Another LIVE edition of The Kings Beat NOW with Sean Cunningham and @jameshamnba.bsky.social!
The Kings' losing streak, post-ASB expectations, LaVine's injury, 2026 NBA Draft, and more:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_vz...
De'Andre Hunter is "excited for the new opportunity" in Sacramento.
Doug Christie said "watching him on the defensive end makes me smile" and is looking forward to his pairing with Keegan Murray.
Quotes from Hunter's first day of practice:
sactownsports.com/nba/sacramen...
Going LIVE with another edition of The Kings Beat with @jameshamnba.bsky.social & Sean Cunningham!
Time to talk about the Kings trading Ellis, Schroder, and Saric for De'Andre Hunter!
Hop in and join the convo:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBti...
With the NBA trade deadline just over 3 weeks away, it’s time for some hypothetical deals.
What could the Kings get for DeMar DeRozan?
Here are 3+ trade ideas for Sacramento’s veteran scorer:
sactownsports.com/nba/sacramen...
Doug Christie: "Our defense is improving... our level of physicality ramped up and when we do that we give ourselves a chance."
Doug Christie on Malik Monk:
"He's talented as hell, man... everything about him has been top-notch. He deserves everything. He was the player of the game for us... it was the eight assists that was really impressive for me, actually."
"Great effort. Just love the compete level... you play like that, with your heart like that, you can look yourself in the mirror."
- Doug Christie
"Not surprising to me, Malik can hoop... I never worry about Malik one bit."
- Russell Westbrook on Malik Monk's big night
"It was just us moving the ball more... going into (our actions with pace) and that opened things up for us."
- Malik Monk on the Kings going 17/26 from three
Malik Monk: "I don't care if I'm 0/20 or 20/20, (the rim) is always wide open for me."
Malik Monk really helps Sacramento’s spacing. He’s 3/3 from deep midway through Q2.
Coming into the night, Kings were last in 3PA/g (30.2) and 26th in 3P% (34.2%).
After 3 DNP-CDs, Malik Monk saw the floor tonight in favor of Precious Achiuwa (5 mins).
Asked Doug Christie how much of that was matchup specific:
“They played small, so we matched… the one part when I look at this is getting out rebounded by 10.”
The Kings allowed a 13-0 run to close Q3 before being outscored 40-19 in the fourth as they lost their seventh straight.
Doug Christie: “We missed some shot, some wide open looks, and I thought we allowed our offense to hurt our defense…”
“You don’t get points for keeping things close in this league. You’re supposed to keep it competitive and get it down the stretch and figure out how to win and we haven’t done anything but the opposite of that.”
- Zach LaVine
When asked if sitting Malik Monk was a defensive decision, Doug Christie said it's "a yes and no answer."
"For us, defense is everything, so we need to make sure that we're locking up."
The Kings are 30th in ORTG and 28th in DRTG.
sactownsports.com/nba/sacramen...
Keegan Murray's mindset seems to have shifted entering year four.
"Aggression is not really an issue for me this year," he said.
His 19 FGAs last night surpassed any game from last season. No King took more shots.
"It's his team," DeRozan said.
sactownsports.com/60258/keegan...
Christie wants Sacramento to be "the best conditioned team in the NBA" as they aim to play with pace and defend 94 feet.
New PG Dennis Schroder fits right into that.
More on the emphasis of pace and conditioning from Kings Training Camp Day 1:
sactownsports.com/58999/sacram...
I’ve got something fun coming back one week from today 👀
"All the NBA guys that called me on him, I was like, 'This is kind of a no-brainer."
"Bet on this guy."
I talked with Stanford HC Kyle Smith about Sacramento's newest second-rounder.
On the mind and game of Maxime Raynaud:
sactownsports.com/57082/coach-...
3 Encouraging Takeaways from Sacramento’s 2K26 LVSL showing:
- Swiss Army Nique
- First steps of building an Identity
- Second-year player shines
sactownsports.com/57245/three-...
Sacramento's identity has propelled them to a 4-0 start, with the potential to compete for the LVSL title.
Nique Clifford's self-creation was on full display today.
"I think it's his pace, more so than anything," Stevens said of Clifford.
More quotes:
sactownsports.com/57087/sacram...
Feels like everyone has referred to Nique Clifford as a Swiss army knife, and he's shown why in Vegas.
Scoring, defending, rebounding, passing.
“I love making plays for my teammates," Clifford said last night. "I probably enjoy that more than scoring."
sactownsports.com/57014/kings-...
Maxime Raynaud started the action. Nique Clifford closed it out. SAC starts their 2025 LVSL with a W.
Mistry on Raynaud: "He's kind of limitless in his potential..."
Clifford: "My mindset has to be aggression."
More postgame quotes:
sactownsports.com/56889/kings-...
yeah i will be!! from the 10th to the 18th at least
Competitive. Tough. Team-Oriented. Disciplined. Accountable. Professional.
That's Scott Perry's ideal identity for the Sacramento Kings.
"This guy, we believe strongly, is going to be the catalyst to that..."
Notes from Dennis Schroder's intro presser:
sactownsports.com/56793/dennis...
Some early takeaways from Sacramento's first two Summer League practices:
- Clifford reunited with college teammate, newest two-way
- Raynaud's two-way potential
- Carter continues to learn to play PG
sactownsports.com/56747/kings-...
Another LIVE edition of The Kings Beat with @jameshamnba.bsky.social and Sean Cunningham.
Plenty to talk about with the NBA Draft in the rearview and free agency right around the corner!
Hop in and join the convo:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VavH...
New Kings GM Scott Perry: "The goal is to build a sustainable winner."
🚨 Time for another LIVE edition of The Kings Beat with @jameshamnba.bsky.social and Sean Cunningham.
Not many Kings-related things to talk about right now, but I'm sure we'll find something!
Hop in and join the convo:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngLD...
Two keys to Sacramento's chances vs Dallas in their first play-in matchup: Pace and Rebounding
“If we can get the defensive rebound and push the ball in transition, I think we’ll have a good chance."
sactownsports.com/54207/sacram...
