A Royal Pain
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Rookie Report: Marvin Bagley makes immediate impact in his return

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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Marvin Bagley returns from his latest injury with little time to spare. Also, Harry Giles is starting to be a positive contributor on the floor.  We dive into both guys in this week’s Rookie Report.

Welcome back to the Sacramento Kings Rookie Report! Unfortunately, the schedule appears to have finally caught up to the Kings. With a combination of injury, fatigue, and mental mistakes common with young teams, the Kings have essentially played themselves out of playoff contention — all that’s left is the math.

However, as is increasingly the case in Kings-land, there is reason for long-term optimism. Marvin Bagley has returned to the lineup after his latest injury and appears little worse for wear. Also, Harry Giles is becoming increasingly able to turn his considerable energy and swagger into positive on-court production. This week on the Rookie Report, I thought it’d be a good idea to turn to the numbers to show why it’s not worth panicking right now (and this isn’t even getting into that Nets game…).

As always, the Rookie Report considers a week to be Sunday through Saturday.  As a result, this report is only looking at the games played against the Wizards on 3/11, the Celtics on 3/14 and the Sixers on 3/15.

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On to the Rookie Report!

Marvin Bagley

Weekly Stats: 14.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.5 stls, 0.0 blks, 55.6% FG, 33.3% 3PT, 80.0% FT

Overall: 14.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1. 0 apg, 0.6 stls, 1.0 blks, 51.4% FG, 25.4% 3PT, 70.6% FT

Advanced: 18.8 PER, .572 TS%, 14.9% TRB, 6.0% AST, 3.3% BLK, 23.2% USG, ORtg 112, DRtg 109

Marvin Bagley has returned to the Sacramento Kings, and not a moment too soon. Although it might be too late to continue with an earnest playoff run, there’s no reason for the Kings to lose momentum. Bagley may have only played two games in this week, he didn’t appear to have lost a step from being out.

It’s been pointed out quite often, but it bears repeating that Bagley is putting in work off of limited minutes. For reference, he ranks eleventh in average minutes (24.6) among NBA rookies, behind guys like Mikal Bridges, Kevin Knox, Kevin Heurter and Wendell Carter. Jr (not to be interpreted as shade towards those guys, who are all solid prospects!). Yet Bagley is fifth in average points, third in average rebounds (7.1), third in overall field goal percentage (.522), and sixth in blocks (0.94).

Bagley has not overwhelmed in any one category, but for a guy who doesn’t rank in the top ten in rookie minutes, this is an outstanding achievement. The Kings squad wouldn’t be the same without him. Pleasure to have you back, Bags.

Harry Giles

Weekly Stats: 9.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.7 apg, 0.3 stls, 0.7 blks, 54.2% FG, 0% 3PT, 66.7% FT

Overall: 7.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.5 stls, 0.4 blks, 50.4% FG, 0% 3PT, 63.2% FT

Advanced: 14.7 PER, .526 TS%, 14.0% TRB, 15.4% AST, 2.4% BLK, 23.3% USG, ORtg 102, DRtg 108

The skill set that makes Harry Giles special is obvious to anybody who’s seen him on a basketball court. His passing vision and his considerable positive effect on team chemistry has been tantalizing since the day he was drafted. However, little by little, Giles is also creeping up to league average player in terms of raw stats.  His PER is up to 14.7 (reminder that an average PER is about 15.0).  His true shooting is up to .526, which isn’t phenomenal for a big man, but it’s somewhere near average.

Next. Sacramento Kings: Eight prospects to watch during March Madness. dark

All this to say that Giles is continuing to improve under the leadership of the coaching staff.  Last week, I had raised the question of whether Giles could improve his play enough to make some decisions about the starting lineup for next year easier. Although it’s still far too early to begin penciling him in in the 4 or 5 spot in October, if he keeps at what he is doing, it’s certainly a possibility. That’s a massive deal for a guy who previously had multiple knee surgeries, plummeted to the 20th spot in the 2017 Draft, and was questionable to ever play a minute of NBA basketball.

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