Timberwolves Season Series Preview: Sacramento Kings

This is the second part in our series previewing each of the Timberwolves’ opponents and the upcoming season series.

Let’s take a look at the Sacramento Kings and how they’ll match-up with the Timberwolves during the 2016-17 season, in light of the season series from a year ago.

Tale of the Tape: Minnesota took care of business last year against Sacramento, sweeping the four-game season series.

The Kings continue to be plagued with internal conflict, leading to a struggle to find an identity. Despite their seemingly perennial problems, they hobbled to a 10^th place finish in the West last year.

Although each game was decided by 10 points or less, the Wolves scored over 100 points in three of the four contests, running all over a defense that ranked dead last a year ago.

What’s new? Dave Joerger enters his first year as coach in Sacramento after spending the last few years in Memphis.

A questionable hire in my eyes, Joerger failed to prove himself in big moments. He has yet to make a deep run in the playoffs, despite having teams full of talent and chemistry. Of course, Joerger won’t have the same qualities in the Kings.

Matt Barnes comes to Sacramento out of free agency after spending last year in Memphis with Joerger. The passionate, emotional forward enters this season with his third team in as many years. A lot of his benefits will come on the defensive end, where he’s not scared to get in your face or hack, which in turn leaves him prone to garnering some technical fouls throughout the season. I expect him to play a big role off the bench.

More from Timberwolves News

• The dream starting 5 for Minnesota Timberwolves 5 years from now
• Anthony Edwards’ latest accolade is a great sign of things to come
• In an OT thriller, Team Canada snatches Bronze from Team USA
• Timberwolves start, bench, cut: Mike Conley, Shake Milton, Jordan McLaughlin
• Which Timberwolves roster additions have upgraded the bench?

Ty Lawson and Arron Afflalo come to Sacramento to add depth in the back court. Both have had fairly successful careers, with Lawson’s a little more troubled. Regardless of problems with teammates and the law, however, Lawson has performed on the court wherever he has been, save for a rough early stint in Houston.

The only draft pick retained by Sacramento this off-season is Isaiah Cousins out of Oklahoma, as the Kings traded their eighth-overall pick, Marquese Chriss, to Phoenix on draft night.

I’d be surprised to see him on the regular season roster, or at least if he plays consistent minutes. He’ll be battling the likes of Ben McLemore and Rudy Gay for a spot, and that will surely prove to be a tough test. We’ll see what happens at the conclusion of the preseason.

Key Losses: Caron Butler, Rajon Rondo

What’s the same? DeMarcus Cousins returns to Sacramento after speculation that he may be traded last season. Certainly one of the best big men in the league, Cousins will be a tough draw for Karl-Anthony Towns every night they play. This will be a fun match-up to watch, of course, pending Cousins remains a King throughout the season, but I believe that Towns will be up for the test.

Also returning in the back court are Rudy Gay and Willie Cauley-Stein.

Gay does basically everything well. When healthy, his performance is fairly consistent, and I don’t expect that to change. He doesn’t create any significant match-up problems for the Wolves, but he’s not someone to be slept on, either.

Cauley-Stein enters his second year after averaging seven points and five rebounds as a rookie, and found himself as a starter during the second half of last season. He doesn’t overwhelm anybody, but is a scrappy forward who will battle with his Minnesota counterpart.

On the other hand, Ben McLemore’s role is in question heading into the year. He and Afflalo will likely share touches, with McLemore seeing slightly less involvement in the offense.

While, McLemore has shown ability to score in bunches, his inconsistency and struggles at the defensive end have failed to allow him to cement a role in the starting five.

Finally, Darren Collison returns for his third year in Sacremento. I see him spending most of his year coming off the bench alongside Afflalo.

My prediction? The Kings have a lot of upside, but I expect a similar result to last year; they simply don’t have the same talent and athleticism as the Wolves. While Minnesota continues to trend upward, Sacramento remains fairly stagnant.

With the Kings’ bench greatly improved, we could see a slight edge over the Wolves in that regard. Minnesota does have a sizable advantage in the starting lineup, however — don’t be surprised to see the Timberwolves open one or two of these games up. A member of the Timberwolves back court is bound to have a huge game, whether it be Wiggins or LaVine.

Next: What Is Everyone Saying About Kevin Garnett?

The Wolves will see the Kings for the first time in 2016-17 in Sacramento on October 29.