Outside of Maxime Raynaud, the biggest rookie story on the Sacramento Kings has been Dylan Cardwell. His high-energy, defensive style of play has captured a lot of attention. The problem is that he's also a foul machine, a problem he needs to get under control if he wants to be a league fixture.
It's hard not to be a fan of Cardwell. The rookie center wasn't a standout player in college and wasn't expected to play in the NBA. Dylan went undrafted in 2025 but was signed in the offseason to a two-way contract by the Kings. He likely expected to spend all of his time in the G League.
But the basketball gods move in mysterious ways, and a series of injuries led to him being called up. Cardwell made the most out of every opportunity he has been given by the Kings. He has proven to be the best blocker on the team and isn't afraid to throw down a nasty dunk or two.
The big reason Sactown fans have latched onto him is Cardwell's incredibly positive energy. He is genuinely just grateful to be in the NBA, and celebrates any big play he makes with the hometown crowd. The problem is that how he impacts the game isn't always good.
Cardwell needs to tighten his game up
Without question, Cardwell is playing some impressively well-rounded basketball for a rookie. In the loss to the Cavs last night, he had eight points, three rebounds, one assist, two steals, and two blocks. He even had his first career double-double in a recent game against the Blazers.
Dylan also collected five fouls against the Cavs. So far in the month of January, he's averaging 4.3 fouls per game, fouling out once and ending up one shy of fouling out on six separate occasions. It is worth mentioning that he doesn't commit a lot of turnovers, though.
Being that he's a rookie center, it's not surprising that he's picking up fouls. Still, this is an excessive amount to be consistently collecting. He's honestly lucky he's only fouled out once this month, considering how many times he's been standing on the edge of getting booted from the game.
Cardwell has what it takes to have a long career in the NBA. To do that, he has to get his foul situation under control. Hopefully, that will happen with time, experience, and development. Then again, Karl-Anthony Towns has been in the league since 2015 and continues to commit ridiculous fouls.