- Several opposing team executives told Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net earlier this week that they’ve received calls about Kings point guard George Hill. Hill, who has seen his minutes cut back in Sacramento and has seemed frustrated with the team’s performance, is one of 94 players who became trade-eligible today.
- Recently added Kings guard George Hill understands that his role with his new team will fluctuate over the course of the season. While he’s scored 16 or more points six times in 24 games this season he’s scored six or fewer nine times. “That’s the rotation coach wants to go with,” Hill told Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. “You’ve got to respect that he’s trying put the young guys in situations where they can learn and things like that. Whatever he asks me to do, I’ve been trying to do it to the best of my ability.“
- Second-year Suns forward Marquese Chriss returned to his hometown of Sacramento for a contest against the team that drafted him. Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic writes that the forward preferred to not play for the Kings and was happy when Phoenix acquired him on draft day. “I’m the type of person I want to do stuff on my own,” Chriss said. “Just kind of expand what I’m learning instead of staying in the same environment. I’m grateful that they did trade me. I think I’m in a better situation for myself and my career.“
- Sean Deveney of The Sporting News examines the job security for head coaches around the NBA, concluding that Frank Vogel (Magic), Mike Budenholzer (Hawks), Dave Joerger (Kings), and Fred Hoiberg (Bulls) are among those whose seats are hottest.
- Rookie Justin Jackson and second-year players Skal Labissiere and Malachi Richardson have been recalled from the Kings‘ G League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, per an official tweet from the club. The Kings’ next game is Sunday against Toronto.
George Hill becomes eligible to be traded in six days, and Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee expects rumors involving the Kings point guard to start emerging soon. Like most players who signed contracts over the offseason, Hill can be traded beginning December 15. He probably envisioned a larger role when he inked a three-year, $57MM deal with Sacramento, as he is getting just 25.5 minutes per night, even though he has started all 23 games that he has played.
Hill’s playing time might diminish even further if he stays with the Kings. First-round pick De’Aaron Fox is Sacramento’s point guard of the future and the organization views him as a developing star. Second-round pick and fellow point guard Frank Mason has been a pleasant surprise, leaving Hill to play off the ball more often. His numbers are down across the board after averaging 16.9 points for the Jazz next season, and Jones suggests a trade would be best for both Hill and the Kings.
There’s more out of Sacramento:
- Zach Randolph, another veteran offseason free agent addition, has developed into the Kings’ most consistent player, Jones writes in the same piece. Coach Dave Joerger doesn’t believe in using young players just for development purposes, so Randolph has pushed rookie forward Justin Jackson and second-year forward Skal Labissiere to the bench. Joerger’s policy is to reward production with playing time, and Randolph has earned his minutes by averaging 15.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per night.
- The Kings made the right decision to send Jackson, Labissiere and Malachi Richardson to the G League this week, Jones contends in a separate story. Sacramento doesn’t have enough playing time to devote to the nine first- or second-year players on its roster. Fox and Mason are joined by rookie Bogdan Bogdanovic in the rotation, and Joerger is reluctant to use too many young players at the same time. “It’s just generally not great practice for us if we put at least four young guys on the floor together,” he said. “It can get ugly.”
- The Kings’ focus has changed since adding free agents Hill, Randolph and Vince Carter over the summer, according to Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. Those signings were made by Scott Perry, who has since left the organization to become GM of the Knicks. The new regime reportedly told its three free agent additions and fellow veteran Garrett Temple that the emphasis is now on acquiring a top five pick in next year’s draft rather than contending for the playoffs.
- The Kings have given JaKarr Sampson a chance to show what he’s capable of providing and the versatile 24-year-old hasn’t disappointed. “He has a body that we need – an athletic, 6-foot-8 guy who can play a couple of positions,” head coach Dave Joerger told Alex Kramers of the team’s official website. “It’s a little easier for him to stand in front of some versatile dudes, some drivers and some physical guys … He was ready for the moment and I think we’ll be seeing more of him.“
The Kings own the second-worst record in the league and free agent signee George Hill isn’t happy with the team’s level of success. He sent out an emotional tweet after a recent loss to the Bucks, though he shoulders the blame for Sacramento’s woes.
“The way that we started the game, down 14-0, just didn’t sit well with me,” Hill said (via Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee). “I’m one of the leaders here, so that affected me. I felt like I let my team down.”
