Sports Illustrated - 21.10.2019

*NEW ACQUISITION

With the signings they

made and the progress

of their young guys,

they expect to be in the

playoff race. They have

a real galvanizing guy in

DE’AARON FOX. Everybody

has benefited from

his burst and ability to

attack the paint. He

has All-NBA potential;

it’s just a question

of how fast he gets

there.... They have

a mix of younger and

older guys now, and it’ll

be a challenge for Luke

Walton to figure out

what his best units will

be.... MARVIN BAGLEY is

a dynamic finisher and

was really impressive

training with Team USA

this summer. He has

to get stronger and

probably play some

small-ball five. If they

can get away with

playing him up front,

it could make them

much more explosive

getting up and down

the floor.... With TREVOR

ARIZA and HARRISON BARNES

and BOGDAN BOGDANOVIC ́

they have a bevy of

wings they can play

together.... BUDDY HIELD

has established himself

as one of the best

shooters in the league.

With Fox that’s a really

nice fit. They’re going

to have to find a way

to retain Buddy next

summer just because

his shooting is that

important.... Barnes

has been durable, and

he’ll give them a lot of

minutes, but he doesn’t

blow you away in any

one aspect.... HARRY

GILES has the big-time

pedigree, but it’s hard

to know if he’ll get a

chance to play with

DEWAYNE DEDMON and

NEMANJA BJELICA.... If

they can squeeze into

the eighth seed, they

should feel bullish

about the future. But if

they fall short, they’ll

have to take a step back

and look at things.

Projected Lineup

Bench

Sacramento made the curious

decision to let go of coach Dave

Joerger in the offseason. The Kings

appeared to be turning the corner

last year, capitalizing on years in the

lottery to produce an exciting team that briefly

challenged for a playoff spot before finishing with

the franchise’s best record since 2005–06. Joerger

allowed speedy point guard De’Aaron Fox to push

a PACE OF 103.9, THIRD-FASTEST IN THE LEAGUE,

benefiting a youthful core that included Buddy

Hield, Marvin Bagley III and Bogdan Bogdanovi ́c.

Joerger’s replacement, Luke Walton, at least fits

Sacramento’s style. His Lakers pushed the tempo,

even after the arrival of a famously deliberate

LeBron James. The last time Walton had a roster

of up-and-comers—Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram

and Julius Randle—his team was the NBA’s third-

fastest. A new coach is a big wrench to throw into

what was an improved operation, but at least the

Kings won’t have to adapt to a new style. —R.N.

103.9

TELLING NUMBER

SF

HARRISON

BARNES

16.4 PPG; 4.7 RPG;

42.0 FG%; 39.5 3FG%

C

DEWAYNE

DEDMON*

10.8 PPG; 7. 5 RPG;

1.1 SPG; 49.2 FG%

SF

TREVOR

ARIZA*

12.5 PPG; 5.4 RPG;

39.9 FG%; 33.4 3FG%

SG

BOGDAN

BOGDANOVIC ́

14.1 PPG; 3.8 APG;

41.8 FG%; 36.0 3FG%

ENEMY LINES

A rival scout weighs in

SG

BUDDY

HIELD

20.7 PPG; 5.0 RPG;

45.8 FG%; 42.7 3FG%

MARVIN

BAGLEY III

14.9 PPG; 7. 6 RPG;

1.0 BPG; 50.4 FG%

PF

Starters

DE’AARON

FOX

17.3 PPG; 7. 3 APG;

45.8 FG%; 37.1 3FG%

PG

99

JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (FOX)

SACRAMENTO

2018 – 19 RECORD 39– 43 3rd in Pacific

Kings COACH LUKE WALTON 1st season with Kings

∂39 wins ∂Miss the playoffs ∂Bogdan Bogdanovi ́c will be the NBA’s top scoring Bogdanovi ́c.

THE

WEST

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