One of the best parts of the 2025-2026 Sacramento Kings' season was watching Dylan Cardwell play basketball. His energy, passion, joy, and gratefulness were infectious. Well, after one preseason game, it's safe to say that everything people liked about Cardwell is back plus a new level of confidence.
Cardwell entered the 2025 NBA Draft knowing that getting chosen was a long shot at best. This wasn't one of those times where a long shot pays off as he went undrafted. It was a bitter pill to swallow, though not the end of his journey. Being drafted is just one way into the league.
The Kings took an interest in Cardwell and signed him to a two-way contract. What followed was one of the NBA's most engaging stories last season. The endless barrage of injuries that plagued the Kings last season gave Cardwell an opening and he took full advantage of it.
He quickly became a fan favorite in Golden 1 Center thanks to big time dunks followed by high energy celebrations. His postive and upbeat media interactions helped build that connection. By the trade deadline, the Kings made room for Cardwell on the main roster and signed him to a full NBA contract.
Sophomore Cardwell is already looking good
After his rookie season came to an end, a major improvement the Kings were looking for from Cardwell was aggression, not to mention the confidence that comes with it. Based on what fans saw from him against the Lakers in the preseason home opener, Cardwell took that to heart.
He finished the game with nine points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block. Cardwell unloaded more than one rim-rattler on the Lakers that brought Sactown fans to their feet. And he might have only had one block, but it was a complete shutdown of Los Angeles.
Most importantly, he was a leader in both rebounds and defense. He had the most rebounds overall as well as the most offensive rebounds. Cardwell also had the most steals on the Kings, accounting for 30% of their total on his own. This is a player who is settling into his own game nicely.
That being said, there's still some work to do to clean things up. Cardwell wrapped the game up with five personal fouls and three turnovers. Some are to be expected given his style of play, but he also can't afford to be in foul trouble every game. Hopefully, that will change as he matures in to the NBA.
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