Sacramento’s roster is full of inexperienced players, and inconsistent play has been a staple of the team’s season so far. Hill’s never encountered this type of situation at the professional level and he acknowledged that it can be challenging.
“I think on every team I’ve been with, we’ve had that cohesiveness and a lot of veterans that played multiple years in the league, so it was easy to kind of fill in,” Hill said. “I feel like here we’re so young it’s kind of difficult to figure out what’s going to be my direction, what’s going to be my style of play, what’s this guy’s role or my role. We’re still trying to learn those things.”
Here’s more from Sacramento:
- Hill added that many of his teammates are “still babies” professionally and he knows he was brought in to help them develop, Jones writes in the same piece. “Right now we’re just trying to teach the young guys and mentor them,” Hill said. “In the long run, our whole job is try to build this for them to take over and have the keys. It’s not about me, (Vince Carter), (Garrett Temple) or any of us. It’s about how can we develop the young guys to the best of our ability.”
- Willie Cauley-Stein, who will be eligible for a rookie-scale extension after the season, has thrived since being relegated to the bench, Nate Wolf of NBAMath explains. Wolf notes that the success is driven by the team splitting Cauley-Stein and $24MM addition Zach Randolph.
- Currently, Cauley-Stein is sidelined with a back injury, and head coach Dave Joerger said earlier this week that the team will “use caution” when it comes to bringing him back (Twitter link via Sean Cunningham of ABC10). That comment suggests that the young center’s absence may extend beyond the Kings’ two-game road trip.
- The Kings have made a pair of G League moves, assigning Skal Labissiere to the Reno Bighorns and recalling Georgios Papagiannis, according to the team. Of the two 2016 first-rounders, Labissiere has been the more regular fixture in Sacramento’s rotation this season, averaging 17.1 MPG in 23 contests.
While 40-year-old veteran Vince Carter was brought to a rebuilding Kings team to provide experience and leadership, he was signed as a player and not a coach for a reason, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes.
That reason, Carter and Kings head coach Dave Joerger agree, is to support the development of the team’s young players on and off the court. Although Carter did miss a handful of games with kidney stones last month, his goal when he’s healthy and active is to teach his teammates to play the right way – by leading by example.
Sure, Jones writes, Carter’s 11.7 minutes per game could go to Kings rookie Justin Jackson or raw sophomore Malachi Richardson, but his presence adds credibility to the organization in transition.
George Hill didn’t need words to express his frustration after Saturday’s loss to the Bucks, writes James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. Hill used emojis — 26 dark red “pouting face” symbols” — in a tweet he sent out shortly after the game. Hill played just 18 minutes last night and was part of the starting lineup that was pulled after three minutes when it fell into a 14-0 hole.
The adjustment to Sacramento has been difficult for the 31-year-old point guard, who signed a three-year, $57MM deal over the summer. Through 21 games, he is averaging 8.9 points and 2.4 assists in 25.6 minutes while sharing time with rookies De’Aaron Fox and Frank Mason. He’s taking five fewer shots per night than he did last season in Utah.
Barring a trade, Hill is committed to the Kings through at least the end of next season. His contract includes a non-guaranteed $18MM for 2019/20.
There’s more today out of Sacramento:
- Kings fans shouldn’t count on seeing Harry Giles play this season, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. The organization is being very careful with the rookie out of Duke, who has a long history of medical problems with both knees. Team doctors will evaluate him next month, which will mark two years since his last ACL surgery, and determine the best course for further rehab. The Kings want to see how he responds to increased activity in practice before thinking about playing him, and Jones believes that probably means keeping him sidelined for the rest of the year.
- The Kings might be tempted to take on another team’s unwanted contract to pick up a draft pick for next summer, but they would have to consider the long-term implications of such a move, Jones writes in the same story. Sacramento’s first-rounder for 2019 will go to either Philadelphia or Boston. While Sacramento might like to add to its youth movement, it doesn’t want to take on an expensive, long-term deal that would drain future cap room. The team is counting on having market flexibility when its youngsters start to mature, which is why Zach Randolph was only signed for two seasons and Hill’s contract has a third-year buyout.
- Injuries and foul trouble gave two-way player JaKarr Sampson a rare chance to play Saturday, Jones notes in a separate story. In just his third game of the season, the 24-year-old small forward logged 24 minutes and impressed the coaching staff with his energy and enthusiasm.