The Sacramento Kings are still in the middle of sorting out their preseason picture, but Henry “The High Flyer” Turner says one thing has already started to show up: better defensive energy.
Turner, the former Kings forward who now works as a broadcaster, joined Jason Ross and said Sacramento looked different in its next game after a rough preseason opener against the Lakers, when head coach Doug Christie pushed the team on its effort.
“Even if the ball doesn’t fall, you can always go out there and play with energy and heart,” Turner said.
That’s the part Turner says has him encouraged. Defense has been a lingering issue for Sacramento in recent years, and he believes the Kings have at least started to answer that challenge during preseason.
One player Turner keeps circling is rookie Emanuel Sharp. He said Sharp made an impression in summer league and has kept bringing that same edge into preseason.
“He really is relentless,” Turner said. He also made clear that Sacramento has to carve out space for a player who can bother opposing offenses and help create stops.
“When you need some defense, you need some stops out there. The Kings are really going to have to find a place for this young man.”
Turner also pointed to Darius Acuff Jr. as another rookie he likes. With more minutes, Turner said Acuff is getting more comfortable, and pressure hasn’t pulled him away from how he wants to play.
“You can’t speed him up,” he said. “He’s going to play at his style of play.” Turner described him as a confident scoring guard who is still developing but already looks calm on the floor.
He also sees Ben Simmons as a useful piece in the mix, especially alongside Sacramento’s scoring guards. Turner said Simmons can help as a facilitator who gets teammates involved, and he said seeing him in person made his size and strength stand out.
“I want Ben Simmons to do what he does well,” Turner said: drive, finish at the rim and find an open teammate.
Turner isn’t buying into any outside doom around the Kings. He noted that Malik Monk still hasn’t appeared in a preseason game, and said Monk’s ballhandling could matter for a team that has been giving the ball away too often.
That leaves Christie with a familiar preseason problem: too many options, not enough settled roles, and the need to find lineups that can defend.
“He definitely has pieces,” Turner said. “He’s got to be able to put the right pieces out there together.”
Turner also said he wants the added support around Keegan Murray to let him lock in defensively and get his three-point shooting back on track. The preseason tinkering is almost over, and Sacramento is running out of time to sort out the fit.
Now the Kings have to make the pieces work.
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