Grades: Kings Summer League GAME 1, 7/7/17

(Scape)GOAT of the Game


  • Total voters
    42

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#1
Welcome to Vegas Summer League, where after one game all your players are either complete and total busts or "the best player ever". Coming into the 2017 Vegas League riding a large wave of justifiable hype (most of the roster is made up of our draft picks over the last two season), the Vladcess Kings were no different.

Some players "lived up to the hype", others, well, one really, seemed "destined for the G-League". The hyperbole engine was out in full effect and I couldn't be happier.

For now what some were calling the "best team in the history of summer league" is 0-1 with Malachi apparently reinjuring his hamstring (that sure was fast) and Papagiannis apparently no longer an NBA talent. Keep in mind that (a) the Suns were one of the teams more favored to win the Summer League Championship (the Ty Corbin Trophy?) and (b) this particular set of players has only been around each other for one week and this meaningless loss in the middle of July will start to feel much less painful than it might be for you now.

It's nice to see everyone's in and invested in the team though.

Now onto the grades...

Malachi Richardson (C) -- 24 min, 8 pts (2-7 fg, 1-3 3pt, 3-6 ft), 3 rbs, 3 tov, 1 pf
After being forced to sit out the entire season after the all-star break due to concern about his hamstring injury, Malachi garnered some attention in Kingsland with his status as the "forgotten" prospect. Bulking up and fixing up his hair as part of his quest to develop into the small forward of the future, Malachi came out looking the part of the hotshot prospect, draining a loooooong three with all the confidence of a ten year pro then playing solid defense on Josh Jackson in the early going. And then he just sorta was there. While he wasn't actively bad, Malachi sorta spent a lot of time wandering around waiting for the ball to come his way, upon which receiving he would hoist towards the hoop. Missed half his free throws and the defensive intensity sorta subsided from the second quarter on. And then he hurt himself again and had to come out. Not quite the encouraging start we were all hoping for. But it's one game.

Skal Labissiere (C) -- 28 min, 10 pts (4-9 fg, 2-4 ft), 1 rb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk, 2 tov, 3 pf
Ending last season as the hot young prospect, Skal came into the game with a heaping helping of expectations hanging over him like a cloud of sewage. He... didn't quite respond in kind. Spending most of the game as the invisible man, most of his production came as a result of De'Aaron Fox making things work and setting him up for easy plays. That lack of offensive production would be fine if he made the effort in other aspects. Instead, he only managed to pull in one rebound in 28 minutes, or 3 less than 5'11" point guard Frank Mason did in 11 minutes. To his credit, he did continue to deflect shots and protect the rim as he showed he could do at times last season. Not quite the next Chris Bosh. But it's one game.

Georgios Papagiannis (D) -- 28 min, 0 pts (o-3 fg,), 11 rb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk, 3 tov, 8 pf
And so we reach the man of the hour. Of course, Papa's first summer league showing was an almost legendary display of doughiness and rawness from a 19-year old just coming over from Europe after a contentious draft. His debut performance was not much better. To the man's credit, he is physically a completely different beast from how he looked to start last season. Unfortunately, the basketball playing ability hasn't quite caught up yet. That isn't to say Papa doesn't try. It's almost as if the dude who just turned twenty still doesn't have the dexterity to match his physique. He gave the effort, blocked some shots, rebounded at an okay rate, but it just wasn't good. Is he G-League bound like everyone says? I don't know. He didn't look great today. But it's just one game.

De'Aaron Fox (A) -- 27 min, 18 pts (7-16 fg, 0-3 3p, 4-6 ft), 3 rb, 4 ast, 5 stl, 1 blk, 1 tov, 3 pf
And now onto the good stuff. It was all on display tonight: the speed, the defensive anticipation, the court vision, the leadership, the shaky jumpshot. If first impressions are any indication, Kings fans will be very happy with their new point guard for a very long time. Facing off against a couple of guards who he may or may not ever see again, the Fox came out looking like the best player on the court for a lot of the time he was on the court (which, considering who else was playing, is pretty darn good). Had a couple of sheer anticipation steal and drives that are only possible when you're the fastest guy in your draft class. Still lacking in strength but was able to get to the rim thanks to his shiftiness and was willing to use the glass to score. Still a little shaky from the perimeter but hit a couple from midrange that indicate that he might one day be able to shoot from out there without embarrassing himself. Also kept his turnovers down, which is no small feat in the sloppy realm of Summer League. Overall, came as advertised. Oh, and he was totally better than Lonzo Ball. But it's just one game.

