We can fall in love with Sim all over again.
Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
In just two days’ time, the Sacramento Kings will begin its quest to defend a championship. Let that sink in.
As you well know, last year’s team – headed by Ben McLemore, Ray McCallum, MarShon Brooks, Nik Stauskas and the surprising Eric Moreland – outlasted the Houston Rockets in a riveting championship game that saw a running, one-legged, game-sealing three from McCallum in the closing minutes.
On July 7, Sacramento’s 2015 Summer League training camp commenced, featuring some familiar faces, and some new. The following is a comprehensive preview of the Kings’s upcoming slate of tournament games—including roster analysis, scheduling and more important information.
THE ROSTER (via Real GM)
The Stars
Among those most notable to be playing for Sacramento’s Summer League team are rookie PF/C Willie Trill Cauley-Stein, PF Eric Moreland (one ring) and PG David Stockton. Almost without question, Stockton, Moreland and Cauley-Stein will comprise Sacramento’s de facto “Big 3.” After a shoulder injury cut Moreland’s rookie campaign short, seeing him playing again should be encouraging for everyone involved.
And just as those three are also on the Kings’s regular season roster, so is SG/SF James Anderson, Sacramento’s first free agent signing this offseason. They are the only four players on the Kings SL roster who are signed to more than just a summer league-exclusive contract.
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The Role Players
Likely one of the two: Rookies who went undrafted, thus making them Undrafted Free Agents (UFAs); or fringe-NBA/D-League/international players. They are the proverbial glue that binds a team together. Examples from last year’s team: Ra’Shad James, Alex Oriakhi (he’s back this year, acquired in the Isaiah Thomas trade) and Sim Bhullar (he’s also back).
Are these guys household names? Probably not. But to a championship roster, they’re invaluable.
David Wear, a 6’10” PF from UCLA, shot .394 from three for the Sacramento-affiliated Reno Bighorns last season. He figures to provide scoring and spacing off-the-bench. The aforementioned Oriakhi and Bhullar will offer an inside presence and, obviously, championship experience.
In all seriousness, keep an eye on Duje Dukan, a 23-year-old, 6’10” forward from Wisconsin’s final four teams of the past two years. Chronologically, he shot .366 and then only .319 from the college three as a Badger, but his mechanics are quick and seemingly well-structured. If you add that to the part where he moves REALLY WELL for a guy only two inches from seven feet, it makes him worth keeping an eye on, at the very least.
Dukan took part in the Kings pre-draft workout that featured Wisconsin teammate Sam Dekker and Arizona forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, so it stands to reason the coaching staff may have seen something they liked in the Croatian, and wanted him back for Vegas.
The Limited-Minutes/Benchwarmers/Locker Room Guys
Oft underestimated, oft misunderstood. With a basketball, a hoop and a couple months’ exercise, you could be one of ‘em. Only not really. Five to ten years from now, these are the guys you will aggressively recruit for your sales team’s pickup roster (which is a lot more than most of us can say, myself included).
Among those: SG Corey Hawkins, rookie, UC Davis; F Ian Hummer, rookie, Princeton; F C.J. Leslie, rookie/plays in the BSN, NC State; G/F DeAndre Liggins, 3 years, Kentucky; F Shaquielle McKissic, rookie, Arizona State; PG Juwan Staten, rookie, West Virginia; PG Julyan Stone, 3 years, UTEP.
SCHEDULED GAMES (via nba.com)
Friday, July 10: Sacramento Kings vs. Toronto Raptors, 3:30 p.m. PDT
Sunday, July 12: Sacramento Kings vs. Denver Nuggets, 5:00 p.m. PDT
Monday, July 13: Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings, 3:30 p.m. PDT
HOW TO WATCH
On TV, your options are as follows: NBA TV.
On your computer, iPhone, iPad or Android phone/tablet, “NBA Summer League Live” can be purchased for $15.
Ticket info can be found here.
HOW, EXACTLY, VEGAS SUMMER LEAGUE WORKS (via nba.com)
The preliminary round consists of 24 teams. Each team plays three games, after which they are seeded 1-24, based on record, for the subsequent single-elimination tournament. Five single-elimination rounds determine the eventual NBA Summer League Champion.
Of the 24 participating teams, each will play at least five games throughout the course of the tournament, regardless of record.
PREDICTION
Championship, or bust.