of the Grizzlies’ locker room, but Joerger rallied the team to perform on a nightly basis under unprecedented circumstances.
At the end of the day, the Grizzlies were outmatched by the end of the season as well as the playoffs, but leading the team to the playoffs in the first place was an impressive feat by Joerger.
How that translates to building a stable relationship with Cousins is unknown at this point, but Joerger’s track record suggests that he could be finally the one to tame Cousins’ antics on the court.
More from Sacramento Kings
- 3 Reason why keeping Harrison Barnes was the right move for the Sacramento Kings
- How the Kings’ sneaky signing of Sasha Vezenkov can boost their offense
- Ranking the 5 best available power forwards in 2023 NBA free agency
- NBA Trades: The Kings could bolster their frontcourt by adding this center
- 3 Offseason moves the Sacramento Kings must make to win the West
Although bringing in Joerger is a good first step in the right direction, it’s just one of a long line of decisions the team will face this summer.
The team has key players that will enter free agency this offseason and even though their odds look good for keeping their top-10 pick for this year’s draft, that could change a week from now once the lottery occurs.
Unlike what the team did with former coach George Karl, the Kings’ front office needs to put the right pieces in place to fit the style Joerger wants to put on the floor.
Similarly, there needs to be patience with Joerger as it’s very unlikely the team will be an overnight success next season, given the circumstances the team is dealing with currently.
Hiring Joerger doesn’t correct the Kings’ long list of past mistakes and there’s still plenty of things the Kings must do to show they’re on the right track to success.
More hoops habit: NBA Draft: Best Player Ever Selected in all 60 Spots
But as they say, the past is in the past and for the Kings to act swiftly in locking down Joerger is a positive sign that they are finally looking to put their long-standing mediocrity behind them.