Buddy Hield (C) -- 24 min, 16 pts (6-16 fg, 0-6 3pt, 4-5 ft), 5 rb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 2 tov, 2 pf
Oh Buddy Buddy Buddy. As the "veteran" of this young bunch, Buddy Buckets came out in true Summer League Vet fashion, that is to say, chucking and not playing defense to his heart's desire. Somehow blocked two shots which is amazing because he just didn't try too hard tonight. Was out of rhythm, taking ill-judged shot after shot, missing every single three pointer he took. But he's the most proven of all our young guns and I have no doubt he'll at least be back to serviceable by the time the season rolls around. Tonight though, he was nobody's Buddy. But it's just one game.

Jack Cooley (B-) -- 23 min, 11 pt(4-5 fg, 3-4 ft), 10 rb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 1 tov, 7 pf
Hey look, it's 26 year old former Notre Damer Jack Cooley, here to sweep in and claim the annual undersized hardworking big man that wins over Kingsfans.com posters award. Like Papa, he pulled in the rebounds and had a copious amount of turnovers. Unlike Papa, he scored 11 points. Seeing as there's no space on the roster anymore, I don't think we'll see Cooley here past the preseason but his stint here (especially with Giles out) could win over more teams looking for big men going forward a la Louis Admunson. But it's just one game.

Frank Mason (C) -- 17 min, 4 pt (), 4 rb, 2 ast, 2 tov
Of the three active rookies, only one had a subpar debut performance. That guy surprisingly was Frank the Tank, who, most likely upon seeing Papa at practice, probably came to realize the size difference between the NBA and college. At times came out aggressive but at others joined Skal in the invisible player's club. Did have a nice move in his first stint in the game though. Nothing to write home about. But it's just one game.

Justin Jackson (B+) -- 26 min, 18 pts (7-11 fg, 2-4 3p, 2-3 ft), 2 rb, 1 blk, 3 pf
Everyone upset about Vlade not finding a small forward this offseason obviously had no clue that we had drafted the next Kevin Durant with the 15th pick. Started the game out strong, dishing out a barrage of crafty floaters and jumpers. On offense, displayed the craft and skill of a vet several years his senior, and generally didn't seem to force the issue like some of his teammates (ahem, Buddy). On defense, still got bullied around by the physical freak presence of Josh Jackson and his fully muscled friends, but didn't look hopeless on that end. There was a lot to like in his performance tonight. But it's just one game.
 
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Warhawk

The cake is a lie.
Staff member
#2
this meaningless loss in the middle of July will start to feel much less painful than it might be for you now.
I'm sure it will in April of 2018 when we have lost most of the games in the season. They are just preparing us for the inevitable. ;)
 
#5
I know, I know... it was just one game - but Papa G worries me. His size and foot speed prevented him from guarding Chriss on the perimeter, yet he was unable to use his size in the post vs Chriss. So his size was a detriment on defense and a non-factor on offense. I just keep telling myself that big men need several years to develop and one day I will read this post and ridicule myself for my unnecessary boxed up frustration with Papa G.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#8
One thing I noticed about Skal was the lack of passion/fire/aggression that we saw in his NBA stint post-DMC. This could be him taking a backseat to the new rookies, but I'd prefer if Skal was the big the offense run through and not Papa G.
The thing is that Skal just doesn't seem to have the court vision for the Princeton offense high post role just yet. Willie has started to bust it out consistently and Papa even shows it on occasion but Skal's passing hasn't developed to match his offensive repertoire thus far.
 
#9
Great score commentary but every score seems generous except Fox. Paps, Buddy and Skal should be ashamed of themselves I hope they were just hung over and they aren't really this bad. Watching Buddy dribble into traffic and get lost is a deja vu from last year. Surely he didn't go thru a whole off-season and not improve at all???

Fox, omg I did not know he was this good. The basketball gods definitely smiled on us letting us get that guy. His leadership intangibles are off the chart. Can Hill & Fox play in a two guard lineup I wonder?
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#10
Great score commentary but every score seems generous except Fox. Paps, Buddy and Skal should be ashamed of themselves I hope they were just hung over and they aren't really this bad. Watching Buddy dribble into traffic and get lost is a deja vu from last year. Surely he didn't go thru a whole off-season and not improve at all???

