COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Kings scored a lot of points last season.
But Sacramento was but also a very inefficient on offense.
The Kings averaged 98.8 points last season, sixth in the NBA. But the Kings shot just 43.6 percent from the field, 26th in the NBA. The Kings were 29th in three-point shooting (31.6 percent) and 26th in assists (19.26 per game).
So as long as the Kings could rebound their many missed shots, they would eventually score. But there has to be an easier way.
So Kings coach Keith Smart is looking for ways to force the Kings to move the ball better and create easier shots.
That's why Smart has his players using parts of the triangle offense in practice.
"Trying to give our guys maximum spacing on the floor," Smart said of the triangle. "We have a lot of guys who are very creative on the floor but I want to try and do things to give them the opportunity to have space to make plays. So we have a variation of some things. I want to go through some motion, we'll use a couple other sets with motion to try and get the ball moving but we'll still be a pick and roll team. We'll still use the skill of our post guys like DeMarcus Cousins to force teams to come double us and makes things a little easier. But I'm also looking at offenses that can help us move the basketball where we don't have to dribble so much."
To make any offense not built on one-on-one play work will depend on the Kings breaking many bad habits they have on offense. That means trusting each other, not settling for the first available shot, and not forcing up a shot just because you haven't touched the ball in a couple of minutes.
It will also force the Kings to think the game out in a way they haven't shown they can do as a unit consistently in recent seasons.
The bad offensive numbers should improve with smarter play. We'll see if that happens.
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