Flashback to early July as the Kings Summer League team faced the San Antonio Spurs. Rookie Nik Stauskas was on the sideline before the game and admitted to feeling a few butterflies prior to his first taste of NBA action.
Those feelings remerged on Sunday afternoon versus the Toronto Raptors as the Ontario native made his debut in his home country against a team he followed since he was a kid.
“When I first checked into the game, I was a little nervous,” admitted Stauskas. “But once you get into the flow of everything, once I got my first shot, I settled down and I got more comfortable.”
Despite the nerves, No. 10 connected on his first three attempts, including a pair of triples in the first quarter.
“I made some mistakes both offensively and defensively, but we’re going to watch some film and learn from it,” he said. “For my first game, I think I held up alright.”
Following a full day of practice on Monday, a few shooting drills and a series of sprints, the Michigan product will prepare for his first appearance in Sacramento.
“It will be exciting to have our home fans out here watching us,” he stated.
Nik – ‘That Happens For Every Rookie’:
Known more for his limitless range and precise stroke than his defensive ability, Stauskas will be constantly tested by opposing offenses this season.
“I felt like whomever I was guarding, they were running plays to go after me every time,” said Stauskas referencing his preseason debut against the Raptors. “I guess I just have to expect that now.”
Possessing deceptive athleticism and a constant motor, the Kings Draft pick was paired against a trio of potent offensive competitors, who all tried to score on the newbie.
“I had to guard guys like DeMar DeRozan, Terrance Ross, Lou Williams – all proven players in the NBA,” said Stauskas. “For me to have that experience of going up against them and with them being as physical as they can against me and attacking me is just going to make me better.”
A target throughout the night, No. 10 was still able to disrupt the Raptors guards timing and even created a steal in the second quarter.
Afterwards, Kings Head Coach Michael Malone praised Stauskas’ relentlessness stating, “I thought Nik did a really good job and even defensively, and that’s where the big question mark has been – is he going to be able to guard?”
“He has a fight to him – he’s not just going to roll over and give in and he’s going to make you work on the other end. He had the most contested shots – which we chart on our defense – of anybody on our team, which leads me to believe he’s got a competitive spirit and he gives multiple efforts.”
Valuing the Basketball:
In the final day of Training Camp, Coach Malone stated one of the team’s goals was to limit their turnovers to 12 or fewer. On Sunday against Toronto, Sacramento gave the ball away 29 times.
“You can’t beat yourselves and your opponent in the same game – I’ve said that for a long time,” stated the second-year head coach. “We continued to beat ourselves all night long. In the third quarter we did a good job, built a lead and did very well. We were playing really good defense through three quarters and then the fourth quarter was awful for us – offensively and defensively.”
Following the game, Malone stated his team was trying to do too much – moving too quickly and making snap decisions, even if the intentions were good, the result wasn’t always what he wanted.
“We just have to settle down and value the basketball,” he said. “That’s probably our biggest challenge on offense – slowing down and realizing that we can’t play offense and defense at the same pace.”
Defense Still Key to Victory:
Through three quarters, the Kings defense was solid.
Although Toronto’s offense found a few opportunities in the paint just before halftime, the Kings used a 33-21 third-quarter spurt to take a 75-68 lead into the fourth.
“I felt really good for the first three quarters,” admitted Malone. “In the third quarter they were shooting 39 percent from the field. Our third quarter – I thought was our best. It was our starting group versus their starting group, we outscored them, we held them to 30-percent in that quarter and 21 points.”
DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay combined for 20 points in the third frame, but as the starters were replaced to start the final period, Sacramento found difficulty attempting to stop Toronto’s attack.
The Kings were outscored 31-19 in the fourth quarter and the Raptors claimed the 99-94 victory.
“Our goal for the year in the fourth quarter is [to hold our opponents to] 20 points or less,” said Malone at practice.
While it’s still early, Malone hopes to see growth from his defense on Tuesday as the team looks to bounce back against the Raptors at home. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
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