KINGS! Summer League-Vegas Gm 2 - 7/9/17

VF21

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#1
#1
Game 2 is set for Sunday, July 9 at 7 PDT on NBA-TV against the Memphis Grizzlies. Should be a lot of fun.

It's been great to see so many fans who had simply quit posting coming back to KF. We've waited a long time to have something to be excited about again.

So, I'm curious. Who surprised you the most in the game against the Suns? Who do you want to see more of in this game?

It's so good to be talking Kings basketball without the drama subtext. For that, I thank Vlade. Now let's talk about the upcoming game (this will also be the game thread on Sunday).

#SacramentoProud
 
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hrdboild

hrdboild

Moloch in whom I dream Angels!
Staff member
#4
#4
I was pleasantly surprised by Justin Jackson's game. I didn't really know how he was going to fit in with this group -- we've got guards who like to shoot, bigs who like to run, and a damned superhero playing PG but how would a good all-around wing like Jackson find his niche? But then it clicked for me midway through the 3rd quarter... oh, he's our new Omri Casspi. He probably won't touch the ball very much but he'll leave little "good play" crumbs everywhere he goes. And there's nothing wrong with that, that's how you win championships after all.

I know we're all excited to see Harry Giles at some point but he might red shirt this Summer League so I'll go with a different pick and say Frank Mason is the guy I'm most interested in seeing more of in the next game. He played a lot of minutes in this one but he never looked like the Frank Mason who dominated all year at Kansas. In the next one I'd like to see that guy show up -- take a few notes from Fox's playbook and lead the team with confidence. We all know he can shoot, it's just a matter of moving more sharply into his spots and getting into his motion quicker. He could have a 10 year career as a valuable bench guard or a short (but lucrative) career as yet another college star who faded away in the NBA when he couldn't step up his game mentally. I'm rooting for him to figure it out.

Memphis is an interesting draw for our next game considering we just swapped spare parts this week in Free Agency (Memphis OUT/Sacramento IN: Z. Randolph and V. Carter, Memphis IN/Sacramento OUT: Ben McLemore and Tyreke Evans). None of those guys will be in this game though obviously. Their summer league roster has a few PAC 12 guys on it: Dillon Brooks from Oregon, Kobi Simmons from Arizona, Ivan Rabb from Cal. They also have last year's draft picks Wade Baldwin and Deyonta Davis. One of the more intriguing names is Serbian swingman Rade Zagorac from Mega Leks (which anyone who scouted Timothe Luwawu last year will remember right away for their unique pink and green uniforms) and you can bet his countrymen Vlade and Peja will be watching his game with interest from the sideline. He might be the sleeper here as he's got a really good handle for a big guy (6'8 or 6'9-ish) and he can score in a lot of different ways. Justin Jackson is going to have his hands full figuring him out.

Memphis is also a team coming out of a veteran cycle and handing the keys to some youngsters hoping to forge a new identity. I like our chances of getting a win here on paper but more importantly we should focus on getting some more stops. We looked pretty good defensively for about 5 minutes tonight and then went back to trying to outscore the other team. I know we can do better than that!
 
ockingsfan

ockingsfan

Starter
#6
#6
206Fan said:
Nope according to Camrichael Dave, Giles will not play in the SL at all. Just from guessing, I think this means Giles has red flags over his knees, so the Kings are being cautious by not playing him in the SL.
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Now that we have ZBo, there is no reason to rush Giles into play.

I would be okay if we red shirted him most of this season to strengthen those knees and to get more PT in the G-League.

Bring him up to the big leagues after the all star break to get his feet wet, like we did with the rooks this past year.
 
Suicide King

Suicide King

Starter
#8
#8
Justin Jackson was a pleasant surprise, and I actually expected him to be fairly decent before the game. He impressed me though. His defensive stance and intuition, he shot from outside, mid range, and a sweet bank off the glass lay-up. That floater though was great. He just looks ( and sounds from interviews) very poised with a good head on his shoulders. With VC on a one year contract, Justin's game came as good news. I hope it was a sign of things to come.

Overall, I think everyone felt pressure from the way they spoke about SL in interviews, they want to win it all. I expect them to feel a bit more relaxed with first game jitters gone. I know it's the second SL for some, but you won't convince me the whole squad didn't have at least a little touch of butterflies.
 
lwc

lwc

Starter
#10
#10
I am most looking forward to seeing Malachi Richardson. Unintentionally I think I've lost him in the excitement of everyone else. He showed flashes of promise in actual NBA minutes and then he had his injury. Summer league can be a dangerous place where a guard or wing can redevelop a chucking mentality and unfortunately for at least one game he found it. I hope that goes away. It may not be fair but I hope that Buddy keeps shooting and that Malachi picks his spots.

From a physical standpoint he does look like he has the physicality to play some at the 3. Which bodes well for developing as many players as possible in the next season. With Malachi having physically developed a little more there can be stretches where we put Fox, Buddy, and Malachi or Fox, Bogdanovic, and Malachi on the floor together.
 
J

joemama

Starter
#12
#12
Surprises
1. No cheerleaders, as mentioned other teams have teammates cheering them on, where are ours? Bogs? Temple? 3 new additions? WCS? etc.
2. Fox's overall knack for the game he was not credited on several assists. I knew he had speed but his passing, ability to see the floor, and letting the game come to him (considering 1st nba game) were all impressive.
3. Papa G: I don't know what this "finesse" crap is. I didn't seem him make a damn field goal. Power that **** home.
4. Jakarr Sampson DNP? With our SF position being our weakest position, mostly due to inexperience JJ, or out of positional play i.e. temple/carter/malachi/bogs? I think we should be seriously considering AT LEAST one of our 2 way contracts a SF. Sampson has nba experience, good speed and length, above-the-rim athleticism and good ball-handing. He can't shoot, but I'm more interested in seeing how far along he has come with his defensive abilities (i.e. man-to-man defense/team defense). In images with the team he is in the mix as much as anyone. I would like to see him get some burn.
5. Malachi, yes he is a chucker, but what impressed me was his uncanny ability to get to the (ft) line last year. Last night I did not see that. Without being agressive and getting to the line he is a liability. I will give him that he added/weight and strength but without the agressiveness it means very little.
 
