Defense

Terrell Adams

“You were warned.” Said NBC Sports Kings insider James Ham on Monday night. “Davion Mitchell is an elite defender.”

“Off-Night” lived up to his nickname as he swarmed the Hornets with defensive pressure in an 80-70 victory to tip-off the Kings Las Vegas Summer League schedule.

On Twitter, where defensive highlights aren’t a regular fixture on fans’ feeds, No. 15 caught the community by storm, trending in the United States for hours after the game.

“There was no daylight between Mitchell and the ball, and he might be one of the world's five toughest six-footers to screen,” said Dan Favale in a Bleacher Report article following the game. Favale also likened his defensive acumen to listing “Human Eclipse" under the ‘Special Skills’ section of their resume.”

Davion’s pressure and instinct clearly translated throughout the team as well, as the Kings held the Hornets field goal percentage to under 40 percent and forced 25 turnovers in the game.

Chimezie Metu and Louis King benefitted from Mitchell’s relentless ball pressure, each racking up four steals in the contest.

“That’s his bread and butter, the way he attacks the game, the way he defends it,” echoed Kings Summer League head coach Bobby Jackson. “He’s a really really great on-ball defender. He has to get better off the ball and we’ve talked about it. But he sets the tone at the top of the key offensively and defensively for us.”

On the other side of the ball, Mitchell was just as spectacular - He finished the game with 10 points, nine assists, and zero turnovers.

The Kings return to action tonight against the Wizards at 7:00 P.M. PDT. You can watch the contest on NBA TV or for complete Kings Summer League coverage stay with Kings.com, the Kings App, and team social channels!

mitchell-puts-on-defensive-clinic-in-opener

Mitchell Puts on Defensive Clinic in Opener

Kyle Ramos

Following one of the strongest individual seasons in his career thus far, Kings center DeMarcus Cousins received some recognition for his efforts when NBA All-Defensive Teams were announced.

On Wednesday, the NBA released the results of its annual selections for the All-Defensive First and Second Teams, which are assembled based on the votes of various sports media figures from around the Association.

Big Cuz received one First Team vote from Jim Paschke of Fox Sports Wisconsin and one Second Team vote from Adrian Chavarria of KEYH 850 AM in Houston.

This was also the second consecutive season where Boogie has received at least one vote for an All-Defensive team.

During his 2015-16 campaign, DMC logged a team-high 92 blocked shots and also ranked third amongst centers with 101 steals.

Other players who were receiving votes were:  Rudy Gobert, Klay Thompson, Jae Crowder, LeBron James, Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, Russell Westbrook, Tim Duncan, Ricky Rubio, Kentaviou Caldwell-Pope, Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, Serge Ibaka, Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, Patrick Beverley, Al Horford, Marcus Smart, John Wall, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore, Andrew Bogut, Nicolas Batum, Victor Oladipo, LaMarcus Aldridge, Harrison Barnes, Bismack Biyombo, Mike Conley, Kevin Durant, Derrick Favors, George Hill, Wesley Matthews, Luc Mbah a Moute, Kristaps Porzingis, Andre Roberson, Mike Scott, and Dwyane Wade.

cousins-receives-all-defensive-team-votes

Cousins Receives All-Defensive Team Votes

Alex Kramers

One of the game’s most underrated centers and elite rim protectors, Kosta Koufos bolsters a revamped Sacramento frontline, joining a versatile rotation led by All-NBA center DeMarcus Cousins and sixth overall pick Willie Cauley-Stein.

The mobile big man – who previously played under Kings Head Coach George Karl during parts of three seasons in Denver – submitted his best year with the high-paced Nuggets in 2012-13, averaging career-highs in points (8.0 per game), rebounds (6.9) and blocks (1.3) in 81 starts and ranking sixth in the League in offensive rating (122.0).

Able to space the floor for Sacramento’s outside scorers with a soft touch around the rim and an arrayof back-to-the-basket post moves – connecting on 56.2 percent within eight feet last season, accordingto NBA.com – the eighth-year veteran is also adept at making timely cuts to the basket, finishing in the pick-and-roll (Video Below) and crashing the glass. Koufos ranked in the top-10 in offensive rebound rate in three of the last four seasons (min. 500 minutes played), and his 12.7 career percentage is the highest of any current Kings player, per basketball-reference.com.

In addition to his steady offensive contributions, the big man’s most essential role comes as an indispensable defensive anchor, as according to NBA.com, the imposing 7-footer led all centers in defensive rating (94.8) in 2014-15 (min. 50 games played). Memphis, which ranked 3rd in defensive rating, outscored opponents by 4.3 points per 100 possessions with Koufos on the floor, compared to 2.5 points per 100 possessions when he was on the bench.

The Ohio State product tied All-Defensive Team selections Tim Duncan and Draymond Green for 16th in the League in allowed field goal percentage at the rim (46.9) among all players who defended at least four attempts per game, and held opponents to 8.4 percent below their expected field goal percentage less than six feet away from the basket.

Per ESPN.com, the 26-year-old finished ninth at his position in defensive real plus-minus (3.30) – ahead of DeAndre Jordan, Joakim Noah and Dwight Howard – and despite playing only 16.6 minutes per game, added an estimated 2.4 wins.

A strong help defender who holds a 1.9 blocks-per-36 minutes career average, Koufos is also proficientat defending post-ups and ball-handlers in pick-and-roll situations, providing lineup flexibility for the Kings by squaring up against slow-footed big-man counterparts, as well as presenting matchup problems for small-ball lineups.

Whether he continues to thrive as an integral reserve or complementary starter alongside No. 15, afterhelping his teams reach the Playoffs in six consecutive seasons, Koufos is expected to play a prominent part in revitalizing last year’s 27th-rated defense en route to guiding Sacramento back to postseason contention.

get-to-know-kosta-koufos

Get to Know: Kosta Koufos

sacjwise

"I can't deny, the defense is frustrating me," stated George Karl following practice on Tuesday.

Sacramento has lost three-consecutive contests and seven of its last eight while allowing an average of 114.7 points per game.

"We put a little stress on our defense with our bad offense at times," continued the Kings coach.

Although the team ranks 12th in the League in scoring (101 ppg), it falls to 30th on assists per game (19.9) and ranks near the bottom in both turnovers and opponent turnovers.

When asked what the Kings can do to improve over the final 16 games, Coach Karl stressed several key areas of emphasis as well as a revelation he's had since his return to the sidelines.

"I would say our ball pressure (needs to improve). We are allowing the ball to find the open man too easily. We are not controlling the ball in pick and roll situations (and we) are always in a help-and-recovery type of defense.

"The League is getting really good at (forcing) you into help-and-recovery situations. There are probably 10-15 teams now that play the way we want to (eventually) play."

The insight from Coach is intriguing as you look toward next season. Increased ball pressure and an improved pick-and-roll defensive strategy will probably be big end of season and offseason focuses for the Kings coaching staff.

Check out the complete interview with Coach George Karl following Tuesday's practice:

Defense

Mitchell Puts on Defensive Clinic in Opener

Cousins Receives All-Defensive Team Votes

Get to Know: Kosta Koufos

How The Kings Can Improve on Defense

2013-14 Kings Top 10 Defensive Plays