Kings kick off 2022-23 season with Media Day festivities

Welcome to The Kings Beat, a subscriber based independent news source with more than a decade of experience covering the Sacramento Kings as credentialed media. Please consider supporting independent content, such as this, with a premium subscription.

Media day is the start of everything. It always comes on the eve of training camp and is the official kickoff of a new season.  

It's the NBA's equivalent to the first day of school, where general managers, coaches and players don their gear, take pictures, show off their new physiques and speak to the media for the first time in months. 

Monday's media day in the Kings' practice facility was smooth from start to finish. That isn't always the case and a major hat tip goes out to the Kings' new media relations staff for a quality effort. 

General manager Monte McNair looked relaxed in this setting and seems to be settling into his role as the front office face of the organization.

In the first 40 seconds of his media session, McNair was asked about what the emphasis would be in training camp heading into the season. His answer was simple, or maybe not when you consider the last 16 seasons of Kings basketball.

"Wins," McNair said. "We need to improve on both sides (offense and defense), we were bottom 10 in both."

McNair knows what the goal is this season. He reiterated that "we're never done," when asked about his current roster and wether he will continue to aggressively search for more talent. He also brushed off his contract status and whether or not he would like an extension heading into the final year of his deal. 

"Is my deal on the internet or something?," McNair asked. "For me and my group, we're excited about what we've done. We're excited that coach Brown is here. I'm the GM right now and I've got a bunch of work to do, so I'm going to do that until they kick me out and I hope I'm here for a long time."

McNair took over the Kings in September of 2020. Only De'Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes remain from that roster. He's revamped the roster on the fly, including drafting Tyrese Haliburton, Davion Mitchell and Keegan Murray.

He's also the architect of one of the biggest trades in recent Kings history when he acquired two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis at the trade deadline last summer, and his hiring of Mike Brown as head coach this summer has been almost universally praised around the league. 

RELATED: Sunday Musings: Six key questions heading into Kings training camp

Speaking of Brown, the 52-year-old coach was prepared and composed early in his meeting with the media on Monday. And then all hell broke loose.

One of the stops at media day asked Kings players to roar like a lion. Brown heard the yelling from across the gym, broke from his focused approach and created a viral moment. 

Brown is a character and the players seem excited to play for the veteran coach. His attention to the finer nuances of the game came up multiple times, as did his emphasis on defense. He has his work cut out for him, but after six seasons as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors where he picked up three rings, Brown has the players thinking big.

"The one thing about coach Brown, he is a detailed guy," Barnes said. "Above anything else, we're going to play hard and he's going to be about the details."

Every player raved about the addition of Brown, including Fox, who gushed about the new coaching staff in an off the record conversation. There is an excitement surrounding this team, especially the pairing of Fox and Sabonis and all of the shooters McNair has brought in to support the duo. 

Sabonis, who has been traded, witnessed the birth of his first child, worked with renowned shooting coach "Lethal Shooter" and traveled the world playing for the Lithuanian National team, all within the last seven months, was all smiles at media day.

While Sabonis is at the beginning of his journey in Sacramento, Barnes may be nearing an end. The 30-year-old looked like he was in great shape coming into camp, but he's entering the final year of his contract that will pay him $18.3 million this season.

During Barnes' three-plus seasons in Sacramento, he's seen plenty, including countless players and now his fourth head coach.

Barnes is set to start at the small forward position for the Kings this season and is a valuable member of the Kings' core. The angst of losing has been tough on all of the players, but for a veteran who has won a ring, there is a tremendous motivation to get back to the playoffs.

"Guys want to experience the playoffs," Barnes said. "There are a lot of people here who have played in the playoffs, played a high level, whether it's in college or wherever, and you know, the postseason is a lot of fun. If anything, guys want that experience."

More Kings Notes

• Davion Mitchell looked as though he hadn't missed a day in the gym since we last saw him. His focus this summer was on the catch-and-shoot 3-ball, which should help space the floor and open running lanes for both Fox and Malik Monk.

• Mathew Dellavedova has been in Sacramento for several months and looks like he is in tremendous shape. After playing sparingly over the last few years due to injury, he is healthy and ready to compete.

• Neemias Queta was able to spend a lot of time in Portugal this summer, both visiting family and playing for his national team. He is excited to learn from Sabonis in camp and his focus at the G League level this season is to win games, not stuff the boxscore with hollow stats.

• The Kings' second two-way player, Keon Ellis, understands his path to the NBA is very specific. He knows his role is to be a 3-and-D player and he is embracing that challenge.

• Former UC Davis star Chima Moneke is fun and ready to compete for a spot in the rotation. He's a versatile forward who brings energy on both ends of the court.

• Venturing out on your own is never easy, especially for an identical twin like Kings rookie Keegan Murray. After sharing an apartment and a car with brother Kris during their time together at Iowa, the bothers still speak everyday on the phone and there is a hope that Kris will join Keegan in the NBA next season.

• Kevin Huerter is starting over in Sacramento after four years in Atlanta, but he is keen to hold onto the nickname "Red Velvet." The 6-foot-7 shooting guard is a fun personality that should fit in nicely with the Kings.

• Trey Lyles was the player who turned heads with his new physique at camp. The power forward said he lost 20 pounds, although it looked like more. He looks ready to compete for a spot in the rotation.

• Alex Len estimated that he was down 15-20 pounds as well. The 7-footer is fresh off a run with the Ukrainian National team at EuroBasket and looks like he is in great shape.

• I missed media sessions for Fox, Monk and Richaun Holmes while taking care of some radio duties on ESPN 1320, but was able to catch up with Fox and Holmes for individual conversations. Fox was all smiles talking about his wedding over the summer, as well as the additions of Brown and Monk. He is looking forward to putting last season behind him and he is very focused on delivering a playoff team to Sacramento fans. Holmes looked like he hit the weight room hard over the summer and would also like to forget last season. We'll have more on these three over the coming days and weeks leading up to the regular season.

It's going to be a busy week and we'll have you covered here at The Kings Beat with all the latest happenings from training camp, which starts on Tuesday. Thanks for jumping on board and feel free to share a link to The Kings Beat with all of your Kings fans friends!