Some believe the Kings should move Tyreke Evans off the ball offensively, going so far as playing him at the small forward position.

"He can't play the three," Keith Smart said after Sunday's practice. "That guy was born with a basketball in his hand - got to keep that thing in his hand. I've tried that one time and that doesn't work so I'm not going to go back to that one because he's not a small forward."

Evans would also struggle to defend some of the bigger small forwards and he isn't a particularly adept spot-up shooter.

Defending the middle has been a problem through the first quarter of the season for the Kings, who have the league's highest average of points allowed in the paint per game.

Keith Smart wants his team to adopt a "We're going to live with the jump shot" mindset on defense.

"Our focus has to be on controlling the paint," Smart said. "If teams are going to beat us with 92 points from three-point range, we'll go home and say they beat us from the outside."

"It starts with everybody going and working as hard as they can man-to-man and trying to not let them get to the middle of the floor or the paint," said guard Jimmer Fredette. "We also have to help when there is a breakdown. It's a combination of both."
On help defense, Fredette said, "We're a step late, and we have to be a step early. We've got to anticipate it. We know what we're supposed to do. We just have to be there."

Keith Smart's early coaching experience in the CBA has benefitted him in quickly getting acclimated to a Kings' team that he only knew for two weeks as an assistant before becoming the head coach.

Smart believes the Kings benefit by using a deep rotation.

"I've always had that philosophy that every player on my team is touched and talked to and kept involved by either myself or a staff member to let them know they're still important," Smart said. "Their time in a long NBA season can come at any moment."

Smart makes sure he stays in communication with his players, especially when he doesn't make an appearance.

The Kings have yet to see the Jimmer Fredette that he was during his senior season at BYU, creating offense for himself as a prolific scorer.

"Looking for his shot a little bit more would be better for him, but I think he's trying to fit into a team," said Kings coach Keith Smart. "But I'm telling him all the time: 'Be you. Don't try to be this point guard and average 10 assists – just be you and shoot when you have to shoot. The team understands that.' "

Fredette acknowledged he has been tentative at times while figuring out how to get off his shot in the NBA.

"There have been games where I haven't been as great, and there have been games where I played pretty well," Fredette said. "I need to be more consistent, but the confidence is still there, and I believe I can play at this level and at a high level."

Smart also compared Fredette's struggles to the rookie season of Stephen Curry.

A source says Jason Thompson, who is eligible for a contract extension, will not be offered one by the Kings.

Thompson is no longer starting for Sacramento.

The Kings added Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Alex English to the coaching staff Friday.

English took the spot vacated by Keith Smart,who was promoted to head coach last week after Paul Westphal was fired. Smart was familiar with English from coaching in the minor leagues.

"All the connections came together where you didn't need background on anybody," Smart said. "You just had people vouching for him. I'm comfortable with him, and I'm sure he's going to come in and provide the greatness that he is to our team."

English spent seven seasons as an assistant coach and director of player development with Toronto from 2004 to 2011.

DeMarcus Cousins is averaging 18.3 points and 13.5 rebounds and shooting 51.9 percent from the floor since Keith Smart took over as head coach of the Kings.

"I'm just trying to put all the silly stuff behind," Cousins said. "I'm trying to help my team win, and at the end of the day, that's all I want to do."

Cousins scored 21 points and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds to lead the Kings to a 98-91 win over the Raptors Wednesday night.

"He's a new player," Tyreke Evans said. "I'm happy for him. He's done a great job of just going out there and playing and helping us. No arguing with nobody on the team. Just staying focused, and I'm happy for him."

Hassan Whiteside will continue to remain in the D-League with the Reno Bighorns despite the Kings' loss of Chuck Hayes to an injured shoulder.

Sacramento is left with DeMarcus Cousins, J.J. Hickson and Jason Thompson as the only available big men on the roster.

Keith Smart said it wouldn't be fair to throw the inexperienced Whiteside into NBA games amid a coaching change and having been with Reno.

"We'll just use what we have," Smart said. "And if we need more on the road somewhere, we can always call him back up. But he needs to get some playing time right now."

Smart said there are no plans to add another player to the roster.

"Hopefully, we won't be so banged up that we have to go out and get someone," Smart said. " … We'll look around and see what might be there and see what we can possibly do. But we're not at that point yet because we still have an 11-man crew."

Running his first practice as Kings head coach Saturday, Keith Smart said he emphasized spacing the floor and movement without the ball on offense to create open looks.

"The concept I'm saying is, your best friend now has to become space offensively, and then hard cuts," Smart said. "You make hard cuts after you get rid of the basketball, it's going to open something up either for you or your teammates.

"These are things you normally would do over the course of a training camp," Smart said, "but I've got to do it on the fly right now while still trying to keep them free enough to play."

Keith Smart believes a team must give its coach "permission" to lead the players.

After the Kings lost five of seven games (with all five losses by double figures) to start the season under Paul Westphal, earning the team's trust will take time.

"My team is not a family yet," Smart said. "They're a bunch of players that play together, come to work every day, but they're not a family yet.

"We've got to get them to grow and be a family with each other, and that will help us with the tough wins on the road, tough wins in a game like this (against Milwaukee)."