Kings vs. Grizzlies Preview – By the Numbers
By: Will Z
The Kings are back at home to host the exciting young Grizzlies with the hopes of breaking into the win column for the first time this season. This game has the potential to be an up and down affair between two teams that are built to get out and run.
The Kings are currently leading the league in Fast Break Points per Game with 21.3 per contest, with the Grizzlies close behind at 17.8 (7th) after leading last year the with 17.7. The Kings are coming off of a game in which they gave up 24 Fast Break Points to the Warriors. Mike Brown commented how the Kings can’t get beat in transition, so this will be a good test to see if the Kings can make game to game adjustments and improvements against one of the best transition teams in the league.
Ja Morant has come out of the gate on an absolute scorcher. He’s 2nd in the NBA with 35.3 Points per Game and scoring from everywhere on the court. He gets to the basket almost at will, using his athleticism to seemingly hang to either finish through contact or avoid it all together.
Morant is shooting 7 shots per game in the restricted area, and finishing at a 71.4% clip. He is also averaging 10.8 Free Throws per game, most in the NBA, and making 86% of them. For a Kings team that is committing a league leading 25 fouls per game, it will be something to keep an eye on.
Maybe the most surprising start to Ja’s season though is his 60% 3P% on high volume with 5 attempts per game. Coming into the season, he was a 32.7% three-point shooter, topping out at 34.4% last year. Pair that with Desmond Bane, who was 2nd in the NBA last year with a 43.6% 3P% and 41% to start this year, and the Grizzlies have one of the most explosive backcourts in the NBA. It should be a fun matchup for the duo of Fox and Huerter, who look like they can give anyone a run for their money on any given night.
On the Kings side, they still haven’t had a game where everything clicks. The fact that there is so much room for improvement while they’ve still finished with close games should be encouraging. Domantas Sabonis is shooting 56.3% in the Restricted Area, a far cry from his 71.6% from last year. He’s been getting double teamed constantly, and sometime even triple teams, but he’s missed a lot of bunnies so far. The Kings need him to be a force on the inside to compete. Adding Keegan to the starting lineup gives opponents a lot more to think about on the perimeter, and hopefully should open up the Kings to more inside scoring opportunities for both Sabonis and Fox.
Harrison Barnes is due. He’s too good of a shooter to not have an impact for the Kings offense. Brown mentioned how the team is going to look to get him some shots from his sweet spots.
If Barnes can get anywhere near his career averages, it should be a huge boost for the Kings offense.
Last but not least, make your free throws. The Kings are now dead last in the NBA with a 68.6% Free Throw percentage.
