Every now and again we get a game between so-so teams that is billed as the NBA’s future: two teams on the rise with young point guards zooming around or young bigs going up against established bigs that will one day sit atop their conferences, but for now are still just sitting around figuring out how to win. That game is the Memphis Grizzlies vs. the Orlando Magic and it starts at 4 pm PST in Orlando! The Kings also have a game tonight, against a Hawks team that is sputtering due to injuries and PED’s to their centerpieces. Trae Young is playing beautiful basketball when he is on the court, but his impression of Steph Curry is so exact, he’s recently developed ankles like him. John Collins is out after whoospie-daisying into some PEDs. Even young up-and-comer Cam Reddish is banged up after trying to carry a load like he was still 3rd wheel at Duke, tweaking his shoulder in the management of that 6 point per game load. Here’s hoping the first and third player come back healthy tonight; would hate it if both teams found a way to be boring! Let’s talk Kings basketball!

When: Friday, November 8th, 4:30 pm PST

Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA

TV: NBCSCA

Radio: KHTK Sports 1140 AM

For Your Consideration

Playing Like Caw-Caw: My apologies for missing the Toronto game, I didn’t want to have to write anything negative against a franchise that lost their star to the LA lights and are in the middle of a soft reboot with a far less exciting product - okay, if Toronto doesn’t start calling that outdoor fan section Jurassic World now, they are lying to themselves and the whole world.

The Kings are taking on the Hawks tonight and are getting a little help from the basketball gods in the way of injuries and suspensions: I joked up their about their big young three with their various issues but any team with a tweaked leading scorer and a missing secondary scorer is open for attack. The Hawks, for all their appropriate levels of hype, also ain’t that good. They’re going to be, we can see it when we’ve got eyes on Atlanta games but they aren’t yet. Example: Hawks are the second worst 3 point shooting team in the league at a whopping 29% from behind the arc. They’re also launching the 6th least amount of them too, so, while it hurts them to clank as often as they do, it isn’t absolutely demolishing them. They also take the fourth least amount of 2 point shots per game as well, which is why John Collins becomes so important to them, their big man is clearing space down low and is a big reason they’re shooting 55.2% from inside the arc, second best mark in the league. Lemme list some other things that will give Kings fans hope tonight: Atlanta makes the fourth least amount of free throws, shoots the sixth worst percentage, is the second worst rebounding team in the league, while also managing to be the sixth worst in assists and seventh worst in blocks. Like I said, they’re going to be good. They aren’t yet.

This next section would be where I write issues and positives regarding the Kings but, I really am terrified of checking those stats. Tenth game! Tenth game is where I’ll definitely, certainly decide that the Kings are good enough to warrant looking through the numbers and drawing conclusion on the team. We all know whats wrong with the team, we’ve all heard that we should be patient with a team 14 years without the playoffs and only 10 coaches into their rebuild. I’m not doing that today.

Prediction

Ja Morant sizzles, Jaren Jackson Jr. wows and the Grizzlies find a way to upset the Magic at home. Oh, and the Kings win and Trae Young does something highlight level only to get smacked off the backboard by De’Aaron.

Kings: 109, Hawks: 104