Kings GM Scott Perry on establishing a new identity & getting Keegan Murray more mins at SF

Kings GM Scott Perry on establishing a new identity & getting Keegan Murray more mins at SF

on vacation and we don’t keep NBA general managers holding least of which the very very busy Scott Perry kind enough to join us the GM of your Sacramento Kings. Good morning Scott. How are you? Good morning Carichel Dave. How you doing this morning? You know I’m doing good. Uh I am I got to be honest. First week back from vacation but nice to be here and with everyone. Watched summer league wrap up. fell short of the, you know, I don’t know. Would you consider uh a record three summer league championships had we been able to get that? That That’s a dynasty, isn’t it, of some sort? A summer league dynasty. I don’t I don’t know if I’ve ever heard that before, uh Dave, but I was really uh proud of how the guys competed for the entire 10 days there. And that was the big thing that, you know, the young players got an opportunity to get their first uh exposure to some NBA caliber action. And I thought we were able to really start instilling the type of play that we want to have come fall and winter this year with the uh with the Kings. So, uh encouraged encouraged by what I saw. Let’s start with Max Reo, the rookie out of Stanford. Uh, you know, 7 foot one. We saw him we saw him hit threes. Uh, we saw him steal and and work in transition. I got to tell you, I forget the game, but it was a I keep saying it. He was at the elbow. It was a one-handed entry pass for a layup, and his court vision is actually what what really caught my eye. Uh what were your thoughts on him and and what are you looking for him to work on the most going into camp? Well, a number of things caught my eye with Max uh during his time in Las Vegas. I mean, you just referred to one of them, his basketball IQ in field on the offensive end, whether it’s uh space in the floor, his ability to shoot the ball, being able to pass it. Uh he understood everything we were trying to run. and he was uh he he always thinking to play ahead. So that was impressive. But maybe the most impressive thing for me that I didn’t know as much about was defensively, his verbal ability defensively. And I had mentioned this uh when I was during one of our games on I think it was on ESPN talking about how he was so loud and verbal. And that’s what’s to be a good defensive team. You need your backline defenders, especially your big people to be communicating to your guards and small forwards when screens are coming. They’re that they recognizing all the actions that are happening. And he is very vocal in that way and in in a way that quite frankly a lot of veteran players aren’t. So, he’s bringing that into do into the uh into his first year as a rookie, which is a very positive thing. I think the biggest thing he’s going to need to work on is just got to get stronger and just keep uh developing as an athlete. And that’ll be uh um incumbent upon us to do a really good job in terms of you know our strength and conditioning and performance group to really um dive in and help him realize his potential as an athlete so he can get stronger. He can hold uh post position against some of the bigger stronger guys in the NBA. Scott Perry joining us. You know that opens the door for me to ask a question uh we haven’t discussed on the air yet. I’m I’m always curious. I’ve asked this before of other GMs and coaches when it comes to defense. Um I uh I think I mentioned to you in one of our conversations off the air. Uh I always enjoy when I when I go to games uh if I’m at a Grizzlies game, I I I love watching Brandon Clark on defense. He is so vocal. He’s like a a a quarterback calling out schemes. And this is not an NBA superstar. It’s just a a an arrow in his uh quiver that that I think is phenomenal and and really seems to kind of quarterback the defense when he’s on the floor. He’s not the only one. How much in your opinion of of a good team defense is innate talent a Draymond Green a Ben Wallace uh you know just a great defensive player. But how much of that team defense can be improved based on scheme, based on communication, and the non-physical attributes that go into a team defense? How much difference can that make, Scott? Well, I think it makes a big difference. You you mentioned two of the greats when you talk about Draymond Green who I’ve known since he was 17 years old and he’s got a high IQ especially on that side of the floor and is very verbal as you said so he sees plays uh ahead of time and he communicates them very well so all the other four players on the floor with him understand what’s getting ready to happen and I worked very closely with Ben Wallace as you know for uh close to a decade and he was four times defensive player of the year. But what wasn’t talked about enough with that defensive team, and we had those years in Detroit, we were top two or three defense um for a number of years uh during that stretch where we went to the six conference finals and won a championship. But a guy like Rasheed Wallace, again, using his voice, he was the vocal leader of that defense. A lot of people, he didn’t get enough credit for that. So, he was the one even more than Ben in terms of using his voice, communicating to everyone else on the floor what was getting ready to h uh happen. And that helped us go from, you know, a very good defensive team to a great defensive team when we added him because of those verbal abilities, those little things