Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox will showcase the Sacramento Kings improvement in Charlotte
By John Kelly
The Sacramento Kings don’t get much national attention, but that will change come All-Star Weekend, as they’ll have four players in Charlotte representing their improvement.
The Sacramento Kings don’t garner much attention outside Northern California
With the Sacramento Kings not harboring national media attention or showcased on TV, how can the rest of the NBA fans get a glimpse of the Kings this season?
Lets face it, coast to coast, the Sacramento Kings are one of the least covered NBA teams. DeMarcus Cousins brought some attention to the Sacramento Kings, not all of it good, but you know what they say — any publicity is good publicity. The NBA’s All-Star Weekend is the best way to advertise the homegrown Kings improvement this season.
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It would be nice to see the opponents arena full of fans to watch the young Kings players compete against their home team. Teams that are exciting, fast and fun tend draw crowds when they hit the road. The Sacramento Kings fit that bill. They’ve made this style their identity but not enough fans know “The Greatest Show On Earth” round two is coming back.
It might take a couple more seasons to fully develop, but once again the Kings will show how entertaining winning is.
Buddy Hield can win the 3 point shooting contest
With the recent dip in pace, points and nearly everything else on thri road trip, it’s clear that opponents concentrate on controlling the pace — throwing the Kings off. They also try and keep the ball out of Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox’s hands.
Fortunately for Sacramento, Buddy’s shooting has improved to All-Star-level in two short years. The spotlight is on stopping Buddy Hield, yet he is still able to create his own shot and leads the team in scoring, no easy task when the rest of the Kings aren’t hitting shots.
When Hield comes off a screen to shoot, it is money in the bank more often than not. Leave Buddy open and it becomes an automatic three-points almost every time. Yes, the Curry brothers are a tough act to beat. Add in Damian Lillard and Devin Booker and you have your hands full. Anyone else though, will not threaten Buddy’s chances of winning.
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Buddy Hield has proven this season he can shoot with the best of them. Hield has a great opportunity to make Sacramento proud by beating all of them to take the crown. He should easily make it to the finals of the three-point contest at worst and with a little luck and a good outing, Hield gets the win for the Kings. If Sacramento fails to make the playoffs this might be the highlight of the year.
Go get them Buddy, make Sacramento proud.
De’Aaron Fox being selected for the skills challenge is well deserved
The NBA is good at making sure all the teams are represented at the All-Star weekend. But, De’Aaron Fox definitely earned his spot in the Skills Challenge, as he’s as good as they come.
From his rookie campaign full of game winning and his excellent play this season, his development is nothing short of amazing. He might be the fastest player competeting, with enough overall skill and balance to have a great showing. The contest consists of dribbling, passing, shooting, with all players meeting to hit a lay-up along and three-point shot a the end. De’Aaron, this has your name written all over it.
Your speed and ball handling should serve you well for the chance to bring home the title. Bring your best sneakers along with your “A” game and have fun — the rest will take care of itself.
Rising Stars Challenge to feature a trio of Kings players this year in Charlotte
Marvin Bagley III, De’Aaron Fox and last years MVP Bogdan Bogdanovic will participate in the Rising Stars Game. With that, we have three young players that are the nucleus of the Kings future.
This says a lot about how team owner Vivek Ranadive, General Manager Vlade Divac and Head Coach Joerger have turned the franchise around. Sacramento’s future has not looked this bright since the days when Vlade, Peja Stojakovic, Doug Christy and Bobby Jackson were on the court. For the purple and white, having a player get the MVP two years in a row would be a big statement and Bagley getting a taste of All-Star festivities is a nice touch.
Kings players going to All-Star weekend will be the trend for years to come
Kings fans should take a look next year when the All-Star game comes around again. I will come out and predict that Sacramento Kings will be represented with numerous players for years to come.
We have young talented squad who have shown they will put in the sweat equity to reach the next level year after year. Think about the fact Sacramento is still in the early stages of their most recent rebuild (about two and a half seasons). If the trajectory of this group of stays the course, by season five we should be perennial playoff team.
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We have several players who are on the verge of taking their game to the next level. All are NBA players, some might become real good and one or two could become stars. Regardless, All-Star Weekend will go a long way towards showcasing this team’s development.