Sacramento Kings: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 preseason opener

1. All hail the 3-point shot

Joerger asked for more 3s, and his men complied. The Kings took 13 three-pointers in the first half and drained five of them (38.5 percent). By the end of the game, Sacramento shot 11-for-25 (44 percent) from downtown as a team.

Yogi Ferrell was the man with the hot hand, though. In his first game with the Kings, Ferrell dropped 26 points and hit a sizzling six 3-pointers on nine attempts.

Fox, Labissiere, Mason, Ben McLemore, Hield and Giles each chimed in with one triple each.

Sure, 11 made 3s might not seem like a lot, but when you take into account that their top marksman Buddy Hield had a slow shooting night, and their starting shooting guard, Bogdan Bogdanovic — who shoots 39.2 percent from 3 on 4.2 attempts per game — did not play, it begins to look a lot more admirable.

Going forward, the Kings should feel confident in their ability to shoot from deep. They’ve got a few weapons that can stretch the floor and bury open jumpers. With De’Aaron Fox speeding down the floor and surveying the court, those shots should come quickly without giving the defense a chance to even get a hand up in time.

The Kings’ next game will take place on Friday on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers.