Huerter cites three reasons for the Kings’ breakout season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Kevin Huerter came to Sacramento last summer unfamiliar with the history of the Kings franchise, other than that infamous 16-year playoff droughtNaturally.
Eight months later, Huerter is a key part of Sacramento’s recipe for success that will earn the team a postseason trip in the coming days.
In a recent interview with Huerter, he gave three reasons for the Kings’ breakout season and the dominance of their starting five The wrestler Ryen Russillo.
“Knock on wood, we were able to stay healthy,” said Hürter. “And that’s a big underappreciated part of being a really good team in the NBA is health.
“We had guys who were available. A culture where boys don’t rest. [Kings coach] Mike Brown is with us. We practice, we drill things. Our practices are really productive. He’s just done a great job with our front office, putting the right pieces together.”
Health, Culture, and Fitness: Three intangible qualities that have been largely lacking in Sacramento for the past two decades.
“You can talk about Sacramento teams for as long as I’ve been in the league, and maybe for the last eight or nine years. They had talent,” said Huerter. “They just didn’t really manage to put out the best version of each player.
“I can honestly say there are six or seven guys on our team who are probably playing the best basketball of their careers. And I think that’s how our roster is put together and the way we play, just having the right pieces that fit that style of game.”
Huerter makes up Sacramento’s starting five along with guard De’Aaron Fox, rookie Keegan Murray, forward Harrison Barnes and center Domantas Sabonis. This five-man unit has by far the most minutes (788) played together in the NBA — 143 minutes more than the second-place Atlanta Hawks.
They are the primary contributors to the Kings historic offense, which is on track to set a new season record for offensive ratings.
Fox, who was named an All-Star for the first time last month, is on the All-NBA talk. Sabonis leads the league in rebounding and has already set a career high in triple-doubles (11) with 12 games to go.
RELATED: Huerter admits he had early doubts about Kings’ start to the season
Huerter, who nearly perfected the two-man game with Sabonis, is averaging a career-high 15.0 points per game while shooting 40.8 percent from downtown. He sustained a hamstring injury in the Kings’ five-point win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, but it is return expected soon in court.
“They pushed all the right buttons,” Hurter said of the Sacramento front office. “Mike was great. The front office has been great since I’ve been here. We have a team in which we are of course confident.
“I’m really looking forward to moving forward with them.”
Source : sports.yahoo.com