Luke Walton is gone, but will that change anything for the Kings?
As the Sacramento Kings start the Alvin Gentry era, there is an idea that the team will assume a different playstyle or identity just by virtue of the coaching change.
While Gentry may alter a thing here and there, he has still been the team’s de facto offensive coordinator for the last year-plus since he arrived. It’s hard to imagine things changing too much gameplan-wise.
In his first media availability since the change was announced, De’Aaron Fox reiterated that the team will look pretty similar out there and that it’s more about buy-in from the roster.
“I think obviously some things will change, but I don’t think it’s going to be like a big overhaul,” Fox said at shoot around on Monday. “For us, it’s just being ready to play. At the end of the day, that’s what matters, if we have a coaching change or not.”
One potential change that Monte McNair eluded to in his press conference on Sunday was the fact that he’d like to see the team play faster going forward.
“I think offensively we’ve played fast at times, but I want us to play even faster. I think we can be the fastest team in the league,” McNair said. “With De’Aaron and Tyrese, the rest of the guys that we have.”
According to NBA.com. the Kings currently sit at 8th in the NBA in pace, so it’s not like they are a particularly slow team. It would stand to reason that if the Kings lean into a faster playstyle, that it would benefit De’Aaron Fox who just hasn’t found his group this season. Additionally, if Gentry indeed has the team turn up the pace, it might mean the team leans a little more on three-guard lineups.
As a head coach, Gentry and his teams have typically played at a faster pace. In his last season as a head coach in 2019-20 with the Pelicans, his team finished fourth in the league in pace.
Only time will tell whether the Walton for Gentry swap will do anything for the Kings or if it will continue to be more of the same.