In all the prediction threads during preseason I tried to tamper expectations. “Hold your horses! 38W is still really good for this team!”

Two games in and I am already doubting that opinion, a shallow dive into extremely premature ejaculation conclusions is in place, because the season has not started in the way I expected.

Strengths:

  • Pass the rock: We all know Tyrese is PointGod, but to see the team average 37 assists over two games is simply astounding. It isn’t just Tyrese, it is everybody that is sharing the ball and it is a key underlying factor for one of the strongest offenses in the league. If we keep things above 35 assists/game over the season than our offensive rating will be closer to 120 (Kings last year topped the league at 119.4) than 115 (we were below league average at 114.6).
  • Rebound improvements: Obi was partially brought in to improve our rebounding. He isn’t doing it alone, but it is clear we are much better at that front already. We had a paltry 41.5 last year, we are averaging 8 higher in the first two games at 49.5. We have to keep that number close to 47.5 at least if we want to keep winning.
  • Second unit: We knew we had improved in depth. Fuck me, did we improve. The second unit of Buddy, Nembhard, Smith and Nesmith is slaying opponent second units like they are irrelevant. I have high hopes that they will keep that up through the season AND we still have Nwora, TJ, Theis, Jackson, Sheppard and Walker in reserve… the competition for places is astounding and drives on performances across the team.

Weaknesses:

  • Starting unit defense. There is no denying it, we played a crap Wizards and a severely under strength Cavs and both carved us to absolute pieces in the first quarter. Third quarter performance has also been under par. Our strength in depth allows us to compensate for that and fix things in fourth quarters, but we’ve been relying on some exceptional performances to carry us through and that won’t happen every night.
  • Unresolved roster questions. Buddy has been a golden gem as sixth man, we all know what he can do and unleashing him against second stringers is practically using a cheat code. But he wants another big contract and we don’t really have that to give. We are also still looking for stability in our forward rotation. BB, Toppin, Nesmith are all excellent options, Mathurin can happily step up to playing SF as well. But we could do with Walker growing up fast. An injury to those first three names and we will have instant weakness. Do we trade Buddy and or Theis (and or, god forbid, TJ) for an extra Forward in the rotation? If we do… what does that mean for Walker and Sheppard? I think we’re best off cashing in for picks, but is there a team out there with the right offer?

Outlook:

I’m ready to give in and join the optimistic crew. Based on what I’ve seen so far and barring any serious injuries we can achieve a .500 season with relative ease. I wouldn’t be surprised by a 45W season either.

And so I ejaculate way too prematurely. You, dear reader, may not know me. But for me to be optimistic about teams I support is… rare. Let’s bleed Blue and Gold this season and support these boys to the hilt.