A Royal Pain
Fansided

Marvin Bagley Shines, But Sacramento Kings Get Winded In Denver

By Rafe Wong

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 23: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings shoots the ball against the Denver Nuggets on October 23, 2018 at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 23: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings shoots the ball against the Denver Nuggets on October 23, 2018 at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 23: Marvin Bagley III #35 of the Sacramento Kings handles the ball against the Denver Nuggets on October 23, 2018 at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 23: Marvin Bagley III #35 of the Sacramento Kings handles the ball against the Denver Nuggets on October 23, 2018 at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Key Takeaways

Bagley Continues To Impress

Marvin Bagley III continues to impress as he finished tonight’s game with 19 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks. Even though Marvin is coming off the bench, he has made a positive impact in every game he has played in. In four games, Bagley is averaging 14.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists a night while shooting 60% from the floor. Not only is Bagley putting up points, but he is being effective on the other end of the court with his active defense.

Bagley can still improve his game a lot, but with that said, he has been a surprise so far, in my opinion. Based on his summer league and preseason play, I thought it would take time for Bagley to adapt to the NBA competition, but he has shockingly gotten better and more comfortable by each regular-season game. If this trend continues, the sky is the limit for the Kings rookie.

J-Jax Shines Again

It seemed like Justin Jackson was on a short leash due to his poor play, but he has been able to produce in the last two games. After having a solid performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jackson had another good outing tonight. For the game, he scored 17 points and dished out three assists while shooting 7-11 from the court.

With the Kings being thin ice at the small forward position, it is key that Jackson remains to be an asset for them. If Jackson can provide consistent scoring while being a defensive stopper going forward, it would help his team immensely.

Kings Still Cannot Grab The Boards

The Kings have been poor at rebounding the ball in the early season, and their woes continued tonight against the Nuggets. For the game, the Kings rebounded the ball a total of 39 times while the Nuggets grabbed 49 rebounds. Sacramento also lost the match for offensive boards as they only got nine compared to Denver’s 15.

For the Kings to be successful, they need to be more effective in getting rebounds. Not only does their lack of rebounding give their opponents more opportunities to score, but it also takes away the chance for the Kings to run on offense and get easy buckets. In order for the Kings’ fast-paced offense to be at its fullest, the Kings need to get more defensive stops.

The Kings definitely have the length and athleticism to be a good rebounding team, but the numbers have not shown it yet. Maybe they need to hire Reggie Evans as a specialist coach in order for this problem to be solved?

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