Pregame with Atkinson: Guards need to stand out defensively

We caught up with Kenny Atkinson before Tuesday night’s preseason game against the Knicks.

Here are a few things he talked about:

You have over eight guards fighting for a role, what needs to standout to you whether it be defensively or offensively?

“Who’s going to stand out defensively? Who’s going to take that man? I think that’s going to be part of our identity. I thought we really improved defensively as the year went on and we need to continue that, and that’s been the focus of training camp. Anxious to see how we defend the ball tonight.”

What have you seen from Jarrett Allen?

“He’s farther along than I thought he would be. He’s been a pleasant surprise and my gut is he’s going to contribute sooner rather than later. This will be good seeing him against somebody else, get a good feel what it looks like against another team.”

How disappointing is it to be missing two key players?

“Would love to have them, especially with the shorter preseason. Especially Allen [Crabbe], he’s new. Just to get the rhythm with his teammates. But that’s just part of this. It happened last year and it’s a great opportunity for other guys to step up.”

You can listen to the full interview below: