Even after a win that showcased defensive grittiness, Kings coach Paul Westphal couldn't escape questions about the offense.
Is it still stagnant? Are players standing around too much? Are the guards dribbling out the shot clock and settling for long jump shots?
Westphal said the Kings are still a work in progress, and, yes, that includes the offense.
Westphal scaled back the number of plays he called early in the season partly because of the indecision that led to the fractured offense. Rather than seeing and reacting, players were seeing and thinking, resulting in standing around, forced shots and turnovers.
So Westphal made things simple.
"Even though it's really nothing different than we ran last year but we have so many new players,"
Westphal said. "And with players out, trying to get everybody up to speed, we were probably adding too fast."
Just look at the points. The Kings have failed to score 100 points in five of their last six games.
Westphal has emphasized more player movement and said he likes what he has seen, even if shots aren't falling.
The less movement, the easier the Kings are to defend. In those situations, Tyreke Evans often finds himself trying to create against multiple defenders, or they rush a shot.
Scoring won't get easier today. The Kings host the New Orleans Hornets, 10-1 this season thanks mostly to a defense that has allowed only one team to score 100 points. That happened Friday in the Hornets' 108-101 win against Cleveland.
Evans said new plays have been added to keep the Kings from being so easy to defend.
"We've been standing around a lot, so we just want to get movement and cutting just to keep the defense moving left and right,"
Evans said.
The offense's primary goal is to create scoring chances in the paint with Carl Landry, DeMarcus Cousins and Evans via post play or penetration.
Westphal said the Kings have some basic sets with multiple options designed to counter various defensive approaches. The problem earlier this season was the Kings weren't advanced enough to run those counter plays.
Progress was also slowed by unfamiliarity. Cousins is a big part of the offense but is also a rookie. Landry joined the Kings in February, so he's still relatively new.
Even though the Kings scored just 86 points in Friday's win over New Jersey, Westphal was encouraged by the progress.
"I know we're getting better,"
Westphal said. "It's a constant concern, but I know we're getting better every day. We are getting better. It makes you look a lot better when the shots go in."
Youth is another issue. Evans spent just one season in college and is still less than 100 games into his NBA career.
Westphal said the adjustment can be especially hard for young post players who simply get the ball and attack and aren't accustomed to making reads.
The Kings ask Cousins to make reads and make the offense go late in games. Cousins said he's catching on as to when and how to make plays in the NBA after just one college season.
"It's hard because I'm used to having the ball in my hands,"
Cousins said. "It was also a problem at the beginning in my college career as well because I was so used to having the ball in my hands and the offense being ran through me. It's just an adjustment I've got to make and continue to progress with that."
Even with that, the questions about the offense are sure to persist, and the answer will likely be similar.
TODAY'S GAME
Kings (4-7) vs. Hornets (10-1)
• Today: 3 p.m.
• Where: Arco Arena
• TV: CSNCA, NBATV
• Radio: KHTK (1140 AM)
THREE KEYS
1. CP3 game: Handling the Hornets' Chris Paul will be one of the toughest challenges of the season. He's tough on offense and defense and sets up teammates as well as any point guard in the league.
2. Landry's touches: Forward Carl Landry is averaging 18.8 points and shooting 55.8 percent from the floor in his last four games. The Kings will look to get Landry going early.
3. Bench play: Since being taken out of the starting lineup, Beno Udrih is playing well. In two games as a reserve, he is averaging 15 points and shooting 54.5 percent from the field.
PROBABLE STARTERS
KINGS
No. Player Pos.
9 Luther Head G
13 Tyreke Evans G
24 Carl Landry F
20 Donté Greene F
10 Samuel Dalembert C HORNETS
No. Player Pos.
3 Chris Paul G
8 Marco Belinelli G
1 Trevor Ariza F
30 David West F
50 Emeka Okafor C
