Reboot requires a reboot.
After more than four months away, the kings looked rusted on both ends of the field in their 104-98 defeat at Miami Heat on Wednesday night in Orlando.
Playing without the starters De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes, the Kings were slow to rotate in defense, turned the ball too much and struggled to find a rhythm.
Miami opened the game on fire from the perimeter and the Heat increased the intensity on the defensive end when the game tightened.
Here are three takeaway things as the Kings leave their opening scrimmage before the NBA restarts.
Fight between Buddy and Bogi
With Fox on the shelf and Barnes still in Sacramento, the kings need big productions from their two shooting guards. They didn’t have that Wednesday in Orlando.
Bogdan Bogdanovic started, but he was a non-factor. He finished the game with three points in 1-for-5 and collected four unusual personal fouls in 24 minutes of play.
Hield was unable to strike early, but recovered to score a 19 point score for Sacramento. On the downside, he shot the ball three times, each of which was completely unforced.
It was the first exhibition, but the Kings need these two to quickly find their foot.
The forward compiles
With a thin front line, Kent Bazemore and Nemanja Bjelica will have to play seriously for the kings. Against the heat, they were both effective.
Leaving for Barnes at three, Bazemore was active at the defensive end. He was in a bad problem, but still managed to finish with 11 points, four rebounds and a couple of thefts.
Sporting a new tousled hair look, Bjelica was an efficient 3 out of 4 from the field and 7 out of 8 from the line in 18 minutes of action. He did not fill in the statistics sheet, but helped stabilize the team early and closed with 13 points.
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Knock opportunities
Undrawn players don’t always have the opportunity to show what they can do in the NBA. DaQuan Jeffries, one of the two two-way players of the Kings, had a little burning in the opener, made a small show.
The 22-year-old from Tulsa is known for his strong perimeter defense, but has shown another side of his game against Heat. Jeffries scored 12 points in 5-for-6 shooting, including a few behind-the-bow marks.
More like DUNK-quan Jeffries ???? pic.twitter.com/VFoEIwLeBO
– Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) July 23, 2020
Walton said he wants a short spin in Orlando. If the Kings don’t get some bodies back, Jeffries could take a look at the eight-game sprint to the finish.