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KingsFanSince85

KingsFanSince85

All-Star
#13
#13
Suicide King said:
Justin Jackson was a pleasant surprise, and I actually expected him to be fairly decent before the game. He impressed me though. His defensive stance and intuition, he shot from outside, mid range, and a sweet bank off the glass lay-up. That floater though was great. He just looks ( and sounds from interviews) very poised with a good head on his shoulders. With VC on a one year contract, Justin's game came as good news. I hope it was a sign of things to come.
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I've been trying to tell Kings fans for months that JJ could play. I watched him play somewhere around 30 games the past 3 seasons at UNC. He's far more athletic than many want to give him credit for and has been a good team defender. His offensive game has a silky smooth fluidness to it that fools people into believing he's not very quick or athletic. As I said numerous times, the kid is a winner and he proved that at UNC. There's a LONG way to go and he has a lot to work on, but I think Kings fans are eventually gonna love him.

One of the best things about him is that he finds way to score w/o needing to have control of the ball in ISO situations. He's a guy that scores in the flow of the game.
 
Warhawk

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
#14
#14
Summer league is a funny beast sometimes. Some players are benched for a game and then play significant minutes the next. Some players shine in this environment and some do not. I place much more faith in the play of Richardson last year before the injury than one summer league game. I hope his injury isn't too serious.

Some Kings players may indeed yet make their way to summer league to be cheerleaders. Would be a nice gesture. However 2/3 of the team is playing already!
 
KingsFanSince85

KingsFanSince85

All-Star
#15
#15
Warhawk said:
Summer league is a funny beast sometimes. Some players are benched for a game and then play significant minutes the next. Some players shine in this environment and some do not.
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We know that WCS didn't exactly turn heads in SL the past 2 seasons yet has shown to be a capable enough player in actual NBA games -- after he had to work hard for PT.

As you said, every player and situation is different.
 
Kingsroots

Kingsroots

G-League
#18
#18
I think in the 3rd quarter Malachi pulled up lame a little limping on the same leg he pulled the hammy. Katie C tweeted about it at the time but I haven't read anything else on the matter. Does anyone know if he's okay and if he will play tomorrow? It would be a bummer if he can't play anymore summer league.
 
SLAB

SLAB

Hall of Famer
#19
#19
Kingsroots said:
I think in the 3rd quarter Malachi pulled up lame a little limping on the same leg he pulled the hammy. Katie C tweeted about it at the time but I haven't read anything else on the matter. Does anyone know if he's okay and if he will play tomorrow? It would be a bummer if he can't play anymore summer league.
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I'd guess he'd be done. Don't want to risk it in these meaningless games.
 
King Baller

King Baller

All-Star
#21
#21
Fox was amazing in my opinion. I think he had the best 1st SL game I have seen a Rookie play in a long while. His speed and quickness almost makes the game unfair when he is matched against less gifted athletes.

I was hoping Justin Jackson's game would translate to the NBA. It looks like he will contribute this season. He has a smooth game with a sweet floater. Not to put any pressure on the Kid but his game sort of looks like this:


I would like to see Buddy and Frank make some shots also:)
 
KingsFanGER

KingsFanGER

Starter
#27
#27
joemama said:
Surprises
1. No cheerleaders, as mentioned other teams have teammates cheering them on, where are ours? Bogs? Temple? 3 new additions? WCS? etc.
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Really good question, I would be grateful, if someone of the guys, who actually went to the game could answer it.
Because the sole reason this team didn't have character and culture in the past, showed up for the Kings at SL.
Now with the new vibe going and all, we should maybe expect the same out of those guys, who like to talk a lot about their new roles and leadership.
 
roasthawg

roasthawg

Starter
#28
#28
KingsFanGER said:
Really good question, I would be grateful, if someone of the guys, who actually went to the game could answer it.
Because the sole reason this team didn't have character and culture in the past, showed up for the Kings at SL.
Now with the new vibe going and all, we should maybe expect the same out of those guys, who like to talk a lot about their new roles and leadership.
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The only two guys who is expect to be there are wcs or Temple.
 
Kingster

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#30
#30
Papa was definitely the surprise on the downside. I expected improvement; not regression. Skal and the rest of the 2nd year guys were also surprises on the downside. I just didn't see one bit of improvement from any of them - Skal, Hield, Richardson.

Buddy looked like a guy looking for a big contract at the expense of his team. I hate it when players take contested 3 point shots when there is no decent excuse for doing so. It really sets the wrong tone for the entire team when you're out there gunning contested 3s. I expect more of him, and I'm very glad we have the vets on this team to steer the ship during the regular season. Otherwise this youth movement could devolve into "every man for himself" instead of for the team.

The surprises on the upside were the two top rookies - Fox and Jackson. Who would expect that all the 2nd year guys would be duds and 1st year guys would come in to save the day? I expected Fox and Jackson to play well, just not as well as what they showed in Game 1. Fox could be on the NBA All Defensive Team in a few years. I was impressed with his shot selection - he wasn't out there gunning 3s that he can't make; he stuck to his knitting and got the intermediate 2s, which I really appreciate as a fan. I still think that because of his versatility Jackson is going to be better than Isaac , so we'll check back in three years and see how that prediction goes.
 
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