COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Kings opened up the last hour or so of tonight's practice that included some scrimmaging. Some observations from the evening:
*Conditioning is still something Keith Smart will continue to stress. He doesn't want walking in practice in between drills and is demanding a fast pace. So even though Smart has praised the shape the team showed up in, he's still not satisfied.
*Players are being told they have to speak up on defense. That means calling out every screen and letting each other know where they are on the floor defensively.
*When the team did work on offense there was an emphasis on passing and finding cutters. It looked like some aspects of the triangle offense, which would utilize DeMarcus Cousins' abilities in the high post.
*There were referees at practice. And yes, some players had things to say about calls. Old habits are hard to break.
*Thomas Robinson's energy stands out, regardless of who is playing with.
*Watching Isaiah Thomas vs. Aaron Brooks is going to be fun this week. As will be Tyreke Evans vs. Marcus Thornton.
The form on Evans' jump shot still looks consistent. But I'm not one to get too high or too low off anything I saw today. It was the first scrimmages of camp.
*When the Kings went to 5-on-5 play the lineups were:
Black Team
Isaiah Thomas, Tyreke Evans, John Salmons, Thomas Robinson, DeMarcus Cousins
White Team
Aaron Brooks, Marcus Thornton, Francisco Garcia, Chuck Hayes, Jason Thompson
Red Team
Jimmer Fredette, Tony Mitchell, James Johnson, Travis Outlaw, Willie Reed
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