- Willie Cauley-Stein has played so well recently, the Kings are starting to see the development of the supreme talent they thought they drafted three years ago, Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee relays. “These last games, I’m seeing what I was hoping for when I drafted Willie,” Kings general manager Vlade Divac said. “He runs, he scores, he blocks shots, he scores in the post. He does everything. And we noticed last summer how much harder he was working. There were questions, but I don’t think so anymore. If he keeps developing like this, he will be an elite center in this league.”
Vince Carter is 40 years old and in his 20th NBA season but he can still evoke memories of the explosive player who was once regarded as one of the NBA’s best. Carter pitched in a season-high 24 points in the Kings‘ win over the Cavaliers on Wednesday and LeBron James had a raving review, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes.
- In a separate article, Jason Jones from the Sacramento Bee writes that after a recent loss to the Spurs, the Kings’ coaching staff and players view the Spurs’ model as their blueprint for success. The Spurs have been a contender for the past two decades, whereas the Kings have not sniffed the postseason since 2007.
- Kings rookie De’Aaron Fox has a partial tear in his right quadriceps muscle, the team announced on its website. Fox suffered the injury December 14 and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. The fifth pick in this year’s draft is averaging 9.4 points and 3.7 assists through 29 games.
- The Kings are in the market for a deal that could improve their long-term outlook. George Hill has already been shopped, per Deveney.
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- The Magic and Kings are also worth keeping an eye on, according to Kyler, who identifies Nikola Vucevic and George Hill as a pair of potential trade candidates. Orlando isn’t looking to shake things up for the sake of it, but Vucevic figures to draw interest. As for Hill, his significant cap hit limits his trade value, but he’d probably “welcome a move,” says Kyler.
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The Kings would like to give more playing time to small forward JaKarr Sampson, but they are limited by his two-way contract, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Sampson can’t spend more than 45 days in the NBA and must be signed to a regular contract if he exceeds that number. To do that, the team would have to open a roster spot and part with one of its 15 guaranteed contracts.
Sampson has played just six games in Sacramento, but has impressed the coaches with his defensive abilities. He has the size to guard wing players who otherwise give the Kings problems. He is also averaging 5.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 17 minutes per night. He has previous NBA experience with the Sixers and Nuggets, but was out of the league last season.
There’s more news from Sacramento:
- Personnel moves have cut into the opportunities for second-year shooting guard Malachi Richardson, Jones adds in the same story. Last year’s trade for Buddy Hield and the addition of Bogdan Bogdanovic have pushed Richardson down in the rotation. He faces competition at small forward from Garrett Temple, Vince Carter and rookie Justin Jackson. Richardson has gotten into just 13 games so far this season.
- Free agent addition Zach Randolph considers himself a “dinosaur” because of the way he plays, but he has become the team’s best player, Jones states in a separate story. In the first season of a two-year, $24MM contract, the 36-year-old is averaging 15.2 points and 7.0 rebounds in 26 games. That’s despite a low-post game that seems best suited to another era. “Basketball is basketball; it’ll all come around,” Randolph said. “…You’ve still got to play in that paint; you’ve still got guys rolling. When you need a bucket, you go to the post. It comes back around.” Randolph adds that he hasn’t considered retirement and believes he can play several more seasons.
- After a rough start in Sacramento, fellow offseason signee George Hill has stepped up his game, Jones notes in the same story. Hill is shooting better than 53% in his last nine games and he provides a veteran presence to ease the pressure on rookies De’Aaron Fox and Frank Mason.
- 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.