The Sacramento Kings quartet of rookies needs to work on a few things to become more valuable. Find out what in this week’s Rookie Roundup.
It was a quiet week for the Sacramento Kings, at least regarding on-court production (they continue to make national news for other reasons, however). They failed to win in four attempts as they began one final push into the Great Tank Race of 2018. As a result, no rookie really stood out as the grind of the full season seems to be setting in. Given this, there will be an added wrinkle to the Rookie Roundup.
For the next couple of weeks, there will still be a nominal “winner” going forward, but as the rookies’ thought shift to next year, so will mine. Hence, I will be making more of a focus on what each man might want to think about as the season ends to continue being successful. With that, on to the Rookie Roundup!
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Weekly Stats: 11.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.0 stls, 0.0 blks, 47.5% FG, 38.9% 3PT, 50.0% FT
Season to Date: 11.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 0.9 stls, 0.2 blks, 44.9% FG, 39.7% 3PT, 84.3% FT
What I find fascinating about Bogdan Bogdanovic‘s week is that his raw weekly stats are almost exactly identical to his season averages, to the point where I briefly thought I had messed up my numbers. It proves his consistency (it also amused me enough to put him atop the Rookie Roundup this week). It also makes you wonder, given his age, if there’s any further production we can expect from him going forward.
That’s when I discovered his usage rate is only 19.6%, good for eighth on the team overall (it’s really seventh; we can probably pull Jack Cooley off that list). Fans can reasonably expect to see that number go up next season, and likely for the foreseeable future. Bogdanovic has done an excellent job conducting business on the court and has done it with a relatively light load. Let’s see if he can maintain his consistency in the future.
Related Story: Kings rookie debate: De’Aaron Fox or Markelle Fultz
De’Aaron Fox
Weekly Stats: 9.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 5.0 apg, 0.5 stls, 0.8 blks, 43.6% FG, 9.1% 3PT, 100.0% FT
Season to Date: 11.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.0 stls, 0.3 blks, 41.7% FG, 30.4% 3PT, 72.4% FT
It was a relatively unremarkable week for De’Aaron Fox. He had a good line against the Warriors (16 points and eight assists) but did most of his work early on before the Dubs started pulling away. Nothing else notably popped out about his week.
What I want to focus on is his shooting. Easily the number one concern about him going into the league, the advanced numbers show he still has a long way to go. His true shooting is a disastrous .481. However, his shooting breakdown reveals a path to his success. His shooting from 0-3 feet has been great, making 65% of his shots. The numbers match up with the eye test, as we see how lightning quick he can be during penetration, and he finishes well. As he masters using his gift of speed to punish defenses, this will be a valuable tool moving forward.
Frank Mason
Weekly Stats: 9.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 0.0 stls, 0.3 blks, 38.9% FG, 30.0% 3PT, 80.0% FT
Season to Date: 8.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.9 apg, 0.7 stls, 0.2 blks, 38.8% FG, 37.2% 3PT, 82.0% FT
Frank Mason‘s week was slightly more successful than the numbers suggest. If you discount his horrible night against Dallas (where he shot a woeful one of 13), his numbers improve to 56.5% from the field. He would then also have scored 10.3 points over three games. However, since we have to take the good with the bad, it’s worth pointing out that Mason hasn’t been a particularly efficient scorer. His true shooting for the year sits at .488, which is near the bottom of the league. It’s not unusual for rookies to run into this particular issue, and his mid-season injury didn’t help. However, for a team that is pretty inefficient across the board in shooting, this must be a focus for Mason going forward.
Next: Alize Johnson could be a steal of the draft for Sacramento
Justin Jackson
Vital Stats: 5.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.5 stls, 0.3 blks, 34.5% FG, 21.4% 3PT, 0.0% FT
Season to Date: 6.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.4 stls, 0.2 blks, 45.1% FG, 31.3% 3PT, 70.6% FT
Justin Jackson‘s recent hot shooting hit a wall this week, which always happens. His overall season shooting numbers are 45.1%, which is very respectable. Jackson needs to make improvements on the other side of the ball, though. His offensive rating is 105 this season, but his defensive rating skyrockets to 115. Not utterly disastrous, given that this is a team filled mainly with rookies and they tended to get blown out earlier in the year. However, he’s still dead last on the roster. It’s something for the coaching staff to focus in on this offseason as the team hopefully grows together.