Summer League Game #2: Kings vs. Grizzlies Preview

"Alright, take-two"

What: Kings vs. Phoenix Suns

When: 7:00 P.M. PT

Where: Cox Pavilion (Las Vegas, NV)

How To Watch: NBA TV

The Kings are back in Summer League action tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies. The young guys will give it another go after a loss to the Phoenix Suns in game one, a game that showed a lot of potential and promise from the rookies.

In tonight's matchup, the Kings will face the Grizzlies, who won their first summer league game against the Washington Wizards 91-88. Memphis is lead by 2016 first round pick Wade Baldwin IV and the undrafted two-year man, Wayne Selden Jr. Both men combined for 47 points in game one. The Grizzlies did not play their 2017 second round selection Ivan Rabb in Saturday's contest due to an ankle injury, he will be out for the rest of summer league to heal up.

As for the Kings, only eight men saw minutes for the team in game one. The sophomores on the team struggled for the most part in the first game and will need to bring their A-game if they want to carry this summer team to a win tonight. Buddy Hield, who was 0-6 from three, will need to prove he can be an elite 3-point threat in the NBA. Georgios Papagiannis will need to prove he can be a force down low both offensively and defensively. Georgios had 11 rebounds (9 defensive rebounds), a steal, and 2 blocks but also had 8 personal fouls (10 personal fouls allowed in summer league) and definitely looked sluggish and lost at many points in the game. Offensively, Big Papa had 0 points in 28 minutes of playing time. Skal Labissiere and Malachi Richardson both had somewhat quiet nights offensively, logging a combined 18 points.

Through the good, bad, and ugly of game #1, the Kings' rookie class showed they can downright play the game of basketball and play it well. Harry Giles was the only rookie to not play and will not play at all in the summer league due to the Kings wanting to bring him along slowly after his knee issues in college. Giles re-assured after the game that he was 100% healthy and was alright with not playing in summer league. Frank Mason didn't have the greatest of nights, but showed he can be a very good backup for De'Aaron Fox in the future and maybe even a future Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Justin Jackson was perhaps the best surprise of the night. In just 26 minutes, he recorded 18 points on 7-11 shooting, 2-4 of which were from three point range. Jackson showed his smoothness and natural feel for the game and also showed why he was the 4th overall small forward taken in this year's draft. De'Aaron Fox was, well, De'Aaron Fox. Fox was a +8 on the floor and had 18 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds in the game to go along with an astonishing 5 steals. De'Aaron did much more than just record stats however, he also showed the type of leader he can be. In fact, he was mic'd up for the game by ESPN, see for yourself:

The young Kings team showed flashes of their potential in game one. Let's all hope they continue to grow together and get the win in tonight's contest.

Game #1 highlights: