Kevin Huerter is ready to turn things around in Sacramento.
In a one-on-one interview with Jonathan Bradley, the Kings' social media manager, Huerter shared some things he learned during his time with the Atlanta Hawks.
"I feel like I've been through a lot there, having that playoff experience," Huerter said. He noted that despite being only 23, he's been through many ups and downs -- from the Hawks focusing on developing draft picks to making it to the Eastern Conference finals two seasons ago.
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Now that he is with the Kings, Huerter is happy to be with a group of guys that are "hungry to win" as well as some other veterans with past playoff success.
Furthermore, Huerter stressed the importance of culture when trying to obtain success in the NBA.
"It's everything. It starts with the front office, with the coaching staff, and it continues and just buys in with the players," Huerter said. He noticed that the Kings' newest additions are "excited" to be in Sacramento and that he, too, was excited to try and help end the Kings' playoff drought.
"It's really the first thing I heard about when I first got traded here is how long it's been since they made the playoffs and how hungry everyone is to make it," he added.
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What's more, Huerter thinks hiring Mike Brown away from the Warriors and adding the pieces they did in the offseason could be the start of a stable foundation in Sacramento. With fellow newcomer Malik Monk setting lofty defensive goals for the Kings along with the additions of Matthew Dellavedova and Kent Bazemore, it could be a start.
For Huerter to say that he's ready to help the Kings end their playoff drought should be an encouraging sign for Kings fans. Acquired in a trade with the Hawks, Huerter, a career 37.9 percent shooter from 3-point land, brings much-needed spacing to a team that was tied for 24th with the Indiana Pacers (34 percent) in that department.
When asked what a scorer like him can do to help the Kings take the next step, Huerter reiterated that his ability to shoot the ball can open up multiple avenues of attack.
"Just spacing the floor, first and foremost," he said. In doing so, it gives De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and others the room they need to operate.
"I think we got a lot of really good pieces ... it's a good group of guys," he said. "I think I fit in well with everybody here and I think it'll take a little bit to find my spacing and find what works for me here on this team."
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With so many players from Huerter, Monk, and even rookie Keegan Murray all stressing the importance of playing quality basketball, it's hard not to see something brewing in Sacramento.
If all goes well, this group of players could proudly claim to be the ones that helped turn things around and build a foundation of a playoff staple.