Fox, omg I did not know he was this good. The basketball gods definitely smiled on us letting us get that guy. His leadership intangibles are off the chart. Can Hill & Fox play in a two guard lineup I wonder?
The scores seem generous? We lost by two to one of the favorites to win Vegas Summer League and while no one was all that great no one was mindnumbingly bad.
 
#11
The scores seem generous? We lost by two to one of the favorites to win Vegas Summer League and while no one was all that great no one was mindnumbingly bad.
I thought Paps, Skal, and Buddy were mindnumbingly bad. A little pissed at all three. Paps seemed like he had drunk too much cough syrup before the game - one guy on twitter called him "Mr Slow Motion" - a good call. Buddy..wtf did you practice dribbling in the off-season? Skal - somehow sandbagging or what? mind numbing

Fox and the big I've never heard of and will probably never see at G1C were great.

Maybe it's wrong to expect them to bust ass with effort - perhaps they are just supposed to be practicing certain motions. But to me it looked like Skal, Paps and Buddy thought they were playing against chairs and traffic cones.. and looked surprised that faster more hungry people were out-playing them on the other side. sleep walking all three.
 
#12
I know, I know... it was just one game - but Papa G worries me. His size and foot speed prevented him from guarding Chriss on the perimeter, yet he was unable to use his size in the post vs Chriss. So his size was a detriment on defense and a non-factor on offense. I just keep telling myself that big men need several years to develop and one day I will read this post and ridicule myself for my unnecessary boxed up frustration with Papa G.

I know it's been said before but Summer league is not the place for a guy like Papa. He needs a structured offense to have a chance. He's just too slow. I did liked seeing him have his guys back. Seems like a good teammate. He'll continue to be a work in progress. Not worried about him though, still considering him a throw in considering we got Skal.

On a different note, I know it's just one SL game but I'm more excited about De'Aaron than any other player to wear a Kings uni in a long time.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#13
I thought Paps, Skal, and Buddy were mindnumbingly bad. A little pissed at all three. Paps seemed like he had drunk too much cough syrup before the game - one guy on twitter called him "Mr Slow Motion" - a good call. Buddy..wtf did you practice dribbling in the off-season? Skal - somehow sandbagging or what? mind numbing

Fox and the big I've never heard of and will probably never see at G1C were great.

Maybe it's wrong to expect them to bust ass with effort - perhaps they are just supposed to be practicing certain motions. But to me it looked like Skal, Paps and Buddy thought they were playing against chairs and traffic cones.. and looked surprised that faster more hungry people were out-playing them on the other side. sleep walking all three.
With all due respect to random people on twitter, I'm trying to watch these guys through semi-objective eyes and while as Kings fans, it is our wont to see every single guy on our favorite team put up a 20-10 night, those nights are few and far between. Cs and Ds may seem too lenient but there were a lot of plays last night where if they worked out they were highlights, if they didn't, they looked like the end of the world.

This is my own personal rubric but I generally reserve Fs for when guys appear to be actively trying to suck and, on a scale of rookie year Jimmer to goddamn Lebron, the "bad" performances ranked at a solid Andres Nocioni.
 
#16
Sacramento Bee Grade F-

OMG todays sports section in todays paper has a 6x6 inch Photo of Lonzo Ball on his debut

What town do we live in? The rest of the sports section has NO COVERAGE of Fox and his debut, NO COVERAGE of our first summer league game, NO Coverage or Box Score

So Fire the Bee Sports editor for putting Lonzo on SACRAMENTO Page 1 and not anything on the Kings.

(yes I know Jason has coverage in his Blog online, BUT a Sacramento fans who are not Web people deserves
coverage in their own paper)

Lavar.jpg
 
#17
I never buy Bee at newsstand, decades ago canceled home delivery and will never pay them a cent for digital version. Want them to go out of business for good and if trends continue they will fold in a matter of time.

Bee only redeeming value... bee.jpg
 
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#19
Malachi, prove me wrong. He's more or less the young player that I'm wondering what the end game is at this point. A lot of ISO instinct and game
 
#20
Sacramento Bee Grade F-

OMG todays sports section in todays paper has a 6x6 inch Photo of Lonzo Ball on his debut

What town do we live in? The rest of the sports section has NO COVERAGE of Fox and his debut, NO COVERAGE of our first summer league game, NO Coverage or Box Score

So Fire the Bee Sports editor for putting Lonzo on SACRAMENTO Page 1 and not anything on the Kings.

