With the Sacramento Kings halfway through their preseason, which three players on the purple and white have performed better than the rest?
The Sacramento Kings are halfway through their preseason campaign and currently hold a record of 1-2. Preseason started out great for the Kings as their new offensive system showed flashes of its potential. As a result, the Kings were able to earn the 106-102 victory in their opener against the Phoenix Suns.
A few days later, the Kings traveled to Los Angeles, California where they faced off against LeBron James and the Lakers. The game was entertaining from the very start as both offenses were clicking on all cylinders. The game was close till the last minute where the Lakers were able to get the victory by a slim margin.
Just a day later, the Kings found themselves in Seattle, Washington where they played against the reigning champion Golden State Warriors in the Key Arena. Unlike their two previous performances, the Kings were flat and suffered a beatdown by their division foe.
As expected, the Kings experienced some ups and downs throughout their preseason so far. But in my opinion, more ups have been shown from the purple and white, specifically the individual performances by some of their players.
When watching the Kings play in the preseason, there have been some good individual performances by the players repping the Kings franchise on their chests. But with that said, which guys have stood out above the rest?
Check out this slideshow which will showcase who I think the top three players have been so far on the Sacramento Kings during preseason play.
De’Aaron Fox
There is no doubt that De’Aaron Fox has been the best player for the Sacramento Kings. Throughout the first three preseason games, the sophomore point guard is averaging 12.3 points and five assists per contest while shooting 51.7% (15-29) from the court and 46.2% (6-13) from beyond the arc.
For Fox, a lot of pressure is on him to perform well this season. During the team’s media day festivities, Dave Joerger said that Fox was the Kings’ franchise player and that he will lead the team’s new fast-paced offense to success.
So far, Fox has been successful during preseason play. When on the court, he has increased the tempo of the offense which has led to more opportunities for easy scores. As a result, the Kings have averaged 107.6 points in their last three games. It is a small sample size, but it beats scoring just 98.8 points a night which was the case for them last season.
Not only has Fox been able to excel as a facilitator, but he has also become impactful as a defender as well. Due to his physical tools and aggressive mindset, he has constantly been giving his opponents fits on the defensive end this last week.
After having a so-so rookie season, Fox needs to make a leap of improvement this year. If his recent games are any indication of how he performs during the regular season, I would say he is on the right path to being the Kings’ guy going forward.
Harry Giles
The rookie Harry Giles received a ton of hype going into this season, and so far he has lived up to expectations. During the preseason, Giles is doing a little bit of everything. He is scoring the ball, playing solid defense, and is making the right decisions when the ball is in his hand. As a result, Giles has not had a bad game so far as his numbers have been good and the eye test has shown me he is playing effective basketball.
With Giles becoming an asset in front of our eyes, Kings fans cannot be more pumped about it. Due to recovering from multiple surgeries on his knees, Giles took a redshirt year last season. But even though Harry did not record a single second of NBA ball, he was still impressing his teammates and coaches due to the combination of skill, athleticism, and basketball instincts that he possesses.
A healthy and efficient Giles can do wonders for the Kings. Although Sacramento has a bevy of young big men on their roster, no one has solidified themselves as the main guy of the group. Giles has not proven to be the top guy yet, but he is definitely on his way.
For the preseason, Giles is averaging 15 points, six rebounds, and two assists a night while shooting 42.5% (17-42) from the floor.
Willie Cauley-Stein
This one was a tough decision for me. Originally, I had Yogi Ferrell on the list, but due to him playing just one out of the three preseason games so far, I did not think he qualified to be a possible candidate. Therefore, Willie Cauley-Stein is my pick for the third best player.
This season is big for Cauley-Stein. With his rookie contract expiring at the end of this season, he is looking to have a good year in order to get paid what believes he is worth. So far, Cauley-Stein has had a nice preseason campaign. In three games, he is averaging 9.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and one steal a game while shooting 52.2% (12-23) from the floor.
Time will only tell whether the Kings and Cauley-Stein can mutually agree on a deal. It is even unknown whether Cauley-Stein sees Sacramento as a part of his future. But either way, he is with the Kings now, and if he wants to earn his next contract, he needs to have his best season yet. If he can prove to be a player who can grab rebounds and defend efficiently, it will make him an asset this season and a potential core player for the Kings to build around going forward.