Sabonis Jr.'s first game gave the Timberwolves a good lesson. With 22 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, Sabonis played on the Axis, making the Kings feel as if they were back in the summer of 2000 with the Princeton system.
In a fit of opinion, the Kings deal seems to be the winner's choice. But considering that the opponent is the Timberwolves, the Kings' new tactical axis will have to go through a double test of time and super guard. Given Sabonis Jr.'s defensive prowess and super-ball carriers like Paul, Booker, Mitchell, Curry and Doncic in the West, the Kings' ceiling has become less stable.
The Kings management has always been a magical presence, but from these few deals, we can get a glimpse of the idea.
Fox or Halliburton ?
Darlon Fox became the last player to laugh at the competition, but he did play an inefficient season.
Fox's efficiency this season is a new low since the 2017-18 rookie season, and as a speed-type defender, injuries have been limiting his play. The lack of stable shooting has shown greater problems this season, when his three-point shooting percentage is 46% (overall), 26% (three-pointers) and 74% (free throws), which is difficult to say qualified as a guard.
But in the long run, the state affects only for a while, and Fox's style and ceiling are the king's concerns.
It's already his fifth season in the league, but Fox's personal style can still be described in the word "reckless." When he first entered the NBA, speed was Fox's main signature, passing the defender within two steps and letting the king firmly support him as the core. Speed guarantees the lower limit, but the upper limit of the speed guard must be guaranteed by the ball dealer.
Fox, as "Westbrook Jr.", looking at The Westbrook's situation in the Lakers, understands how cruel the speed guard, ball dealer and organizational ability have not improved enough, and how cruel the ending may be under the influence of injuries and years.
This is also why Fox's name has appeared on some trading-related message boards, but the general feedback is that the market is not warm. Teams prefer good organisers to single breakthrough players like a Ferrari sports car, which in disguise influences the King's approach.
Sharing the ball with Fox was a huge challenge
To partner with Fox, the Kings made a clever choice among the players who could trade. It is difficult to find a partner like Sabonis who has the ability to respond to the axis and has an independent attack.
In the regular season, Sabonis averaged 19 points, 12.1 rebounds and 5 assists per game, which is very comprehensive in statistics. 57.8% shooting percentage is also in the league's top ten, the offense is strong, but Sa Jr. also has problems.
Throughout his career, he has been an organized interior player. But given the modern offensive trend, Kosa is not a popular space-type interior. Receiving the ball outside the three-point line is not an offensive threat and is a nuisance for the team's space.
In terms of three-point performance, Sabonis can only shoot 0.7 per game with only 32.1% shooting, and has hit 35 three-pointers so far this season. This kind of performance, the presence of the outer line is not strong.
And the identity of the organizational interior line, so that Sabonis has more ball than the average center, more than 20% in the Pacers period, this data is even more than the past Halliburton.
Sabonis's 32.1 percent, plus Daron Fox's 26.9 percent three-point shooting percentage, the two Kings' interior cores combined make them unable to make two three-pointers in a game.
Before the Kings, there have been several teams that have proven how much a team with a crowded space can be on the offensive end. If the role player feels good, he can win the game, and once the "not good enough space" feature has been thoroughly studied by the opponent, the targeted defensive strategy usually makes it difficult for such teams that lack space.
Can Sabonis and Fox form a stable and long-lasting chemical reaction? It's hard to say.
The Kings' choices have been less clever, with they missing Doncic in 2018, Curry and Klay Thompson in 2009 and 2011, and becoming missed Sabonis Jr. in 2016, but eventually re-camped the big man in 2022. For the King, abandoning Halliburton for Fox was doomed to the deal being observed under the microscope for a long time and repeatedly mentioned later (success or failure).