The Sacramento Kings’ Keith Smart is taking a serious approach to the defensive work of his players.
Statistically speaking, the story of the Kings 2011-2012 season was one of two extremes. Putting up 99 points per game, Sacramento was the 6th best offense in the league last year. They also averaged about 95 possessions per 40 minutes of game action, good for 1st in the NBA last year. Another interesting note is that the Kings were relatively decent as far as turnovers were concerned. At 14.1 turnovers per game, though good for 13th in the league, the Kings weren’t far off the league leading Philadelphia 76ers (11.2 TO’s per game).
Now, some bad news.
The Kings allowed just over 104 points per game from their opponents, placing them dead last among NBA teams in defensive efficiency. Opposing teams also put up 85 shots per game (27th in the league), averaged 47% from the field (30th), and made 439 three pointers (20th) on the Kings.
Hey, the horrible record had to come from somewhere right?
Enter Smart’s strategy to give players daily grades on defensive performances:
“It’s a way that we are going to play, which is great for this team,” Hayes said as he dressed for the Kings second pre-season game yesterday evening. “It shows if you block out. It shows if you run back in transition. It shows if you do well in the pick-and-roll coverages. It really breaks down how we’re going to play defensively.”
–Via Cowbell Kingdom.
Seems like a good enough idea, as far as a motivational factor goes. It should enliven veterans while nipping at the bud of the mistakes of some of the younger players.
As mentioned in several articles concerning the kings though, the Kings will go as far as their budding super star DeMarcus Cousins progresses. Particularly, Cousins will have to show some improvement in his defense against the old school, back-to-the-basket bigs of the league.
Nonetheless, the concept has been met with approval throughout its implementation. Among the players who particularly appreciated the report card idea was the Kings’ newest addition at PG.
“When you get graded every single day and it has your name on, you don’t want to look bad,” said newcomer Aaron Brooks. “It’s just holding players more accountable knowing that while you’re in a game, you’re being graded, you’re being looked at. (It) just keeps you (focused).”
Some interesting notes:
-Though last in defensive efficiency, the Kings forced their opponents to cough the ball up 15.4 times per game (7th in the league).
-Sacramento also allowed 22 freethrows per game (league low was 18, LA Lakers), with opponents averaging 76% from the line.
-The Kings allowed 1236 three-point attempts per contest.
Mohamed Abdihakim is a journalism student at Florida Atlantic University. He is a Phoenix Suns fan, who is not prepared for the possibility of Nash winning a title in a Lakers jersey. Mohamed is also a contributor at “Les Snobs”. Interests include International basketball, Mad Men, and blues music. Nearly all stats are credited to Hoopdata or Basketball-Reference.
Twitter handle: @Abdi_hakim
