The Sacramento Kings dropped another game to the San Antonio Spurs, who looked like they belonged in a different league than the Kings. The Spurs hurt Sacramento from deep, but the big number was the 42 free throws that San Antonio shot. 

The Kings are often outmatched physically with their limited personnel, and Victor Wembanyama is always going to end up at the foul line quite a bit. Still, Sacramento needs to find the balance between physicality and overaggression if they’re going to win games against better competition this year.

“I think we need to be more connected. Like, if we’re helping each other, it’ll leave a lot of us out of isolated situations, and that can lead to fouls,” Kings rookie guard Emanuel Sharp said after the loss.

Lending a Hand

Watching the Kings, it’s easy to see what Sharp’s talking about. At times you’ll see the Kings play together defensively, but it’s rare they put together multiple possessions of that in a row. There have been numerous occasions where they get out of position and allow a wide-open layup or three, and other times they end up sending their opponents to the free-throw line. Sharp mentioned that the Kings are talking, but they still aren’t as connected as they need to be.

“We do a good job talking, but we gotta be better as a group at being in our spots,” he said.

The Kings don’t have the personnel the top defensive squads do, though they can still be much better than they have been, especially when it comes to fouling. As Sharp mentions, not being in your spot to help your teammate and leaving them on an island can lead to foul trouble. Still, it wouldn’t be unfair to say the Kings have some poor defenders who need to be better initially, even if the help needs to be better too.

Still a Welcome Sight

The Kings of old seemed somewhat allergic to physicality most of the time. So much so that fans were clamoring for them to trade for Isaiah Stewart for years in an effort to get tougher. Sacramento can still be described as poor defensively, though they do have some players who are working on changing that. Emmanuel Sharp, for example, is one of the most physical perimeter defenders in the league, and one of the most foul-prone.

Sharp’s track record leads one to believe that he’ll eventually find the right balance, though he’s not the only one struggling with fouls. Darius Acuff Jr. had five fouls, Leaky Black had five fouls, and Dylan Cardwell had five fouls while trying to handle the Spurs. 

As Sharp mentioned, some of it is getting to your spots so your teammates have help, but it’s hard to disregard the lack of size both inside and out.

“I gotta change the way I play defense, gotta find that balance between being my aggressive self and being smart.”

Sharp recognizes that he needs to change the way he plays defense in the NBA, and while he’s right, the Kings still need him to be aggressive. Coming from the University of Houston, Sharp is next in a long line of aggressive defensive guards, including Jamal Shead, Kingston Flemings, and Quentin Grimes. Given the way Shead, Grimes, and others have settled in, Sharp should figure things out sooner rather than later.

A Safety Net

One of the reasons why the Kings do foul quite a bit is because they aggressively try to help on drives in an effort to keep Domantas Sabonis out of foul trouble. As an undersized big with little rim protection capability, the Kings can’t let Sabonis just sit back in a drop and pick up six fouls in a matter of a quarter. Because the Kings need to overhelp at times, it can lead to direct fouls and players getting out of position elsewhere on the court and having to save a basket.

With Dylan Cardwell on the court, the Kings can funnel players into him, knowing that he’ll be able to contest a shot or even block it. Keegan Murray is also a great help-side rim protector when he's healthy. As great as Cardwell and Murray are, the Kings need a starting big man who can consistently protect the rim and provide something offensively. Once they’re able to find that, it will be much easier for Sharp and others to find the line and not cross it.

Until Sacramento makes a change in the middle, or Cardwell develops into a starting-caliber center, we may continue to see 35+ free-throw attempts per night for whoever the Kings play. Truthfully, the choices are getting killed at the foul line or giving up easy shots, and it does feel somewhat promising that the Kings seem to be choosing to be physical and provide resistance. 

Another way the Kings can curb this issue is by winning and being a better overall defensive team. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that fans often think the best defensive teams in the league get away with a lot more.