Ra'Shad James and Marshon Brooks led the way for the Kings with 12 and 11 points respectively as the Kings win their first Summer League game.
It wasn't pretty but the Sacramento Kings managed to win their first game of Summer League after a disappointing performance against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1.
Rashad James led the way for Sacramento with 12 points off the bench and Marshon Brooks added 11 in just 17 minutes on 4-7 shooting. Ben McLemore bounced back a little bit with 11 points on 4-10 shooting, but missed all 4 of his three pointers. Nik Stauskas went 3-10 from the field and a surprising 2-6 from the line but he did hit 2-4 from three and finished with 10 points.
The Hornets got 22 points from rookie P.J. Hairston, whose only made field goals were 3 pointers. Hairston finished the game 6-20 from the field and 6-13 from three. Fellow rookie Noah Vonleh, a player that some Kings fans thought was in play at the 8th pick, scored 10 points on 3-10 shooting (1-2 from three) along with 18 rebounds (5 offensive), 8 fouls (they give you 10 in summer league) and 4 turnovers.
Vonleh's rebounding numbers are a bit inflated however given the absolutely atrocious shooting by both sides. The Kings finished the game shooting just 35.2% from the field and only had 7 assists all game. Charlotte was even worse at 28.6%. Charlotte also had 17 turnovers to Sacramento's 13.
The biggest difference in the game came at the Free Throw line where the Kings made 30-40. Charlotte only made 16-26. The Hornets had a combined 39 fouls called on them, and each starter had at least 4 and three players at 6 or more. The Kings had nobody over 5. Sacramento did a good job of attacking the basket and drawing contact and not allowing the same to happen on the other end.
Random Observations:
- Ben McLemore still looks a little out of control at times. I get the feeling that Summer League is just simply not the best showcase for his talents. He's not a guy that is comfortable creating offense or being a main focus. He's a complementary guy, and his biggest strength is moving off the ball. It is a bit worrying to me though that his three point shot doesn't look like it's gotten any more consistent. I thought his handle looked a bit improved and he did well when he slowed down later in the game, and he had a couple very strong takes to the basket.
- I feel like Stauskas didn't have the ball much, but he also didn't try to force anything. He's an unselfish player and his outside shot is really smooth. He has a very natural feel for the game and I'm looking forward to seeing him play more this week.
- Acy's a bundle of energy. He didn't try to showcase his long-range game this time though, not even attempting a three pointer.
- The fact that Derrick Williams isn't excelling (and really, he's struggling) against this type of competition is very worrying to me about his long term prospects.
- Sim Bhullar checked in for the first time and played a few minutes. This guy is massive. I almost want to only write his name as SIM BHULLAR now just to indicate that. He is also super slow though. He had one great instance though where a Charlotte player tried to attack him and draw some contact. That didn't work out quite according to his plan. SIM BHULLAR ended that plan.
- Eric Moreland looks like he's on a pogo stick. He's bouncing everywhere. He had 4 blocks in his 21 minutes of action to go with 9 rebounds.
- Marshon Brooks looked very comfortable out there. I would not be surprised to see him make the team. I know Ra'Shad James led the team in scoring but Brooks was the best player for the Kings.
- Ray McCallum is a defensive pest and I love it. I would like to see him get the team into its offense quicker though.
- On the other side, P.J. Hairston hasn't seen a shot he doesn't like. He reminds me of a taller Marcus Thornton. Vonleh definitely has skill and a big body, just powering through Quincy Acy and Derrick Williams a couple times, but he's also super raw and doesn't seem to have a great feel for what he's doing. I think going to a Charlotte team where he doesn't have to be an immediate contributor and can learn from Al Jefferson is about the best thing that could have happened for him.