Sacramento Kings Rookie Roundup: Week of March 4th-March 10th

An odd week for Sacramento on the court produced some surprising results for their prized rookies. Who is on top of this week’s Rookie Roundup?

It was a strange trio of games for the Sacramento Kings’ rookies. The two higher-profile guys hit stumbling blocks while the two lesser heralded draft picks shined in ways they had not in some time. Nobody had a hugely consistent week which is somewhat normal as they reach the end of their first long season. As a result, there is a first-timer atop the Rookie Roundup!

(As always, the Rookie Roundup defines the week as Sunday-Saturday, which means we can thankfully dismiss this Sunday’s disaster against the Nuggets until next week.)

Justin Jackson

Weekly Stats: 11.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.3 stls, 0.0 blks, 43.3% FG, 28.6% 3PT, 100.0% FT

Season to Date: 6.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.5 stls, 0.2 blks, 42.9% FG, 29.7% 3PT, 70.0% FT

A week like this is why I am willing to bear with JJ during weeks where he is not as effective.  He put together a decent weekly line the last three games scoring 11 points off of 43% shooting while still snagging 5 rebounds. He still does not project as a future starter to me, but if the Kings can manage to grab a great small forward in the draft or in free agency, JJ will be in the perfect position as a frequent rotation player off the bench. I also feel like I say that about him a lot, so to prove to him there are no hard feelings, he is on top of the Rookie Roundup this week.

Frank Mason

Weekly Stats: 10.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.7 stls, 0.3 blks, 35.7% FG, 50.0% 3PT, 90.9% FT

Season to Date: 7.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.9 apg, 0.7 stls, 0.2 blks, 37.8% FG, 41.1% 3PT, 80.2% FT

Frank Mason appears to be back in early-season form.  His line against the Magic (6 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists) suggests a “lunchbox” style of play that could be of great benefit to a potential playoff squad. He had trouble with his shot this week, but so did pretty much everyone else. His willingness to get others involved was also evident on the court. Mason is quickly becoming a fan favorite, and weeks like this are a big reason why.

Bogdan Bogdanovic

Weekly Stats: 10.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 6.7 apg, 1.0 stls, 0.3 blks, 34.5% FG, 31.3% 3PT, 100.0% FT

Season to Date: 11.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.0 stls, 0.3 blks, 45.6% FG, 39.9% 3PT, 86.5% FT

Bogdanovic was brilliant against the Knicks last Sunday, putting in 22 points off of 11 shots.  And then he just… did not show up against the Pelicans (0-6 shooting!) and could not get his game going against the Magic (although he affected the game in other ways, peeling off 10 assists). An up and down week for the otherwise highest-performing rookie in a Sacramento uniform.

De’Aaron Fox

Weekly Stats: 6.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.5 stls, 0.0 blks, 33.3% FG, 50.0% 3PT, 0.0% FT

Season to Date: 11.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.0 stls, 0.3 blks, 41.4% FG, 34.2% 3PT, 74.1% FT

A poor week in general for Fox was exacerbated by an untimely back injury that cut short his playing time, logging only 34 minutes in two games.  He sat out against the Magic altogether.  Fox just did not have a lot of opportunities to shine this week, and when he did, he was mostly underwhelming. We will see if he can shake the rust off once he returns from injury.