The Sacramento Kings are looking forward to what Luke Walton has in store for them, especially with his fast-paced offensive system. Walton, on the one hand, is banking on his three young rising stars De'Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley, and Buddy Hield to anchor their team on the other side of the ball, per Kings sideline reporter Kayte Christensen-Hunter.
Walton says Marvin Bagley “can be everything” defensively and mentioned Buddy Hield’s strength and size as an asset that can make him a tremendous perimeter defensive player. Also brings up Fox’s speed as a huge contributor to Kings’ team defense
— Kayte Christensen (@kayte_c) September 27, 2019
As much as those three figure to be the leaders for the Kings on offense, Walton wants them to lead by example defensively.
Bagley showed flashes of brilliance in his rookie campaign. He certainly has great potential to be a great defender, not only on the post, but on the perimeter as well due to his length and athleticism.
Hield, though mostly known as a bucket-getter and steady sniper from downtown, has the body and the tools to be great perimeter defender. Fox, on the one hand, can become a pest on defense due to his active hands and incredibly quick feet.
While defense isn't their main bread and butter at this point of their careers, perhaps they can establish themselves as premier defenders under Walton.
Motivating a young bunch to play defense can be a challenging task. It really helps that Walton has already established a great rapport with his team, even though the season hasn't started yet. That's certainly a great starting point for the former Los Angeles Lakers coach.
The Kings made tremendous strides last season and are counting on Walton to take them to that next level. While many are looking forward to what he can do for Sacramento offensively, defense looks to be the main priority for the former-player-turned-coach.
Follow Us
Subscribe