OKC Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings, 2019-20 team preview

Defense:

Although it should be noted the Kings also need to improve offensively that will occur organically as the youngsters continue to grow. Yet, for the club to move up the ladder it’s the defense that needs to improve first.

Scan the stats column and the Kings land in the middle or higher for most important categories. Defensive rebounding is one area they fall short although they were one rebound shy of being second in offensive rebounding. Dedmon should address some of those concerns and the guy I keep waiting to be fully healthy (Harry Gile) could also factor.

Blocks is another issue that highlights why the Kings weren’t eager to offer Willie Cauley-Stein big money. His role presumably was to address those specific areas and the team failed miserably.

As mentioned the vets will be huge in helping make improvements but don’t discount new Head Coach Luke Walton’s ability in this area. He got the young Lakers to initially improve and knows how great defenses function from his time with the Warriors.