Through 26 games, the 2024-25 season hasn't gone the way that people with a vested interest in the Sacramento Kings had hoped for. They are 13-13 and outside of the play-in picture in the Western Conference (they are currently 12th in the standings).
This slow start has led many to question whether the team needs to make a trade to save their season. Some believe that the team needs another two-way wing/forward to give them more size, shooting, and defense.
Now, the right trade would surely help this team add some much-needed lineup balance. However, don't forget the intriguing young forward we have waiting around in the G-League (hint: it's not Colby Jones).
Isaiah Crawford is still a part of the Kings' organization
After trading our second round pick to the Toronto Raptors, the Kings only had one pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. With it, they selected Devin Carter with the 13th overall pick (by many accounts, a great selection).
Despite only having one draft pick, they still added two other rookies in the undrafted market: Isaac Jones and Isaiah Crawford.
Jones has already proven to be a great addition to the team. He's already appeared in 15 games, and he's averaging nearly 10 minutes in those appearances (9.5 MPG).
To this point, Crawford has yet to log any real playing time (tallying five total minutes on the season). But that doesn't mean he can't be useful to the Kings in the near future.
We were very excited about him after the draft because of his potential to be a two-way off-ball contributor. Crawford has great physical and statistical indicators. He's 6'6 with a 7'1 wingspan. And in his senior season, he had a 90th percentile steal rate (in Conference USA, per KenPom), a 93rd percentile block rate, and he shot 41.4% from three.
So far, in the G-League, Crawford is only hitting 27.8% of his threes. However, his sample size is super small (36 total attempts) because he's been limited to just nine games due to an ankle injury. Still, he's averaging an impressive 1.9 BPG and 1.2 SPG.
Anyway, last night, Crawford had what was likely the best game of his young G-League career, posting 23 points, six rebounds, and three assists in a Stockton Kings victory.
20+ Point Club for the @StocktonKings! Dexter Dennis and @SacramentoKings two-way signee Isaiah Crawford both tied their career highs in scoring, while Terry Taylor recorded a season high in points. 👑 pic.twitter.com/Dw8O18D7Hi
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) December 14, 2024
It is unlikely that Crawford will make a meaningful difference to the team this season. But fans need to remember that he is still an option (and a promising one at that) in the Kings' tool kit, both now and in the future.