(yes I know Jason has coverage in his Blog online, BUT a Sacramento fans who are not Web people deserves
coverage in their own paper)

View attachment 6791
This is a disgrace... it is as if you've got some small butt hurt editors purposefully trolling the Kings. I don't know how to get back at them other than the way I have - which is to cancel my subscription 5 years ago and never ever ever come back. What a trash local newspaper.
 
#22
Sacramento Bee Grade F-

OMG todays sports section in todays paper has a 6x6 inch Photo of Lonzo Ball on his debut

What town do we live in? The rest of the sports section has NO COVERAGE of Fox and his debut, NO COVERAGE of our first summer league game, NO Coverage or Box Score

So Fire the Bee Sports editor for putting Lonzo on SACRAMENTO Page 1 and not anything on the Kings.

(yes I know Jason has coverage in his Blog online, BUT a Sacramento fans who are not Web people deserves
coverage in their own paper)

View attachment 6791
CANCEL.
 
#23
Sacramento Bee Grade F-

OMG todays sports section in todays paper has a 6x6 inch Photo of Lonzo Ball on his debut

What town do we live in? The rest of the sports section has NO COVERAGE of Fox and his debut, NO COVERAGE of our first summer league game, NO Coverage or Box Score

So Fire the Bee Sports editor for putting Lonzo on SACRAMENTO Page 1 and not anything on the Kings.

(yes I know Jason has coverage in his Blog online, BUT a Sacramento fans who are not Web people deserves
coverage in their own paper)

View attachment 6791
I hate Sacramento Bee. I mean look at their website it's horrible, they required subscription in order to read? You have to paid? What age are we living in where we still pay to get news? Is this the age of the internet? They banned you for saying anything critical about their site and that's why you don't ever seen any comments in any of their articles. I bet they banned many people from coming back because they're afraid people talk crap about their job to save their reputation. Look also how much ads are on their website...it's terrible.
 
#24
I know, I know... it was just one game - but Papa G worries me. His size and foot speed prevented him from guarding Chriss on the perimeter, yet he was unable to use his size in the post vs Chriss. So his size was a detriment on defense and a non-factor on offense. I just keep telling myself that big men need several years to develop and one day I will read this post and ridicule myself for my unnecessary boxed up frustration with Papa G.
I think you should keep things in perspective and be patient. While I have no idea whether Papa will develop into a worthwhile player or not, I do know that he just turned 20 last week and Centers often take longer to develop. For example, Marc Gasol didn't even debut in the NBA until he was nearly 24 years old and started out modestly despite his vast overseas experience. Papa is still 3 1/2 years younger than Gasol was when he averaged 12/7. It takes a while. Consider Hassan Whiteside too. He's one of the best centers in the game today but looked like a lost cause for a numerous years. Even had to spend time over in China before getting a 2nd chance.

I get the need for instant gratification. However, it just doesn't work that way most of the time.
 
#25
I never buy Bee at newsstand, decades ago canceled home delivery and will never pay them a cent for digital version. Want them to go out of business for good and if trends continue they will fold in a matter of time.

Bee only redeeming value... View attachment 6792
Possibly true but a little harsh and a little short sighted. Rather have the Bee improve and never miss a 7:30 game coverage again.
 
#26
I think you should keep things in perspective and be patient. While I have no idea whether Papa will develop into a worthwhile player or not, I do know that he just turned 20 last week and Centers often take longer to develop. For example, Marc Gasol didn't even debut in the NBA until he was nearly 24 years old and started out modestly despite his vast overseas experience. Papa is still 3 1/2 years younger than Gasol was when he averaged 12/7. It takes a while. Consider Hassan Whiteside too. He's one of the best centers in the game today but looked like a lost cause for a numerous years. Even had to spend time over in China before getting a 2nd chance.

I get the need for instant gratification. However, it just doesn't work that way most of the time.
Agreed.

Papa G definitely needs a lot more work, but he has the tools and skill set to be an effective big man in the league.He hasn't caught up to the NBA speed yet.

But, I think he would be better served by getting some reps and PT in the G-League next year and maybe bring him back mid-season, if we trade KK by the trade deadline.

I think in 1 or 2 years, he could be at least at KK level player for us, once KK's contract is done.
 
#27
Possibly true but a little harsh and a little short sighted. Rather have the Bee improve and never miss a 7:30 game coverage again.
Maybe but entirely not likely. McClatchy recently sold Bee iconic headquarters, production, parking garage on Q Street where they've been for over 50 years and now leasing the facilities. I personally know very highly paid top writer at the Bee who has been there for decades and says will likely be forced to retire soon. There have been huge number of layoffs recently and he says lots of back-biting, instability at the paper. Bee on downward spiral, losing not only subscriptions for many years but advertising revenue also now suffering. Hard to recover from such one-two punch.

