Mike Brown talks Kings road trip, De’Aaron Fox & rotation

Mike Brown talks Kings road trip, De’Aaron Fox & rotation

Maybe good before you embarked on this season long road trip uh you guys feeling pretty good uh thought we had a spirit of practice today we had a pretty good practice today so I think the guys are in a pretty good spot just just I know we talk about it throughout the

Season when if there’s moments where you have a slide but that one win does it kind of go sometimes mean a little bit more to kind of get things back on track it does you know um just because you loss the tough part about it I told our

Guys man we we played a pretty good stretch of basketball if you take away the the first quarter of the Detroit Pistons game we played we’ve played a pretty good stretch now we haven’t always been great defensively uh but for the most part offensively we’ve been pretty good uh probably our best stretch

Defensively if you want to talk on the defense in the floor from the second quarter on even until last night you’re going to have games like Indiana when you have games like Indiana you just hope that you keep fighting to give yourself yourself a chance which our

Guys did um the biggest thing you know a couple of games we didn’t close uh game a game on the road versus very good teams and that’s something that we got to continue to work on um and uh if we do if we do if we were doing that which it could

Easily be done we did it last year we’d be feeling a little different quote unquote because of our with our record because our record would be a lot better so I I I think I I do I I feel like we’re playing pretty good basketball hopefully it to start showing more with

Our record um as long as we lock in and do what we need to do star with me uh in closing or finishing the games what are some of the in-game specifics that you’re hoping that are going well right now and you’re hoping carry over into

This road trip well the biggest thing is just making sure we’re all on the same page again starting with me that uh I’m expressing uh to our guys what we’re looking for and and uh at times controlling the tempo a little bit more cuz we want to play fast we can play

Fast but at the end of the day uh there may be times where you know I may have to help I may have to intervene a little bit more to help put guys in the right spots and then you know we they uh the players have to make sure that they have

A feel of what needs to happen again it has to come from us as a staff or me and they have to have a feel of it and execute it you know and uh take care of the ball uh they got to make sure uh everything is conducted right even the

Process of trying to get some some easy shots which just get to the free thr line you know like Harrison in our last game it was it was late and we called a play for him that we ran for him a couple of times down

The stretch uh and he comes off you know he gets a screen he comes off the screen he sees the defender everybody you know wants to be physical so they’re going to bump you and if you avoid the contact uh ref’s not going to call it but Harrison

Flew off the screen ran right through the contact they called a a a defensive foul he goes to the free throw line and shoots two free throws that’s just a a mature smart great F play that he made to get two easy free throws at that

Point Mike to see uh dearon get named to the player pool for the Olympic team what how just what are your thoughts on that and what an honor that is for him it’s it’s a big honor it’s it’s just a test to uh who he is uh also uh the

Direction that he’s heading you know uh but anytime you give a chance to represent your country uh at the highest level when you’re talking about the Olympics uh it’s a that’s a special feat again on top of being how old there 19 20 20 he’s real young 22 23 he been in

Lead 20 years but he’s like 25 or 26 oh 26 okay no you know it’s great especially for a young guy that’s about to enter his prime looking at this road stretch you got seven games I think 13 or 14 days and then bigger picture it’s

Like 15 out of 19 on the road how how tough is that and and and how crucial is is this stretch I I know we’re going on the road for a long time I didn’t know that I mean I’m listening to this for the first time I didn’t know we 19 and

Out of 19 oh 15 that’s a lot of games you know uh but uh I meant you know that’s that’s what everybody lives for everybody loves the excit I mean I like practice malake malake I like I Coach Brown likes practice but everybody else starting with Malik likes games and and

Uh you know that’s what the guys live for to play in front of the fans uh to compete at the highest level and see what happens at the end of the day so everybody goes through it at at some point and so it’s no different uh for us

To have to go through it right now so we got to lock in try to take it one game at a time and we as a staff have to make sure sure we’re doing our part by uh by making sure we don’t overdo whether it’s film practice shooting round whatever it

Is to to to find ways to stay sharp by but also giving them the rest to be clear five of those games you’ve already played so I was including the the recent five game trip it’s not 15 of the next 19 you see I don’t really know are you

Guys so acclimated to being on the road that like you know hotels and buses and airplanes like is not even an issue or or does it kind of I don’t know weigh on you like some when you’re gone that long yeah I mean it does to a certain degree

Because you want to be with your family now I’m not my I’m not complaining at all because the travel in the NBA is better than first class travel if you go worldwide so please don’t misinterpret this but when when you do have to travel you’re away from your family you know

You’re going you’re in one hotel then you’re going to the next and you know when you get my age sometimes you know you got to call secur R I got to call my security and I’m like uh what room am I in again you know I go downstairs or go

