Monday Musings: Jay Triano, Manny the Mannequin and the Kings' offense

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Something was missing. For the last decade and a half, the Sacramento Kings franchise wandered aimlessly through one NBA season after another searching for chemistry, culture and an identity. 

The Mike Brown era has brought a renewed hope that the Kings are finally on the right path, but it’s not just one man who is helping to fix the floundering franchise. In fact, it takes 100 percent buy-in from everyone in the building if the Kings are going to continue to construct something sustainable for this season and beyond.

While Brown worked to get one of the league’s worst defenses on track, veteran assistant coach Jay Triano took the lead on the offensive side of the ball. 

Give a nod to general manager Monte McNair for assembling a roster filled with shooters and high basketball IQ players, but Triano has taken the ball of clay and molded it into one of the most exciting teams in the league. He’s also bought Brown time to develop a defensive identity without falling behind in the standings. 

Triano isn’t a household name, but the basketball lifer brings a flavor to the Kings that was missing. His offensive ideology has Sacramento buzzing and his spirit behind the scenes is helping Brown create a culture of winning. 

“We always say ‘never too high, never too low,’ it’s a long season and we’ve got to keep building,” Triano told The Kings Beat in an exclusive interview last week. “I think our players have bought into what we’re trying to do, we’ve just got to make sure we handle the tough times the same way that we’re handling the good times and stay together.”

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