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)."