and and understanding schemes and seeing what was going on. So, uh, I think it’s a very important part when you talking about building a team defense that communication and, um, and scheme dynamics both play a very, uh, important role into to developing an excellent defense. Kings GM Scott Perry nice enough to join us this morning. You know, Scott, back in that era, as you know, in this town, there is no team more beloved than the 2002 Sacramento Kings. And your head coach was a key cog of that starting lineup. Now, with all love and respect to living legends in this town, whether it’s Vlad, whether it’s Chris Weber, Mike Bby, uh, Pesakovich, these guys were not known as defensive stoppers. But with Doug Christie at the two quarterbacking that defense that 2002 year, they actually led the league in opponent field goal percentage. So, when you’re looking at the team you have laid out and the strides that you’re trying to make, just let’s just talk specifically defensively, how much are uh you you counting on Doug being able to instill how he really drove that team to play good team defense even though the individuals weren’t exactly all defensive first teamers. How much are you hoping that’s going to translate whether it’s communication or otherwise into this squad come fall? Oh, I’m expecting a lot of big things uh in that area uh under Doug’s leadership. You know, as you mentioned, he was an excellent defender during his time in the NBA. And what made him an excellent defender, not only was his toughness and grit, but his ability to communicate and also his ability to match up with multiple positions. Y and so knowing his philosophy, which is he and I are aligned on, we want to be a good defensive team. We want to extend the floor defensively. That was one of the things you saw us do this summer in the summer league team, picking up 94 ft. Uh allowing our defensive pressure to create some pace and and opportunities on the offensive end. So I think Doug’s experience um so he what he’s going to ask guys to do obviously he had done back during his time as a player. And I think what it really gets down to, you know, defense is a is a mindset. And uh and that’s what, you know, Doug and his staff will tap into to that with each and every player. Even guys that have just been known as offensive guys for most of their career, they want to win. And that’s one of the things we talk about winning. then you got to start doing a few things a little differently and making a little more sacrifice on that defensive end and putting a little more focus and effort to making consecutive defensive plays that can help us win more basketball games cuz as you know the majority of these games in the NBA come down to two or three possessions and so can we steal those two or three possessions on the defensive side uh with this group to help us win more than we lose this year. Scott Perry joining us. That segus perfectly into my next conversation. And and Scott, I’m going to keep this philosophical for reasons I know you’ll understand and not specific, but I want to know where you stand because you’re the, you know, alpha and omega when it comes to the the start of the culture, the new culture here. when it comes to, for example, this Kings fan base, um, always excited with the new players, whether it’s Max, whether it’s Nick Clifford, who we’ll talk to in a second, or younger guys, uh, your Keegan Murray’s, your Keon Ellis’s, you know, run all these guys. Let’s let’s see what they got. Let’s develop them. But when you talk about defensive principles, I’m going to I’m going to give you an example. Let’s say without naming any names, you have a veteran whether it’s Bur years or maybe they’re they’re very well paid, very well established in this league and maybe just in this hypothetical they’re not buying into some of these defensive principles. Where are you on balancing the importance between making sure the messaging gets out? Scott, I’m going to stop and just ask you straight up. Are you open to benching people if necessary regardless of who they are if they’re not buying into what you and Doug are trying to do? Well, you’ve heard me say this often about this year being important establishing our identity. So that identity again for those who may have forgotten competitive, tough, team oriented, professional, accountable, and disciplined. and that’s best accountable is that it is that that that’s the grand vision I’ve set and that’s got to be what we live and what we practice. So that goes for everybody that puts that uniform on. Now it’s going to be up to each individual player to hold himself accountable, look himself in the mirror and understand that he’s holding up his end of the bargain. And it’s also going to be up to the coaches and myself to make sure that that’s happening. If somebody’s not towing the line on a particular day or particular evening, okay, then why you hear me preach depth a lot of times is okay, next man up, right? Who’s going to perform that night and do what needs to be done? Uh we again want to establish a a an aura of accountability with this group. And that goes for everybody regardless of how much money you make, how long you’ve been in this league. um there’s going to be a a standard that uh we’re going to challenge these guys to live by and uphold and it’s never going to be a personal thing. And look, so we’re going to push everybody to get there if it’s not happening. Then we can’t be afraid to go with the next man up theory and take a look at that man. and