“It comes a point sometimes in games where we have to stand our ground.”
– Sacramento Kings utility player Trey Lyles.
On The Cutting Room Floor βοΈ
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ENFORCER | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary:
Someone who makes people obey a law or rule, or makes a particular situation happen or be accepted.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. ββ As an individual, Trey Lyles is a modest, soft-spoken person whose mostly compatible with people he encounter. A ‘nice guy,’ an observer of character may say.
On the basketball court, he’s a fearless player that can play multiple positions for the Sacramento Kings. He’s one of their top reserves and his performance during the regular season and in the NBA playoffs earned him a reportedly 2-year, $16 million deal to stay in Sacramento.
Conspicuously, the players and fans are learning that Lyles will take one for the team whether it’s a hard foul in the middle of the paint or receiving a technical foul for counteracting a push or shove from an opposing player.
Trey Lyles ββ βborn in Saskaton, Saskatchewan, Canada ββ βdoes not take any mess from anyone.
He let Brooke Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks know that, and recently, he had to send the message to New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas ValanΔiΕ«nas after he delivered an elbow at Lyles during the Kings 127-117 loss to the Pels at Golden 1 Center in the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament.on Dec. 4. β
Lyles countered with a swinging fist at mid-court and was assessed a technical foul.
“It was kind of reacting to things. You know I’m never gonna initiate any part but I’m definitely not going to allow things to go overboard…I’ll just say (not) ‘let them walk over us,'” Lyles said after a Dec. 7 practice at the Kings’ practice facility.
Lyles was involved in a four-team trade that landed him in Sacramento from the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 22, 2022. After one season at the University of Kentucky, he was drafted by the Utah Jazz in 2015. He has worn Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs’ uniforms too but has found a home in Sacramento and the utmost respect of the fans.
With respect, he has been a monocrat for the Kings, something the franchise has craved for years. Teammate Malik Monk did a say Lyles gave him an edgy but helpful directive about a defensive assignment in a game this season.
“It sort of happens that way…I don’t have no problems with it. I’m not in anyway condoning it,” Lyles said of being the team’s humble but de facto martinet. ” But like I said, at some points in the game you have to stand your ground.”
.Kings play Friday, Dec. 8, on the road against the Phoenix Suns.
Written, Directed, Produced, and Published by T. Ray Harvey
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.This segment was filmed on 12.7.2023 in Sacramento, California.
