Sacramento Kings rookie roundup: February 4th-10th

The Sacramento Kings got a clutch performance from Bogdan Bogdanovic, and De’Aaron Fox sprained his ankle. Who took the top spot in this week’s Rookie Roundup?

The Sacramento Kings only played two games this week causing a bit of a sample size. One was another satisfying rally to defeat the Chicago Bulls (the Kings like to do that). The other was, well, a shooting clinic from Damian Lillard. How did our rookies fare against two bad situations this week? Let’s look at the numbers. Welcome to this week’s Rookie Roundup.

(I’m defining the week as the period between Sunday, Feb. 4 to Saturday, Feb. 10.)

Bogdan Bogdanovic

Weekly Stats: 12.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.5 stls, 0.5 blks, 30.4% FG, 40.0% 3PT, 100.0% FT

Season to date: 11.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.0 stls, 0.3 blks, 46.3% FG, 39.5% 3PT, 84.8% FT

In a week that was relatively close between all rookies, Bogdanovic gets the win. Although he had a poor shooting week, Bogdanovic played a massive role in the come-from-behind victory on Monday. His clutch three with less than a minute to go was particularly impressive. Self-created while double-teamed with the shot clock expiring! That shot alone would have earned him the top spot this week. However, his performance against the Blazers also displayed a clear-headed style of play that shows just how much his overseas experience is paying off. Bogi is your rookie of the week.

Justin Jackson

Weekly Stats: 10.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.5 stls, 0 blks, 52.9% FG, 0.0% 3PT, 60.0% FT

Season to date: 5.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.4 stls, 0.2 blks, 42.5% FG, 30.1% 3PT, 63.6% FT

Another excellent shooting week for JJ (he’s shooting about 53% in February). There was a reliable quality to his game against the Bulls and the first half against the Blazers (before everything fell apart in general). It’s very encouraging to see Jackson take advantage of his increased opportunity as a starter now. For that, he moves up a slot from last week.

De’Aaron Fox

Weekly Stats: 9.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, 0.0 stls, 0.0 blks, 31.3% FG, 0.0% 3PT, 72.3% FT

Season to date: 11.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.3 apg, 0.9 stls, 0.3 blks, 40.9% FG, 32.6% 3PT, 72.9% FT

Not a great week for Fox. He went down with a sprained ankle midway through the Bulls game and was not able to participate in most of the second half rally. Fox had another “welcome to the NBA” experience against the Blazers on Friday night. It’s hard to place Lillard’s 50-point night squarely at Fox’s feet. However, he struggled mightily to defend Dame in the pick-and-roll all night, and the Blazers knew it. Coupled with a pair of weak scoring nights, and this was a step backward for No. 5.

Frank Mason

Weekly Stats: DNP

Season to date: 7.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 0.5 stls, 0.1 blks, 38.5% FG, 41.9% 3PM, 76.2% FT

Next: Kings trade grade: George Hill to Cleveland

Frank Mason is still hurt. Hopefully, Mason will be ready to rock after the All-Star break. The lack of depth at the 1-spot (partly due to trades) hurt the Kings against the Blazers.

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