There are many reasons Kings players, executives and fans have grown to love coach Mike Brown since he came to Sacramento two years ago to change the fortunes of a long-suffering franchise.
One of those reasons is because Brown demands attention to detail and keeps it real whether he’s critiquing the best player on the team or the last man on the roster.
Brown, who ignited a playoff run in his first season when he stopped practice and screamed “turn on the f---ing jets” while sprinting across the gym, had another memorable moment following practice Saturday.
Brown didn’t like what he saw at the end of a spirited scrimmage at the team’s Golden 1 Center practice facility in Sacramento. When the Kings gathered at midcourt to conclude practice, Brown delivered a strongly worded, profanity laced message about accountability. He called out one of his young players, Mason Jones, along with veteran stars such as De’Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis.
“I’m going to pick on Mason,” Brown said when asked about his message to the team. “Mason had a great day. He had a really, really good day. His energy was at a high level. He was very talkative throughout the course of the day, did some great things offensively, did some great things defensively, and basically, the last two plays of the scrimmage, he turns the ball over and stops playing.”
Mason’s turnovers resulted in easy baskets for the opposing team, which was led by Fox and Keegan Murray while DeRozan, Sabonis and Malik Monk watched the final minutes from the bench. The Kings, who will play their preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center, can’t afford those kinds of mistakes in what promises to be an intense Western Conference playoff race.
“I basically said, hey, in a nutshell, that can cost you a (playoff) series,” Brown said. “Somebody gets two quick bang-bang (turnovers), now they’re feeling good about themselves. Maybe you blow them out by 10, but now maybe it’s a four-point game because now they hit two 3s and they’re like, ‘Hey, we can beat these guys,’ or maybe they win the game because of it, and next thing you know the series changes, the momentum changes. We want to pay attention to all the details all the time.”
Brown didn’t stop there while addressing the team. He went on to make a point to the likes of Fox, DeRozan and Sabonis, saying they have to speak up when they see mental lapses from their teammates.
“I got on Foxy and Domas and DeMar a little bit because those three guys can’t let that slide,” Brown said. “I shouldn’t have to be the one saying that we all have to hold each other accountable. ... We all have to hold each other accountable all the time, and if our vets see something like that from a young guy in Mason, then you’ve got to let him know, ‘Hey, Mace, you had a good day, but we can’t finish like that.’”
Fox agreed with Brown’s message.
“There were some turnovers,” Fox said. “The guy turned the ball over, didn’t get back, just little things like that because those things can have a ripple effect. It can be a close game, two turnovers — four-, five-, six-point game — and now the game can be over because one guy didn’t get back (on defense). If you turn the ball over, you have to have a short-term memory because you can turn the ball over and go get a block or go get a stop.
“It’s funny because (former Kentucky coach John Calipari) would always say it’s not a touchdown. It can take you a whole game to get a touchdown back. If you turn the ball over, you can get a stop right then and there.”
Fox also echoed Brown’s remarks regarding the role and responsibilities of his veteran leaders.
“That guy wasn’t on my team, so I wasn’t about to get on him at that point, but for sure we have to hold each other accountable, especially at the end of the game,” Fox said. “I think it was a tie game or maybe we were up one, and I want to say he turned the ball over twice and we scored on both of those possessions. Those are the type of things that can be backbreakers and we can’t have that as a team.
“Obviously, we’re going against each other right now, and like I said, he wasn’t on my team in that instance, but going forward and in games, even if you’re not on the court, you have to be able to get on guys and you have to be able to take that type of criticism.”
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