Kings vs. Spurs Preview – By the Numbers

February 22, 2024

After a long break and a disappointing All-Star weekend, the Kings are back in action, welcoming the 11-44 Spurs to G1C. Victor Wembanyama has been playing out his mind lately, but San Antonio won just 1 of their last 9 games leading into the break.

Wemby rightfully takes center stage whenever the Spurs are discussed, and is averaging 20.5 Points, 10.0 Rebounds, 3.2 Assists, 3.2 Blocks, and 1.1 Steals per game on 46.8/32.0/81.1% shooting splits. He’s the first player to average at least 20 Points and 3 Blocks in a season since Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning did so in the 1999-2000 season. Pretty good company…

As a team though, the Spurs have obviously struggled. They come into the game with the 28th ranked offense and 23rd ranked defense. They shoot 45.9% from the field, 28th in the league, and 33.9% from beyond the arc, last in the league.

The hot topic in Sacramento is the Kings 3-point defense. They are allowing opponents to shoot 39.7% from 3, the highest percent in the league and 3rd highest mark in NBA history. There is no better time to turn around the trend of improving 3-point defense than against the worst 3-point shooting team in the league. It’s a script set up for the Kings, and if they fail at it again tonight, will turn a lot of heads in Sacramento.

The other point of emphasis coming out of the break in Sacramento is Free Throw shooting. The Kings continue to trail the rest of the league with a 73.2% clip from the line. Not only is the percentage dismal, but their attempts are way down this season as well. Last season, the Kings shot 25.1 FTAs per game, 5th most in the league. This season, they are down to 21.8, 20th in the league.

The combo of attempts being down and percentage being awful puts them at 15.9 made FTs per game, tied for 25th in the NBA. Sitting right behind them at 15.7 per game, t-27th in the league, is the San Antonio Spurs.

That officially makes made Free Throws the swing stat of the game. The Kings are putting emphasis on Free Throw shooting, and it’s time to put their money where their mouth is. Since they are a team of average Free Throw shooters, it will take a whole team effort, compared to just one player needing to improve. The onus will be on Fox and Sabonis though, as they are the only high volume FT shooters on the team.

Individually for the Kings, I’ll be watching Harrison Barnes. Malik Monk called out the 3 days of rest that Barnes and the team had before his 32 Points outburst against the Hawks. Similar to the season opener in which Barnes scored 33 Points, he has thrived this season on extended rest.

Especially if Domantas Sabonis is out tonight, the Kings will need someone to fill in the gaps. Others are more likely to pick up the rebounding and passing, but Barnes seems primed to take on more of the scoring if needed without Sabonis.