The Sacramento Kings finished their third game at the California Classic on Wednesday night, and it is time to give an initial assessment on how the players performed.
Game Recaps:
The first game against the Golden State Warriors was close to the very end, where the Kings were able to become victorious by a score of 81-77.
The second game against the Miami Heat was another nailbiter, but this time, the Kings ended up on the losing side by a score of 89-88.
The third game against the Los Angeles Lakers was a downer, as the Kings gave up a 21-point lead and lost by a score of 99-97. Jordan Howard for the Lakers went off as he recorded 25 points for the night.
Now let us get to analyzing some of the players that stood out for the Kings during those three games.
Notable Key Players:
Kyle Guy
One guy that stood out for Sacramento was their current second-round pick in Kyle Guy. In his first game, he came away with 10 points on 4/7 shooting from the floor. He struggled in the beginning but found his rhythm as the game went on.
In his second outing, against the Heat, he finished with 13 points on 5/13 shooting from the floor.
And in his final outing, against the Lakers, he finished with 14 points off shooting 5/17 from the floor. Even though his shooting numbers were not great, I thought this game was his best outing as he was effective from the perimeter as he made 4/9 from the area.
Overall Observation: Confidence was the main attribute that stood out to me when analyzing Guy. Based on that and his three-point shooting ability, he has a chance to make the Kings’ roster by the start of the season. Some qualities that he needs to work on, however, is handling the basketball and playing defense.
Justin James
Justin James did not have a great first outing as he finished with seven points on 2/7 shooting. His second game was not any better either as he finished with five points on 1/5 shooting. His third game was his best outing, but he finished with just nine points on 1/4 shooting.
Overall Observation: James struggled to make shots in all three games in the Classic as he was hesitant during the times he attempted to score. I do think he has the defensive skillset and a chance to contribute on that end of the floor next season, but he needs to continue working at it. Hopefully, his offensive game starts to pick up in the Las Vegas tournament.
Wenyen Gabriel
Wenyen Gabriel had two nice outings in the Classic. The first one was against the Warriors where he put up 22 points and 12 rebounds during 26 minutes of time. The other game was against the Lakers where he put up 16 points and five rebounds in 23 minutes of action.
Overall Observation: Gabriel was one of the standout players during the Classic. His offensive game has improved compared to last year and looks to continue that trend. I did not notice anything defensive wise that popped out but hoping it shows when he is in Las Vegas. I think if Wenyen keeps up his progress, he will have a strong chance of making the opening night roster.
Hollis Thompson
In his first game, Hollis Thompson put up 11 points on 3/9 shooting. In his second match, he totaled 18 points on 7/12 shooting. And in his final game, he recorded nine points on 3/7 shooting.
Overall Observation: Thompson showed his confidence and ability to make shots from various spots on the court.
Eric Mika
The games that stood out for Mika were his games against the Miami Heat where he recorded 13 points and 14 rebounds and his outing against the Lakers where he recorded 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Overall Observation: Mika showed that he is an energy type of player who is active when grabbing rebounds and scoring in the interior.
Semaj Christon
Christon showed in the Classic that he is more of a facilitator as he racked up 11 assists against the Warriors in his first game. In his second game against the Heat, he had five assists. And in his third games, he recorded six assists.
Overall Observation: Christon showed he was a pass-first point guard who could score points for his team when necessary.
Bryce Brown
Against the Heat, Bryce Brown recorded eight points on 3/6 shooting. And in his game against the Lakers, he racked up 12 points on 3/5 shooting.
Overall Observation: Was known as a shooter at Auburn coming into the draft and it is showing. Would not be surprised if he gets signed to an NBA contract if he keeps showing his shooting ability.
Caleb Swanigan
Only played the first game against Warriors where he only recorded six points for the night.
Overall Observation: Very slow and goes a little too fast at times. He needs to slim down but also get stronger if he wants to become an interior force for the Kings or any team in the NBA.