What Huerter likely starting for season opener means for Kings

What Huerter likely starting for season opener means for Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

With their 2024-25 NBA season opener just one day away, the biggest question looming over Mike Brown and the Kings is who will be starting alongside star point guard De’Aaron Fox in the backcourt.

Brown seemingly put those questions to rest Tuesday, stating Kings shooting guard Kevin Huerter will return to his starting role if he’s cleared to play in Thursday night’s opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden 1 Center.

“I think he’s close,” Brown told reporters after practice. “They haven’t given me the green light that he’ll be able to play on Thursday. But I think he’s close. He looks good. He doesn’t seem like he’s missed a beat at all.

“If he plays, he’ll probably start. But right now we got to get the green light to see if he’s going to play.”

In doing so, Brown clarified another hot topic regarding the Kings and their 2024-25 identity. Two seasons ago, they thrived off their historic offense and made the playoffs for the first time in 16 seasons. Last season, their shooting numbers dropped but their defense improved. They missed the playoffs.

Entering the new campaign, they must establish their identity. And if Huerter, who hasn’t played a meaningful game since mid-March, indeed is the starter Thursday night over young Kings guard Keon Ellis, then it’s quite obvious.

Defense never will not be important to any team led by Brown. They’ll continue to make defensive strides, individually and as a team, but offense has to be their emphasis.

And getting back to that elite offense will be key to separating themselves from their opponents each night while competing with the best in the Western Conference.

“I think it’s big,” Kings third-year forward Keegan Murray said of the offense (h/t “The Deuce & Mo Podcast”). “Defensively, we want to be there every single night, but obviously there’s going to be times where the other team has it going. Our offense, especially my first year here, kept us in a lot of games.

“Once we get to the fourth quarter with the guys we have on our team, I like our odds.”

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/huerter-likely-starting-season-opener-191606897.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-10-23 19:16:00

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