Sacramento Kings: 3 goals following 2019 NBA All-Star break
By Adi Brescic
3. Integrate the new acquisitions
The Kings made a few moves at the trade deadline that included an upgrade on the wing by bringing Harrison Barnes from the Dallas Mavericks, and giving their bench an extra punch with Alec Burks from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Though Iman Shumpert isn’t as talented as Barnes is, Shumpert knew his role and he played it well every night. He was familiar with his teammates and the offense. With so little time left in the season, getting Barnes and Burks familiar with the system is the top priority.
Sure, Barnes has played with Stephen Curry, Dennis Smith Jr. and Luka Doncic, but he has never played with a point guard like the speed demon, De’Aaron Fox.
The Mavericks play at the 12th-slowest pace in the league (99.9), while the Kings play at the second-fastest pace (104.1). It will be a bit of an adjustment for Barnes, but it’s not something that he isn’t accustomed to doing from his wing-running days with the Golden State Warriors.
For Burks, however, his role is a bit different. His transition from regular starter on one of the worst teams in the league, to bench guy on a team clawing for a playoff spot in the grueling Western Conference, won’t be as seamless. In three games with the Kings, Burks is averaging 3.0 points and has played only 14.3 minutes a night.