JaKarr Sampson has been opening eyes while playing for Sacramento Kings in Summer League. With this type of game, he deserves a shot at a two-way contract.
The NBA has introduced the new two-way contract into the league. “Two-way contracts will allow a team to essentially carry two more roster spots that won’t count against the salary cap. These players, who must have less than four years of NBA experience, can be swapped between the professional level and the G-League for up to 45 days in a season” (Link).
JaKarr Sampson, first playing an NBA game in 2014, is still eligible for this type of contract and is proving to be worth one. Sampson is currently showcasing his talents in the NBA Summer League for the Sacramento Kings. He has opened some eyes with his freakish athleticism along with a high motor.
2017 Summer League Stats
| Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Turnovers | Minutes | FG% |
| 7.33 | 4.67 | 0.667 | 0.667 | 0.333 | 1.333 | 15.67 | 0.389 |
Although his regular season numbers don’t pop out at you, Sampson has been putting up those numbers in under 16 minutes a game. A noteworthy stat that does pop out at you is his plus-minus. The plus-minus stat, in a nutshell, calculates the score differential while the player is on the court. Although it is somewhat of a flawed stat, leading the entire Kings’ summer league roster in plus-minus is a nice sign.
2017 Sacramento Kings Summer League Plus-Minus Standings
| Name | Games | Minutes | Plus/Minus |
| J. Sampson | 3 | 47 | 33 |
| F. Mason III | 4 | 64 | 31 |
| J. Cooley | 3 | 53 | 22 |
| L. Montero | 3 | 52 | 19 |
| N. Mitrou-Long | 2 | 36 | 16 |
| M. Richardson | 1 | 24 | 4 |
| R. Hearn | 1 | 12 | -1 |
| D. Hawkins | 1 | 11 | -5 |
| E. Stuteville | 2 | 10 | -10 |
| D. Fox | 3 | 77 | -15 |
| J. Jackson | 4 | 120 | -23 |
| S. Labissiere | 4 | 114 | -26 |
| G. Papagiannis | 4 | 90 | -38 |
| B. Hield | 3 | 73 | -47 |
(Stats As Of July 13th)
Next: Sacramento Kings projected 2017-2018 depth chart
Fit w/ Sacramento:
Sampson would be a high-energy guy off the bench for Sacramento much like former Kings, Quincy Acy and Derrick Williams. He brings freakish athleticism and seems to be a player who puts a fire into his team’s as his plus-minus stat suggests. It would be a no-risk, high-reward move for Sacramento if it works out in the sense that it doesn’t cost against the salary cap for Sacramento, and Sampson could prove to be worthy of an NBA contract next summer.