Kings' fans love this rookie (and the feeling is mutual)

Possibly the best move the Sacramento Kings have made in the past year was signing undrafted rookie Dylan Cardwell. His energy and exhuberance has quickly made him a fan favorite, not to mention a driving engine for the team. This is a guy the Kings need to lock down in the long term.

While the Kings have been hammered by injuries for the entire first half of the season, the upside to this situation has been a lot of reps for the rookies. Maxime Raynaud, Nique Clifford, and Dylan Cardwell have all gotten major minutes they otherwise might not have.

Raynaud has made the most of it, playing his way into a starting center position in the absence of the freshly returned Domantas Sabonis. Clifford has also done well, particularly in last night's big win over the Wizards. And then there's Cardwell, who has tapped into something special.

Dylan Cardwell knows how to fire up a crowd

The big man went undrafted in 2025, though the Kings did sign him to a two-way contract. Their intention was likely for him to spend most of his time in the G League, but the flood of injuries meant he was needed on the main roster. It's safe to say that was the right call.

Cardwell has proven to be a powerhouse on defense, a solid rebounder, and has the makings of being an elite rim protector. Plus, he can be a beast on offense. He might have only had eight points against the Wizards, but he also had the three biggest dunks of the game.

More than that, Cardwell gets the crowd fired up. His celebrations are energetic and perfectly over-exaggerated. He interacts with the fans. He brings an energy so infectious that the commentators and analysts get sucked in. Cardwell's joy for basketball is real and cannot be contained.

The Kings need to get him a standard contract asap

Right now, Cardwell is still on a two-way contract, meaning he has a limited number of games on the main roster. However the Kings do it, they need to create a permanent position on the roster and get him signed to a full contract as soon as they possibly can.

Sacramento fans genuinely love this guy, and the feeling seems to be mutual. They enjoy seeing him on the court, looking forward to any chance to celebrate him. Seeing how they have responded to Dylan during these last four wins at home has been incredible.

It wasn't an accident that the Kings signed him. He didn't just wander in off the street and start playing basketball for an NBA franchise. That being said, there's no way that the Kings had any idea how well bringing him on board was going to work out.