Kings’ Joerger cautions ‘heavy lifting’ ahead
The Sacramento Kings could be destined to endure another losing season, but coach Dave Joerger said he sees reason for intrigue after opening training camp Tuesday at Golden 1 Center.
The team’s training camp roster includes three rookies, five second-year players and three players who are entering their third seasons. That list features seven former first-round draft picks, including point guard De’Aaron Fox, the No. 5 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, and power forward Marvin Bagley III, who was selected second in June’s draft.
The Kings are also excited about rookie power forward Harry Giles III, who was once projected to be the No. 1 overall pick before injuries caused him to fall to No. 20 in 2017. Giles did not appear in any games last season but was rumored to be one of the team’s best players in practice.
“There’s talent,” Joerger said. “It’s a ways away, so do you want to come back in three years and see what it looks like or do you want to enjoy the journey of watching guys grow?”
The Kings are already wrapped in the clutches of the NBA’s longest postseason drought at 12 years and counting. They have amassed a 336-632 record since their last playoff appearance in 2006, posting an abysmal .347 winning percentage over that span.
The playoff drought isn’t likely to end this season in a loaded Western Conference that features a super team in the Golden State Warriors, a LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers, and eight other teams that won at least 46 games last season. Joerger seems to understand the Kings are at least a year or
two away from competing for a playoff spot, but he is eager to see how much his young players grow this season.
“We know where we want to get to and where we want to be,” he said. “It just takes time. The fun is in the journey, and this is a year that there’s a lot of heavy lifting. There’s a lot of development that needs to occur and there are going to be some pains in it, but the fun part of it is we have good guys who work hard and play hard, and they’re fun to be around.”
Fox and third-year guard Buddy Hield are two players who could take significant steps forward this season. Both seem to be assuming leadership roles as part of the team’s youth movement.
Fox averaged 11.6 points and 4.4 assists as a rookie, but he struggled with his shot, hitting just 41.2 percent from the field and 30.7 percent from 3-point range. Fox spent much of the offseason improving his jumper and his strength, adding five to six pounds of muscle.
Hield averaged 13.5 points in his first full season with the Kings after coming over in the trade that sent DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans in 2017. Hield ranked ninth in the NBA in 3-point shooting at 43.1 percent.
Both players said they embrace Joerger’s call to unleash an up-tempo style after the Kings finished last in the NBA in pace last season.
“Coach says we’re going to play fast and start running, and I like running, so I’m not going to argue with that,” Hield said. “We’ve just got to play fast, play together and play the right way.”