and not that you would bury somebody, but hey, we we’ve got to be able to uh uh really what we say, we have to follow up with corresponding action and that’s going to be uh you know what we look to do uh this season. Do you anticipate one of the big challenges for you and the coaching staff is trying to balance between and I imagine this is this is a problem or should I say a challenge for a lot of teams in our position. Um, you’ve got vets and guys that average 20 points a game or lead the league in rebounds or, you know, we’ve got a lot. We’ve got talent on the team. You you have you have to balance their playing time and their effectiveness and trying to win ball games, but also at the same time trying new combinations, trying to develop your youth, seeing if X player can play with Y player at Z spot. How do you how do you juggle that that kind of dual tugofwar between trying to be competitive and win every ball game and also developing this team for the future? Look, at the end of the day, we’re in the business of trying to compete and win each and every night. And we got to do what is necessary to get there. And throughout the course of the year, I mean, I’m no longer a coach. Again, I set the the grand vision uh for our organization and for Doug and the staff and the players, and it’s up to us to do the very best we can to get there. And so, um that’s always a quote unquote dance, if you will. But we we don’t want to we’re going to put people out there that earned their uh right to be out there playing and playing the minutes they’re playing. And I believe for young players and you know the good thing about the young players think that we drive this year and both Max and Nate Clifford is that they’re a little older. They’re not the 18 and 19 year old guys. So, these guys have been coached a lot longer, have more experience coming in the door. Yeah. Will they have things to learn about the NBA game? Of course they will. But I think they’re further along the development cycle than most 18 and 19 year old uh players would be. So, and what they were able to demonstrate and show in the summer league that uh they’re capable of being able to contribute to this basketball team and but they got to come and fight and earn everything that they get and I’m confident that they will and uh I believe that you will see uh them over the course of the year grow and develop in in the right way and uh and become productive players for the for the Kings not only this year but you know years years ago. Well, and Scott, you know, if you would take us as we talked to Scott Perry, the GM of the Kings, uh, you know, something that that isn’t often talked about publicly because I just don’t think it’s that sexy, but when you have somebody like Nick or or Max come in, any rookie whatsoever, whether they’re 22 or whether they’re 18, there’s there’s college bodies and there’s NBA bodies. So, even though we’re in, you know, entering August and September and what people would call the the downtime of the season, uh, how important is it for your staff to really work with these guys, uh, and and try to help them? I’m talking physically, the the the weight room, whatever it may be, the programs you guys have in place to get these guys NBA ready with their bodies. I think it’s hugely important, Dave. Um, you know, one of the things that, um, I talked about when I first got here and I’ve, uh, put in front of everybody in this building from players, coaches, uh, and in particular our strength uh, health and wellness staff and performance group. I want this team to be in elite shape. And uh you know, one of the organizations I’ve always admired that in my 25 years in the league I thought I think does an excellent job of that year in and year out is the Miami Heat. And so um there’s no reason that uh we can’t set those same goals in terms of the conditioning levels of our athletes, of our players. So that’s what we want to we’re you know starting now and starting to introduce that and uh you know it takes time to grab hold but we’re going to be working that you know not only this year but each year following so that we can build an infrastructure that if you’re a current player or if you’re a player that ends up getting drafted here, traded here or signed as a free agent, you know that you’re stepping into environment that values everybody being in elite condition and that that’s really a non-negotiable for us. So, um that’s that’s how we can help. So yeah, to your point, uh, Fenique and and Max in particular, um, who are, you know, again, a little more physically mature than 18 and 19 year old guys, but still have a little bit, uh, to go in terms of NBA conditioning, playing against guys that are 30 years old. Uh, so, uh, we’ll be working very hard to get them there. they are they have the right mental framework to attack this work and uh and they understand they’re going to need to do that to prepare themselves to be able to play. Wrapping up with GM Scott Perry kind enough to join us this morning. Uh I know it’s been a whirlwind for you coming in with the draft and free agency and and and the signings that you’ve done the Shruder move. Uh I I’m gonna ask you just as we finish up because it’s something kind of gnawing in the back of my head and Scott, I know we got a long time between now and opening day. Uh it it really seems the theme in the offseason when it comes to Kings needs has been point guard. Uh you’ve addressed that with Dennis Shruder and then whether you do a a point guard by