OK, back to B-ball talk.
 
#28
Team grade? Don't know and don't think it too pertinent. The Kings hung in there for three quarters with a good Phoenix team and didn't slip too far n the fourth. I believe it was a good start for our new bunch. I would down-play the kudos for the best ndividual showings and discount the bad play. We will move on to the next games. I think the material is there and team play will improve.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#29
The scores seem generous? We lost by two to one of the favorites to win Vegas Summer League and while no one was all that great no one was mindnumbingly bad.
I was at the game, and although I wouldn't say that Papa wasn't mind numbingly bad, he wasn't good. He was very indesisive when he got the ball, and had zero touch around the basket. He did rebound well and played decent post defense. I'll wait for game two before making any rash decisions.

I thought Fox was as advertised. \you can see the potential dripping off of him. I watched the Laker game right before the Kings game, and if I'm a laker I'd be wondering why they chose 'Ball over Fox . Ball was terrible. 2 of 15 from the floor and 0 for 8 from the three. He didn't get to the line once in the game. Mainly because he never gets into the lane. Didn't get one attempt at the basket in the entire game. Just one game, but if would be enough to be worried if I was a Laker fan. Ingram looked great, and was the best player on the floor for either team.

Justin Jackson played really well amongst the chaos. He's a very smart player who always seems to know where to be on the floor. He got taken off the dribble a couple of times, but recovered well. He has a lightning quick release. Aside from his shot not falling, I thought Buddy played well. His shots were on line, just a bit long, or a bit short. Just one of those games. I was impressed with Malachi's defense on Josh Jackson, who is one tough hombre to cover. I thought Jackson looked quick on TV, but in person, wow, he's going to be one hell of a player.

I worry about Fox's health. He looks like he needs about 15 pounds of muscle. H hurt his ankle or leg with about 8 minutes to go, but stayed in the game and actually played well despite it. It happened right before he had the inbound pass stolen, which is why it was stolen. He was looking at the bench and trying to receive the ball at the same time. Nothing serious I hope. All in all, not a bad first game. I'm hoping for a Giles sighting in the next game.
 
#30
Agreed.

Papa G definitely needs a lot more work, but he has the tools and skill set to be an effective big man in the league.He hasn't caught up to the NBA speed yet.

But, I think he would be better served by getting some reps and PT in the G-League next year and maybe bring him back mid-season, if we trade KK by the trade deadline.

I think in 1 or 2 years, he could be at least at KK level player for us, once KK's contract is done.
FWIW I think Koufos opts out of his deal next summer.

I was at the game, and although I wouldn't say that Papa wasn't mind numbingly bad, he wasn't good. He was very indesisive when he got the ball, and had zero touch around the basket. He did rebound well and played decent post defense. I'll wait for game two before making any rash decisions.

I thought Fox was as advertised. \you can see the potential dripping off of him. I watched the Laker game right before the Kings game, and if I'm a laker I'd be wondering why they chose 'Ball over Fox . Ball was terrible. 2 of 15 from the floor and 0 for 8 from the three. He didn't get to the line once in the game. Mainly because he never gets into the lane. Didn't get one attempt at the basket in the entire game. Just one game, but if would be enough to be worried if I was a Laker fan. Ingram looked great, and was the best player on the floor for either team.

Justin Jackson played really well amongst the chaos. He's a very smart player who always seems to know where to be on the floor. He got taken off the dribble a couple of times, but recovered well. He has a lightning quick release. Aside from his shot not falling, I thought Buddy played well. His shots were on line, just a bit long, or a bit short. Just one of those games. I was impressed with Malachi's defense on Josh Jackson, who is one tough hombre to cover. I thought Jackson looked quick on TV, but in person, wow, he's going to be one hell of a player.

I worry about Fox's health. He looks like he needs about 15 pounds of muscle. H hurt his ankle or leg with about 8 minutes to go, but stayed in the game and actually played well despite it. It happened right before he had the inbound pass stolen, which is why it was stolen. He was looking at the bench and trying to receive the ball at the same time. Nothing serious I hope. All in all, not a bad first game. I'm hoping for a Giles sighting in the next game.


If he doesn't play next game I bet he's getting red shirted.