How did the players on the Sacramento Kings’ summer league team perform? This article provides individual grades and analysis on some of the players on the team.
Like most teams that participated in this year’s summer league games, ups and downs came with the territory. For example, it’s fair to say that the Sacramento Kings as a collective whole had a disappointing summer campaign this year. On the other hand, there were players on the team that had standout performances along the way.
For the last couple of weeks, the A Royal Pain team has given certain players on the Kings individual grades based on their summer performances.
With that being said, please enjoy this slideshow which provides an analysis and individual grade reports for certain players on the Kings’ summer league team.
Jack Cooley (written by @officialSanjesh):
No one expected it, but Jack Cooley was the best thing to look forward to once he started to make a name for himself. His hard work in the paint combined with fierce tenacity earned him his own chant in Las Vegas. Every game he kept his “cool”, earning him an A-caliber summer league campaign.
For the full analysis on Cooley, click here.
De’Aaron Fox (written by @officialSanjesh):
Although he didn’t play all games because of injury, De’Aaron Fox gave us desperate Kings fans some positivity for his future. He displayed leadership on both sides of the ball and flashed his speed when driving by defenders or going after steals. With the proper development, only time will tell if this A-caliber summer was right.
For the full analysis on Fox, click here.
Buddy Hield (written by @rafnation):
Buddy Hield was one of the top scorers for the Kings during summer league as he averaged over 16 points a contest. With that being said, however, Hield wasn’t very efficient when scoring the ball.
In the three games Buddy participated in, he only shot a success rate of 35.6% from the floor and 35% from the three-point line. A mix of bad shot selection and solo play led to Buddy’s struggles in Las Vegas. He didn’t have a bad summer league in terms of the numbers, but he did underachieve considering that he was one of the more productive scorers on the Kings during their previous regular season.
For the full analysis on Hield, click here.
Justin Jackson (written by @dugger_fern):
Justin Jackson’s inefficiency from the field (37.9% from the floor, 23.7% from the perimeter) must improve, but I was pleased with his Vegas performances. He showed the ability to make three-pointers from NBA range and used his array of floaters to finish around the rim.
Jackson garnered a larger scoring role as teammates sat out games, but won’t be asked to carry the offense for large stretches during the regular season (or take 15.8 shots per game). He should revert to a spot-up shooting role where he can attack closeouts, even though it’s a plus to see Jackson produce with a larger scoring role.
Jackson’s main calling will be his versatility to guard at least three positions on the wing, something he did throughout the summer league. His shooting, defensive potential, and ability to fit a lesser role were the reasons I had him higher than most and slotted him to the Kings in my fit mock draft, so seeing these skills on display was encouraging.
For the full analysis on Jackson, click here.
Skal Labissiere (written by @dugger_fern):
Skal Labissiere didn’t dominate games as we’d expect a second-year talent to do in summer league, but I’m not worried about his subpar numbers. He experimented in Vegas as a screen-and-roll rim runner when partnered with Georgios Papagiannis, which is out of his comfort zone at this stage of his career. Plus, players at the guard positions generally dominate the ball during summer league which limited Skal’s opportunities.
Playing with Willie Cauley-Stein in the regular season allows Labissiere to shift towards his more familiar position as a spot-up shooter and posting up on smaller players. These games didn’t waver my positive outlook on Skal’s future, but I had to give him a C+ grade due to his overall impact this summer.
For the full analysis on Labissiere, click here.
Frank Mason took on the role as the backup point guard behind De’Aaron Fox, so his numbers aren’t going to wipe anyone off the floor. During summer league, Mason averaged 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. He did a little bit of everything which was great to see from a player that was selected in the second round of the draft.
However, a big knock that one can take away from Mason’s summer outing was his shooting. In the four games he played in, he only made 39.4% of his total shots from the floor and 37% of his two-point attempts. On the other hand, he did make 50% of his three-pointers and 100% of his free-throws.
Overall, Mason did a solid job in being the Kings’ backup facilitator. Unfortunately, however, his summer league campaign was cut short due to injury.
For a full analysis on Mason, click here.
Naz Mitrou-Long (written by @officialSanjesh):
Another player with limited expectations, thanks to the likes of Fox, Mason, and Hield, was Naz Mitrou-Long who showcased his sharpshooting abilities. He started off immensely poor shooting the ball, but progressively provided a more consistent shot, especially in the summer league finale. He didn’t do the necessary to earn an excellent grade, but he still showed he can be a shooter that NBA teams are scouting for.
For the full analysis on Mitrou-Long, click here.
Luis Montero (written by @rafnation):
Luis Montero was another player that received limited playing time with the Kings. He only played around 20 minutes a game while averaging 4.4 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. Overall, Montero had ups and downs during his summer league run with the Kings.
The pros, he was solid in shooting the ball and defending his opponents. The cons, he wasn’t much of a scorer or distributor even though he was given minutes to play point guard occasionally. To be fair, Montero is more of a two-guard or wing player, so having him play the point from time to time probably made him feel uncomfortable.
For the full analysis on Montero, click here.
Georgios Papagiannis (written by @StepanyanNBA):
The numbers were not kind towards Georgios Papagiannis in summer league. In the six games he played in, he averaged 5.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest while shooting around 41% from the court. Papagiannis also looked uncomfortable at times on the floor as he made fundamental mistakes. An example would be after rebounding the ball, he would keep his arms low which allowed opponents to knock the ball out of his hands.
Although Papa G didn’t have the best summer league campaign, there were positives to take away from his play. He did do a good job in setting screens on offense which gave his teammates better opportunities to score. Papa G also made an impact on the interior as he rebounded and defended the paint in a solid manner.
Papagiannis still has room to improve, but there is a lot of promise for him being a future asset due to his size and skillset.
For the full analysis on Papagiannis, click here.
JaKarr Sampson (written by @rafnation):
JaKarr Sampson was pretty much the Quincy Acy of the Kings’ summer league team. He was aggressive on the court, he showed great effort on both ends of the floor, and he punished the rim multiple times due to his ferocious dunks.
There was no doubt that Sampson was the energy guy for the Kings as he averaged 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds a contest. The knock, however, was that Sampson’s offensive ability was limited, as he heavily relied on others for himself to score, and that he was given limited playing time to prove himself.
Although just a bench player for the Kings, he was a solid contributor for his team when he was given the playing time. Unfortunately, he received limited minutes.
For the full analysis on Sampson, click here.