The Sacramento Kings started off hot in the Summer League, cruising to a 3-0 total after sweeping the California Classic and opening the Las Vegas Summer League with a win over the Atlanta Hawks. However, after a crushing loss Tuesday night that jeopardizes the rest of the Kings’ Summer League chances, the Kings sit 1-2 in Vegas.
Neemias Queta’s injury is no help to the Kings’ chances and Keegan Murray being forced into Summer League retirement isn’t either.
Here are three studs that stepped up during Tuesday’s loss, and two players who didn’t meet expectations.
Keon Ellis
Keon Ellis once again is proving why he deserves a bigger chance in the NBA after signing his new two-way contract. Ellis had a strong 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in Tuesday’s loss. He also shot 7-9 from the field (3-5 from beyond the arc).
As seen in this video clip below, Ellis is able to easily fake out defenders as well and get to the basket, rising above everyone else:
https://twitter.com/KingsNationCP/status/1678964926415552512
Ellis, who also has fantastic defensive abilities, can absolutely get a shot at bigger minutes and help the Kings struggling defense – ranked 24th in the NBA last season. This will come with strong competition, as the Kings roster has lots of guards already with De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell at point guard and Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk at the two.
Mike Daum
Daum, a 6-foot-9 forward, had a fantastic game to keep the Kings close on Tuesday. Coming off the bench, Daum put up 22 points and 7 rebounds, shooting 7-12 from the field and knocking down a team-high five three-point shots.
Daum, 27, went undrafted in 2019 out of South Dakota State and has had an interesting career with short stints in the G League, as well as time overseas. Daum proved he has lots to offer a team, but it may not be with the Kings for the upcoming season.
Daum played some at center for the Kings in the summer league, but his height likely means he will only be a four and possibly a three in the NBA. With the Kings’ roster being pretty strong at his position there might just not be a spot for Daum with the Kings.
Hopefully, Daum gets a chance at the league, whether it is with the Kings or not, especially if he keeps performing well in the Summer League.
Jordan Ford
It’s no surprise – Jordan Ford needs to be signed to a contract immediately. Ford, a Sacramento native, has dominated the past few games – and he didn’t slow down Tuesday night.
Ford finished Tuesday’s game with a team-high 25 points, game-high 8 assists, and 1 rebound. Ford shot 9-16 from the field and 4-7 from three. You can see some of his highlights below:
https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/1678977935720448001
Ford is looking to fill in the third-string point guard spot on the Kings’ roster, and with his continued dominance – even in losses – it only makes sense he will get that contract soon.
Kessler Edwards
Kessler Edwards is struggling right now for sure. He saw game time in just under half of last season’s games and averaged 2.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in that time.
On Tuesday, he struggled more. Edwards had 9 points, 3 rebounds, and a game-high 4 turnovers. He shot 4-8 from the field and 1-4 from three. Missing open shots and losing his mark on defensive plays, Edwards hasn’t performed noticeably well yet during the Summer League.
Edwards has potential, but it just seems like there is something missing that is slowing his progression. He has not been significant in any Summer League games so far, but that shouldn’t be alarming because it is extremely difficult to hold the Summer League performances against a player – just look at Victor Wembanyama’s debut.
Hopefully Mike Brown can get some work in with Edwards and truly bring out what he is capable of, but with a strong line-up, his minutes may be limited again next season.
Colby Jones
This one is a bit of a stretch – Colby Jones didn’t necessarily play terribly, but he underperformed to what he’s capable of. After an impressive performance Monday, Jones finished Tuesday’s game with only 5 points and 2 rebounds on a mere 25% shooting and 1-6 from three. However, Jones did finish with 7 assists, proving his vision is there and this was just not his day shooting-wise.
You can see his passing vision in this assist to Keon Ellis during Tuesday night’s game in this clip:
Colby Jones looks off the defender and forces him to tag the roller, leaving him able to skip the pass to Keon Ellis in the corner for 3
— Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) July 12, 2023
Great stuff from Colby Jones. pic.twitter.com/VJdJFPIwyX
Jones, a player expected to step up in Keegan Murray’s absence, will need to shake this one off as just an unlucky day and keep doing what he can to bring the Kings Summer League glory.
The Kings’ next Summer League game is on Thursday at 6:30 PM PST as Sacramento takes on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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