- In a recent Q&A, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee opined that should the Kings make any trades this season, Kosta Koufos would be the most likely candidate to be traded, based on his contract and the interest he has garnered in the past. Jones also believes that rookie De’Aaron Fox and second-year man Skal Labissiere have the highest ceilings of anyone on the team.
Shooting guard Buddy Hield isn’t afraid of putting up shots, even the occasional ones that leave Kings fans scratching their heads. That’s just something head coach Dave Joerger will have to work with if it means keeping the prolific deep threat in a rhythm, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes.
“I’m a shooting guard, so I’m trying to get as many shots as I can get,” Hield, who joined the Kings in the midseason trade that sent DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans last year, said. “They call me thirsty on the team. They say I’m thirsty because I’m always trying to get a shot up.”
Jones notes that Hield’s teammates don’t consider him selfish so they aren’t afraid to keep feeding him the ball if it means that he might get hot from the perimeter and change the outlook of a game.
“I’ve been reining him in, making him play the way we want to play,” said Joerger in his second year at the helm of the Kings. “[…] But then for certain guys at any moment you give them a little more latitude, and I think he’s one of those guys.”
There’s more news from Sacramento:
- After sitting out the first three games of the season, Bogdan Bogdanovic‘s status for Monday’s game against the Suns has been upgraded to probable, the team announced on its website. If he plays, it’ll be the 25-year-old draft-and-stash rookie’s NBA debut after signing the largest rookie contract in league history.
- It won’t be long before the Kings turn to Skal Labissiere as more of an offensive weapon, James Ham of NBC Sports writes. The 21-year-old sophomore has already made substantial improvements over the course of his young career.
- Despite how impressive De’Aaron Fox looks in his rookie season, it’s unlikely that the Lakers regret drafting Lonzo Ball, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes in a question-and-answer with readers. Los Angeles knew exactly what they were getting in Ball and there’s a good choice that both end up becoming All-Stars.
Lonzo Ball looked overmatched during his NBA debut against the Clippers as Patrick Beverley aggressively shut him down. Ball, 19, returned last night to post 29 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in the Lakers‘ win against the Suns. Team president Magic Johnson spoke to USA Today before Ball’s debut and addressed his mindset before the game.
“He’s nervous,” Johnson said. “But he has a demeanor where you don’t know he’s nervous. But tonight, he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.”
It did not take long for Ball to show a glimpse of why he was one of the most highly-anticipated rookies in recent memory. His near triple-double in the Lakers’ 132-130 win over Phoenix show his potential is off the charts. While one game does not define Ball or what his career will be like, it’s clear that he still has support from Lakers brass and it will stay that way for years to come.
“Last year he was the most efficient college basketball player,” Johnson said. “And now that he’s come to the pros, he’s been — ever since we drafted him — he’s been a great young man, a great teammate. His teammates, they love him. Love him. Those were the things I was looking for (before drafting him).
Check out other news around the Pacific Division:
- Chris Paul has been mostly silent on why he left the Clippers to play for the Rockets. However, in a recent documentary, Paul said his former team’s “culture” is one reason he left, claiming the team did not do enough to compete with Golden State, Elliot Teaford of The Orange County Register writes. Clippers coach Doc Rivers fired back, saying, “I don’t think you have to try to burn the house down or justify why you left. That’s what I would say to it. I like our culture.”
- Julius Randle looked lackadaisical on defense and offense in the Lakers’ season-opener, which led to a stern talk from head coach Luke Walton, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register writes. Whether it’s frustration over losing the starting spot or not being in game shape, Randle’s performance on Thursday was alarming.
- Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee spoke with Kings‘ general manager Vlade Divac, who gave his thoughts on every player on Sacramento’s roster.
- The Kings hired former WNBA coach and player Jenny Boucek as an assistant player development coach, according to the Associated Press.
- The Kings won’t be a playoff team in 2017/18 but that doesn’t mean they can’t still be successful, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. With so many new faces on the roster, the club will be happy to develop their young players and see a true culture shift.
- The Kings‘ rebuild is progressing well for a number of different reasons but one of the most obvious is the fact that they have two first-year players in the race for the Rookie of the Year award. By Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee‘s count, both De’Aaron Fox and Bogdan Bogdanovic are legitimate contenders for the year-end hardware.
The Kings got down to the regular season roster limit on Saturday by parting with three players, according to RealGM’s official NBA transactions log. Sacramento waived camp invitees Matt Jones, David Stockton, and Reggie Hearn.
Jones, a 6’5″ guard out of Duke, received an Exhibit 10 contract when he signed with the Kings, so he’s a good bet to land in the G League with the Reno Bighorns as an affiliate player, earning him a modest bonus.
