Summer League Game #1: Kings vs. Suns Preview

Jul 7, 2017
2 min read

"Summer, Summer, Summertime"

What: Kings vs. Phoenix Suns

When: 7:30 P.M. PT

Where: Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas, NV)

How To Watch: ESPN2

And so it begins. Kings basketball is back... well sorta. Tonight, we get our first peek at the future of this young Sacramento Kings team. In most years, the excitement is based around one, two, maybe even three guys on the team. But this year is a little different. Eight, yes EIGHT players on this year's summer league team are almost guaranteed to play on the Kings main roster this upcoming season. At least five of the guys will play significant minutes for the Kings and two or three of them may even end up being starters for the team. Buddy Hield, De'Aaron Fox, Skal Labissiere, Malachi Richardson, Georgios Papagiannis, Justin Jackson, Harry Giles, and Frank Mason are all a part of this year's Vegas squad.

The Kings will face a team who also has many of their young main roster players playing on their summer league team. The Phoenix Suns team will feature Alec Peters, Davon Reed and the fourth-overall pick in the 2017 draft, Josh Jackson. They will also have 2016 draftees Tyler Ulis, Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss. Mike James and Derrick Jones will be on the team as well. The Kings will also play against a familiar face in David Stockton, who has played for the Kings in summer league in previous years and has played most of his career for the Reno Bighorns, the G-League affiliate of the Kings. Stockton also played on a 10-day contract with the Kings back in 2015 and even received a one year contract at the end of the 2014-15 season, but was cut after three pre-season games at the beginning of the 2015-16 season.

The Kings will play tonight against the Suns, Sunday against the Grizzlies, and Monday against Lonzo Ball and the Lakers.