The young Sacramento Kings squad started the 2019-20 season on a rough patch. De'Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III were sidelined due to various injuries. As such, head coach Luke Walton had to make some playbook adjustments. In retrospect, the Kings' early-season struggles may have been a blessing in disguise.

Walton revealed that the Kings' offensive playbook centered on a high-octane and fast offense. But when they lost Fox and Bagley, he had to put more emphasis on the defensive end of the floor.

“It helps in a sense that we've had to play different styles of basketball,” Walton said, per James Ham of NBC Sports via Yahoo Sports. “When you lose Marvin and you lose De'Aaron, you know you're not going to play as fast, you've got to rely on execution to win games and defense.”

Walton added that the up-tempo offense coupled with their fourth-quarter execution are imperative facets of their game. Walton is confident that the Kings can make waves in the season restart in Orlando.

“Look, we're going to win games by being a fast team and we're going to win games by being able to execute in the fourth quarter,” Walton said. “We've played both styles so far this season and because of what we've gone through as a team, we know what that looks like and now it's just about getting sharp with those things again.”

The Kings rank 11th in the West with a 26-36 record. They are three and a half games behind the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies.