Sacramento Kings double down on offense with McBuckets signing

The Kings signed three-point specialist Doug McDermott Tuesday, announced it Wednesday morning and by Wednesday night, McDermott was the first substitute in Sacramento's preseason loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. McDermott, nicknamed "McBuckets," was not shy about letting it fly, putting up 11 three-pointers and making four in his 25 minutes of action.

McDermott is a 41% three-point shooter for his career. That's crucial for a Kings team that loves to shoot the three but lacks spacing, especially with a starting five featuring Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan. Last year, the Kings took the third-most triples in the NBA, but were only 16th in three-point percentage. 

That was one of the biggest factors in the Kings' offensive decline. The second — a lack of free-throw attempts — should be mitigated with the addition of DeRozan. McDermott can come off the bench and drill threes, his primary NBA skill. Along with new backup point guard Jordan McLaughlin, who shot 47.2% from deep with the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, the Kings are hoping to get better three-point production off their bench.

It's the main reason why the Kings gave the San Antonio Spurs a second-round pick to take Jalen McDaniels, a defensive-minded forward who lacks a real outside shot. McDermott is far from a defensive stopper, though he wasn't terrible in his first stint with the Indiana Pacers. In general, replacing Harrison Barnes and Davion Mitchell from last year's team with DeRozan and McDermott represents a definite defensive downgrade, but head coach Mike Brown has a history of getting solid defense from unremarkable defenders dating back to his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Kings are leaning into their strength: Getting buckets. Being an average offense and an average defense (14th in efficiency last season) left Sacramento outside the playoffs last April. This year, the Kings need to be an elite offense if they're hoping to be an elite team.