For a walk or whatever so you know it it takes you out of your normal routine and and it’s a h more a hassle than anything else but the tra you couldn’t ask for a better way to travel than than than the way we do it so coach domas has been on

A tear recently you know with the double double streak obviously the amount of triple doubles that he’s had over the last 10 games when you have a guy that can that you know you can depend on day in and day out and just know what his production brings to the court and

Making all those around them better as a coach how does that you know um make you feel and how does that you know help help the the product yeah it you know it it’s a calming uh feel that everybody has from it you know because you know oh this is what

We’re going to get so we’re going to be okay or at least have a chance in this area so we don’t need to focus that much on this area and it gives it it allows us as a staff to to focus or lock in on other areas of the game whether it’s

Offensively or defensively to make note of so that we can cover up maybe some holes or deficiencies that we have other places because you always know what you’re going to get from him which is a very very comforting feeling going back to the road trip just is there anything

That you like to do maybe differently than other teams you know that other teams do maybe for like chemistry like off the court type stuff with the guys yeah you know we we try to get to get together break bread and or have meals together um you know we may mix in every

Once in a while we may mix in a sightseing deal uh but everybody does it you know from time to time you don’t want to do it too much because the reality of it is we’re around each other a lot and you know sometimes we need a

Break from each other you know it’s just like you from your sister or brother your parents it’s all the same and and so to to to try to do team functions together when we’re together as much as we are uh it’ll happen every once in a

While but but not a ton past couple days we we kind of going back to the earlier thing you’re talking about where he it you know kind of starting with you I’m wondering you know obviously hindsight over 2020 and you you kind of might look back at even your own decision making

And kind of double you know second guess I’m just wondering how much of that you’ve seen of late to where you’re like man I maybe you’re harder on yourself during a stretch like this I I think anytime that you feel uh that especially I mean obviously

In my opinion you should always look in the mirror yeah I don’t care if you’re doing good if you’re doing bad if you’re okay you should always look in the mirror but when you go through a stretch where you feel that the team is playing uh pretty good and they’re doing what

They can to give uh us an opportunity win down the stretch you always that’s when you really lock in and try to make sure you have answers a for yourself first okay to make sure because what we’re doing may be what the answer is but just do it

Better but maybe it’s not maybe we might need to tweak it here or completely change it there and so when you have a stretch of tough losses where especially where you think you had a great opportunity to win you want to make sure that you tell you give your team answers

And and you tell them the truth hey we’re playing good basketball but this is where they this is where we can get better including me and I’m not one to try to put it all on them because we’re all in this together and I have a big

Part in this process and so uh for me and the staff it’s been you some some of those games you know Cat 22 CU I don’t like to lose but some of the ones that are really really hard or tough to handle uh those are when you get better

If you take the if you take the approach the right way to dissecting the film show uh uh not just when you’re watching it you’re showing it to the players and then with what you do on the court and your messaging and and so uh tough losses but I I I know they’ve

Helped me grow and I feel like they’ve helped the team grow and hopefully hopefully a pay a payoff going forward seen a couple different guys play that backup one and backup five is that a role that you feel like can be situational night tonight or do you hope

To get to a point where you’re kind of rolling out the same guys consistently I I think I I think most of your situations can be a situation could be situational if that makes sense yeah I got you uh you know um obviously you’d like to have some some level of

Consistency when it comes to your rotation but when you have guys that you feel confident in um you know you’re able to pick and choose okay hey maybe this guy might be better maybe this guy might be better especially during this time of the year the one thing that I

I’ve experienced I know when I was a younger coach I was like hey he my top eight or top nine I’m rolling with these guys you know I’ve been with coaches starting with Steve cerry even Greg papovich they may throw the guy that’s the 14th guy in the game on a whim and

And I I remember asking Steve about that and he said uh he actually I think he said Phil used to do that every once in a while and I said it’s interesting I I like it and he said it it’s mainly because Steve was that guy before and I

Know he was that guy in San Antonio and what it does it it it keeps everybody engaged you know it it really keeps you on your toes and you’re like I got to work on my game because I can get thrown in at any time not just at quote unquote

Garbage time but at any time and if you get thrown in you know the middle of the second quarter in a two possession ball game you want to be ready you want to help the team you want to show everybody why you should be out on the floor and

So I you know if I can always do it I’m all I’m going to try especially during the meat of the Season I’m going to try to play as many guys as I can if it makes sense thanks everyone thank

Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown looks ahead to the Kings longest road trip of the season, De’Aaron Fox being named as a Team USA finalist and how he approaches his rotations during the long NBA season.

#nba #sacramentokings #deaaronfox #nbapodcast