A Royal Pain
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Rookie Report: Rookies Revving up for a Playoff Run

By Ryan Ritter

SACRAMENTO, CA - JANUARY 14: Harry Giles #20 and Marvin Bagley III #35 of the Sacramento Kings talk during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 14, 2019 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. 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 the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - JANUARY 14: Harry Giles #20 and Marvin Bagley III #35 of the Sacramento Kings talk during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 14, 2019 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. 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 the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Sacramento Kings are going for it. As the Kings rev up for a playoff run, the Rookie Report sees how two key young pieces are looking at this crucial point in the season.

Last week was a huge one for the Sacramento Kings.  An active trade deadline gave the Kings what they hope to be their final pieces for a playoff run this spring: Harrison Barnes from the Dallas Mavericks and Alec Burks from the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Even better, they didn’t have to give up any of their young core to do it. This means Marvin Bagley and Harry Giles are going to be active participants as the Kings try to break their 12 year playoff drought. How are they looking at this point in the season?  That’s what the Rookie Report is here to figure out!

As always, the Rookie Report considers a week to be Sunday through Saturday. Thus, this Rookie Report is looking at the games played against the Spurs on 2/4, the Rockets on 2/6 and the Heat on 2/8.

On to the Rookie Report!

More from A Royal Pain

Marvin Bagley

Weekly Stats: 12.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.7 stls, 1.7 blks, 42.9% FG, 20.0% 3PT, 85.7% FT

Overall: 12.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.5 stls, 1.0 blk, 50.9% FG, 23.5% 3PT, 67.5% FT

Advanced: 17.2 PER, .558 TS%, 15.0% TRB, 5.8% AST, 3.6% BLK, 22.8% USG, ORtg 108, DRtg 110

Another good week for MBIII.  The highlight of the week for Bagley was his “360” dunk against the Spurs (if you watch the tape, it’s really more of a 180, but I’m not here to ruin the fun).

There’s more Instagram drama from Bagley’s pop to report on this week.  With the acquisition of Harrison Barnes, the official Kings Instagram decided to start getting folks for the new starting lineup, which Marvin Bagley turned out to not be a part of. Bagley Jr. decided to voice his opinion about it in a less than professional way. It didn’t turn out to make much of a difference; the starting lineup didn’t change, and Bagley Jr. eventually deleted his comments. All it really served to do was stir up anxieties of a fanbase not far removed from the Cousins-Karl era.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s this. Whether someone told him to get with the program, or his opinion has genuinely turned as a result of recent success, Bagley Jr. has been publicly supportive of the Kings and Coach Joerger in particular. He made a glowing Instagram post with Joerger’s face, for goodness’ sake.  It’s kind of a cheesy move, but if peace is kept, who cares?

For what it’s worth, I’m not particularly concerned this is going to turn into a Lavar Ball-type situation. Coach Bagley isn’t going on TV talking smack about the Kings organization, after all.  Instagram comments are immature, but they’re also fairly innocuous. Also, it continues to be my belief that Bagley is likely to be the starting 4 or 5 for the Kings by the fall (depending on how Willie’s summer goes), so playing time gripes don’t project to be an issue for much long. I’d be surprised if this was an issue next year, but you never know. Here’s hoping for the best.

Harry Giles

Weekly Stats: 11.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.7 stls, 0.0 blks, 50.0% FG, 0% 3PT, 77.8% FT

Overall: 6.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.6 stls, 0.3 blks, 49.8% FG, 0% 3PT, 59.3% FT

Advanced: 13.8 PER, .516 TS%, 14.0% TRB, 15.0% AST, 2.2% BLK, 23.7% USG, ORtg 98, DRtg 108

Giles’ offensive game is improving, his shooting percentage is creeping up to even, his PER is creeping up to league average, and his free show shooting this week was respectable. And he did it all in only about 16 minutes a game this week. It’s really all you can ask for from Giles at this point. Again, there isn’t a pressing need to turn him into a cornerstone of the rotation, especially when the team is sitting at four games above .500 and in the midst of a genuine playoff push.

Next. Despite emotional trade deadline, the Sacramento Kings are poised for future success. dark

Giles is in exactly the right situation for himself right now. Against all odds, he’s in a winning environment, is a rotation player for a team that is not in a huge need for him to develop quickly, and is on a squad that has a palpable amount of chemistry. As we continue to wonder what his ultimate role on this team will be, it’s just nice to see him have fun on the court. Remember, it wasn’t clear at all this time last year if he was ever even going to play basketball again.  Even if this is all we get from him, it will have been worth it.

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