Stockton and Hearn, meanwhile, have been mainstays at Reno in recent years, so it makes sense that they’d return to the Bighorns for the coming season. Details of the contracts they signed with Sacramento earlier this week aren’t known, but there’s a good chance they include Exhibit 10 clauses as well, to ensure both players get a little extra bonus money for heading back to the G League.
With the three cuts, the Kings are now ready for the regular season, with 15 players on NBA contracts and two on two-way deals.
- Kings head coach Dave Joerger wants Bogdan Bogdanovic to use his years of international experience in the NBA and stop passing up open shots, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes.
The Kings have signed Reggie Hearn and David Stockton, according to a team press release.
Hearn played for Sacramento’s G League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, over the past three seasons. During the 2016/17 campaign, he averaged 13.5 points while shooting 44.2% from downtown.
Stockton played for the Bighorns during three separate stints since 2014. He supplemented his G-League experiences with contracts in Croatia and New Zealand.
The Kings’ roster now stands at 20 players. Sacramento is likely to waive both players before the season begins and the duo is expected to suit up for the Bighorns as a result.
The Kings have waived veteran guard Marcus Williams, the team announced today in a press release. Williams joined Sacramento last month as a camp invitee, but was viewed as a long shot to make the regular season roster.
Williams, 31, was the 22nd overall pick in the 2006 draft, but the UConn product spent just four years in the league, appearing in 203 total games for the Nets, Warriors, and Grizzlies. He hasn’t appeared in a regular season NBA game since the 2009/10 season, having continued his professional career overseas and spent time with clubs in Russia, China, Spain, Serbia, Montenegro, and France.
Williams played in two preseason games for Sacramento, averaging 6.0 PPG and 3.0 APG in 15.7 minutes per contest.
The Kings now have 16 players under contract, not counting their two-way players. With 15 of those players on guaranteed deals, non-guaranteed camp invitee Matt Jones figures to join Williams on the waiver wire sometime before opening night.
As Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors detailed on Monday night, the Kings’ 2017 offseason was a somewhat unusual one. Sacramento continued loading up on young talent, adding four players in the top 34 picks of the draft, but the team also went out and signed a few veteran free agents, bringing in George Hill, Zach Randolph, and Vince Carter.
Those players have plenty of postseason experience, but the Kings aren’t necessarily expecting to be a playoff team in 2017/18. Having lost DeMarcus Cousins and several other vets within the last calendar year, the organization is simply looking for veteran mentors for all its first- and second-year players.
That means Hill will get a chance to work with players like De’Aaron Fox, Frank Mason, and Malachi Richardson in the backcourt; Carter will take swingmen like Buddy Hield, Justin Jackson, and Bogdan Bogdanovic under his wing; and Randolph will get an opportunity to mentor bigs like Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere, and Harry Giles.
With so many youngsters expected to receive major minutes, it’s no surprise that oddsmakers don’t expect the Kings to be a postseason contender in the Western Conference. Sacramento has won between 28 and 33 games in each of the last five seasons after having won between 17 and 25 in the four years before that. Their over/under for 2017/18 falls right in between those two ranges, with offshore betting site Bovada pegging them at 27.5 wins.
What do you think? Will the new-look Kings exceed expectations, or is there simply too much turnover and unproven talent here to avoid piling up losses? Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts on Sacramento!
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Previous over/under voting results:
Western Conference:
- Golden State Warriors: Over 67.5 (53.57%)
- Houston Rockets: Over 55.5 (65.57%)
- San Antonio Spurs: Over 54.5 (67.74%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Over 50.5 (71.77%)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Over 48.5 (55.69%)
- Denver Nuggets: Under 45.5 (50.44%)
- Los Angeles Clippers: Over 43.5 (60.7%)
- Portland Trail Blazers: Over 42.5 (56.3%)
- Utah Jazz: Over 41.5 (55.94%)
- New Orleans Pelicans: Over 39.5 (65.26%)
- Memphis Grizzlies: Over 37.5 (53.43%)
- Dallas Mavericks: Under 35.5 (54.95%)
- Los Angeles Lakers: Over 33.5 (50.4%)
- Phoenix Suns: Over 28.5 (50.41%)
Eastern Conference:
- Boston Celtics: Over 55.5 (63.5%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Over 53.5 (68.82%)
- Toronto Raptors: Over 48.5 (64.21%)
- Washington Wizards: Over 47.5 (71.29%)
- Milwaukee Bucks: Over 47.5 (63.88%)
- Miami Heat: Over 43.5 (55.39%)
- Charlotte Hornets: Over 42.5 (51.07%)
- Philadelphia 76ers: Under 41.5 (53.37%)
- Detroit Pistons: Over 38.5 (51.95%)
- Orlando Magic: Under 33.5 (75.24%)
- Indiana Pacers: Under 31.5 (54.85%)
- New York Knicks: Under 30.5 (57.87%)
- Brooklyn Nets: Over 27.5 (66.33%)