Head coach George Karl is using the remaining days before tip-off of the regular season to refine the style of play he has been emphasizing since Training Camp last month – striving to make improvements in several key areas, including passing, defense and playing at a faster pace on offense.
“Basically, it’s a pretty simple offense,” Karl said following practice on Thursday. “But you try to have as many different looks to to get to the action, which is quick and sharp and fast which creates defensive mistakes.”
To create more quick-thinking habits in the players, Karl has been consistently utilizing a shorter shot clock during practices at training camp and in the preseason, trimming the usual 24 seconds down to 18.
More recently, Karl has also been running the players through conditioning drills to further prepare his guys for the up-tempo game that they’ll be playing during the season.
Newly acquired Kings guard Marco Belinelli has enjoyed a successful preseason thus far, lighting up the scoreboard with his shooting touch from all over the court.
Though Belinelli has usually served in more limited roles throughout his career – never averaging more than 30 minutes per game in a single season - he has emerged as a top scoring option in Sacramento’s second unit.
Coach Karl noted after practice on Thursday that Marco has “surprised” him, most notably, with his efforts on defense and passing ability.
“I don’t want to be just a shooter,” No. 3 stated after practice. “I just want to be a complete player and help the team to be a better team. [I want to] try to move the ball on offense and bring some of the experience I got from San Antonio and Chicago, too.”
The Italian native, who was a valuable contributor for the Spurs in their championship season in 2013-14, went on to discuss more team-oriented ideas, as well.
“For sure, we have a lot of skills on this team. We know how to score the ball,” said Belinelli. “Everyone knows that we can be good, but we need to prove that on the court.”
“I know what I can do. It’s all about winning and I’ll always say that,” Belinelli said.
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