committee, whether it’s it’s Devin, it’s Keon, Nick, Malik, whatever it may be that that there there’s at least been some progress there. Um, I asked your predecessor at training camp last year, uh, and and it still kind of sticks with me. Maybe I’m wrong. I I I’m as if more concerned, not more concerned with the four and and the depth there. Uh, I I understand with our back court with Demar and Zack that, you know, Keegan’s going to be sliding down there, but I I do worry about the depth. Is that something you share that I don’t know if concern is the right word, but something that you feel is on your radar that that that we still might need a little bit of help uh down there with the bigs. Oh, it’s always on on my radar to get better. And um that position uh the four position, if team has a good fourman, they’re holding on to them. I believe I mentioned to you before in an ideal world, I’d like to be able to get Keegan more opportunities playing the small forward and allow us to play play bigger as a team. So, uh, I’ll be studying that and, uh, I I don’t think I’ll have the opportunity that you had to have vacation over the next over the next couple months. But, uh, but I’ll be, you know, looking to to see if there’s anything else that we can do prior to opening up training camp. If there is, you know, we’ll be opportunistic to to take advantage of that. And if not, uh, we’ll go into the season with what we have and be comfortable and confident and and make the the best of what we have in house. And, uh, like to your point, there is some good talent here and and you know, we’ll figure it out. And, uh, but this again, this is just the very beginning, uh, of what we’re trying to build and establish here. You heard me talk about u building a sustainable winter. So, it’s not going to all happen uh overnight. I I said it in the last press conference. Rome was not built in the day. We we know that. Um but um just rest assured though, there’s not a day that goes by that I’m not contemplating, you know, how we can get better. And I will always do that. Even if when we get to a point that you know we’re successful, you’re winning a lot, I don’t think you can ever um stop thinking about how to improve, how to get better because uh I can guarantee you this much here. Even OKC who won the championship and has an excellent team, I can guarantee you that they’re figuring out how do we get better uh moving forward because you know the competition out there is trying to get better each and every day as well. I never want you to come on this show and feel like you got, you know, I we’re the only ones that got something out of it. And I know you’ve been doing this this job and been in this business a long time and and you know better than anyone. Uh it’s a long season. Listen to me. Uh right now I’m looking at just under $600 per person round trip sacked to Maui. You got to be able to Hey, listen. You got You can find a week. Your phone works, dude. you can find a week to get to Hawaii and and and take your lovely family with a you have a little drink with an umbrella or something, watch the waves roll in. We we got to figure out a way for you to get at least a little time off, man. Come on. Yeah, exact. Well, hey, I need your coaching in that area. You know, I’m I’m a slow student when it comes to that thing. So, I need some coaching. I Hey, I as I was talking to you when I was on vacation, I will uh I I am happy to be your personal travel agent. We’ll get some timing together. We’ll get you because Hey, you know what? A a a a a tired, sleepy, burnt out GM is not the best GM. We need to get you on a beach, my man. All right. I I I’m I’m listening to I’m hearing the message. Let me see if I can follow it. I appreciate you. I appreciate all the work you’re doing. Uh fingers crossed. And you know, this fan base deserves a hell of a lot more than uh what they’ve gotten over uh many of the years here. They’re loyal. They love this team. You know that. You can feel the love in the city. And I know that I can’t tell you what the future holds. And I know you can’t tell me what the future holds, but you know, uh everyone listening and everybody in this fan base is behind you and behind this team. Well, I appreciate that. And uh nothing would make me happier than to see this fan base and this community uh really enjoy this team and and be a part of this team becoming successful. Um not only in the short term, but in the longer term as well. So I’m looking at rental cars in Maui, too. It’s looks like it’s 261 a week for a compact. I’m going to send you these links. See you, brother. All right. Have a good rest of your day. Thanks for joining us, guy. Yeah. Bye. Come on, dude. Look, I I’m not trying to say that uh you know uh being a roofer, a long haul trucker is the same as being a GM in the NBA. But there’s a lot of late nights. I don’t I don’t want our G G our GM and the teams aren’t going to have enough challenges. I I don’t want I don’t want a burnout GM in November, December. You know what I’m saying? So, plus you got that GM money. It’s not like Scott Perry’s.

Sacramento Kings general manager Scott Perry joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross to share his observations from Las Vegas Summer League, peel back the curtain on his new mindset in developing a team identity, and much more.

Additionally, Scott addresses Carmichael Dave’s question about the fragility of Sacramento’s depth at the power forward position.

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