With training camp in full effect, Kings coach Doug Christie has taken notice to plenty of his players stepping up and surprising him.
“Dennis’ [Schroder] competitiveness and leadership has jumped off,” Christie told reporters Tuesday. “I think Nique [Clifford] has also demonstrated that he can do a lot of different things on the court. I kind of knew that, but watching him in summer league is one thing but against NBA players is something different.”
Christie added he’s liked the intensity he’s seen on the defensive end from some of his more prevalent offensive-minded players.
“Zach’s [LaVine] defense and DeMar’s [DeRozan] defense and commitment to trying to play defense has been impressive,” Christie said. “Domas [Sabonis] and moving him around the floor. There’s so many, I could go to Malik [Monk] and his commitment to the defensive end.
“Keegan [Murray] has been a three-and-D all-around player and I think I see him ready to take a jump, but we got to wait until the games start. I could go down each one of them because they’ve all really, really impressed.”
While Christie continued on and said he’s liked what he’s seen from his rookies who returned this season, one thing he says surprised him has been the team’s ability to challenge each other.
“The competition level,” Christie said. “Asking them to do something that they haven’t necessarily done at a high level for a long period of time, in my opinion, is hard. That’s a difficult thing and as someone who’s actually done it, I understand what’s required out of that. The commitment from them to try to do that every single day has been highly impressive and I really appreciate that.”
The Kings begin their preseason schedule on Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors and it will be a litmus test for Christie and co. to see how competitive they are in real-game situations.
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