The California Classic may be over, but that doesn’t mean Summer League is done. Vegas Summer League is the main event, featuring all 30 teams, and it starts tonight.
The Kings are currently scheduled to play four games in Vegas, starting tonight at 7:30pm Pacific. Here’s the full schedule for Sacramento’s games (All times PST):
- 7/7/23 at 7:30pm vs. Atlanta Hawks on NBA TV
- 7/10/23 at 7:30pm vs. L.A. Clippers on NBA TV
- 7/11/23 at 7:00pm vs. Chicago Bulls on ESPN2
- 7/13/23 at 6:30pm vs. Minnesota Timberwolves on NBA TV
After each team plays four games, the top four teams will advance to the semifinal round starting on July 16th, with the championship game taking place on July 17th. If the Kings don’t make the top four, they will have one final game on either the 15th or 16th.
The only notable change in Sacramento’s roster from the California Classic to Vegas is that Keegan Murray will not be playing. Murray scored 70 combined points in his two summer league games in Sacramento. Murray’s absence should lead to an extended look for Kings rookies Colby Jones and Jalen Slawson, as well as guys like Kessler Edwards, Keon Ellis and Neemias Queta.
In case you’re interested in other notable games to watch in Vegas, #1 pick Victor Wembanyama makes his debut tonight at 6:00pm on ESPN against #2 pick Brandon Miller and the Charlotte Hornets. #3 pick Scoot Henderson makes his debut tonight against #4 pick Amen Thompson and the Houston Rockets at 4:00pm on ESPN. The full summer league schedule can be found here.
Kessler’s turn to go for 30 tonight.
I hope they push him as they pushed Keegan to lead the squad and have the mindset to dominate. This would be equally good for him as it was good for Keegan.
Which would be great for the entire Kings team. Edwards has a similar demeanor to Keegan. If summer league can release a little confidence/swag to their on court attitude it would translate into more wins for the team.
Edwards should be operating on the mindset of “I’m competing for spot in the starting lineup”. Make the decision for Mike Brown difficult.
realistically I wold take anywhere from 15 to 20.
I would love Kessler to go full Donte tonight
Bring home the Keeganless Ship! Go Kings,,
Like to see Queta secure his spot with the big club. Then use the last 2-way on O’Connell maybe
O’Connell was very impressive the other night. If he’s a passable defender, having a great athlete who can hit threes will never go out of style.
I’m not sure what Monty has up his sleeve but confident he knows what he is doing. IMO I am going back and forth on Queta as of now. If he does well in summer league then I am leaning your way.
Britney Spears just became a huge Hornets fan.
Why who did Britney spear?
Haha just google “Wemby Britney”
She’s a naughty girl…
Oops, she did it again?
She played with his butt!
The news says no charges will be filed but, she even admitted, she’s NOT THAT INNOCENT!
Zion is available for the right situation?
to hang on the couch?
Kris looking poised for the Blazers. Announcers giving him and Keegan love.
Houston has a promising young team. Amen Thompson looks solid. Jabari Smith Jr. is showing a lot of improvement.
Scoot already hurt for Portland. Not a fan of Shaedon Sharpe’s game. Can’t put a finger on it. Seems like more flash than substance.
Portland is going to be really bad this year, with Jerami Grant sitting on an albatross contract.
I wish I could get over seeing M Brown inserting A Len into the playoff rotation, and getting nothing from him (other than 4 fouls in 8 minutes). No one has offered a satisfactory explanation for that. Is Len the only guy who shows-up to practice everyday, and works hard? Does that mean K Edwards doesn’t work hard? He’s still on the team, and also didn’t play in the playoffs. I keep hearing my own words echoing back to me, when my son asked me, “Is Mike Brown a good coach?” “Yes,” I said, “but he’s never been able to win the big game.”
If I remember correctly, (I don’t know where to find stats on individual games) Metu played well against GS in the regular season. I was excited to see what he could do, because those “good” games were the exception for Chimezie. All season long, I’m thinking, “they’re giving him minutes hoping he’ll be able to contribute down the line, maybe in the playoffs?” Now he’s gone, and he never stepped foot on the floor, during that series. It sure seemed, to me, they could have used a guy who is a bit of a rebounder, and is a bit quicker to the ball than the other guys we saw dominating around the basket. Did he say, or do. something that upset Brown? Has anyone asked Metu about the situation?
I know it seems trivial, and I keep telling myself “it couldn’t have made a difference,” but the series was so close, and it made so little sense to me. It just won’t go away. I can’t get the questions out of my mind! Mike Brown purports to be so open to the media, Metu was so one of his guys, and Len was so ineffective. What gives? and why no answers? Why did Brown never try to switch things up in the middle, even after Looney spent so much time being so dominant, and Domas looked so ineffective? By the end, Domas actually looked like he was becoming despondent! Is M Brown the same brilliant coach, in the post-season, that he appears to be, in the regular season? As long-suffering Kings fans, are we so exuberant, that we’re just incapable of properly critiquing a coach who finally got us to the playoffs?
Before game one, I didn’t have much hope for Sac. against all that experience and star power (even though Wiggins never played). My dad is a Warriors fan, who used to watch them with Rick Barry, in the seventies. After game three, he told me he thought the Kings were the better team, and predicted them to win the series. How did things go south so quickly? and without any major adjustments down low? Was it not worth trying Metu, even one game? even for one minute!?
I’m not trying to be negative about the team, or the coach. I just have so many questions, and so few viable answers! I’m positive M Brown, and probably many of you, know(s) bball better than I, but can anyone offer a better, more complete, and possibly more satisfying answer to any of these questions? Will anyone in the local media ever press Brown with these, or any other, difficult questions? Can anyone remember a parallel situation, where a guy who had such a trivial role on a team for 82 games, was suddenly expected to contribute as a playoff performer? How could I write so much, and ask so many questions about something seemingly so trifling? and why can’t I get these questions out of my mind!? Will Mike Brown ever be the coach to lead this team to playoff success? Do I even have the right to ask that question, after the season we just witnessed here in Sacramento?
You say you aren’t negative. Go back and read your post. Sure they were questions but all of them were in the negative tone. If you would have ask one or to positive questions I would have let the whole thing go.
This time last year we were talking about a play-in spot. Mike Brown took us to #3 and a 7 game series with the defending champs. He got outcoached by Kerr in the end, but he’s not the first nor the last.
In one year, he created a culture of discipline, effort, and selflessness on the court. He’s gotten development out of Keegan, Davion, Fox, and Monk. He ran the #1 offense in the league with a cast that was just getting familiar with one another. He won coach of the year and ended a 16 year playoff drought.
What he did last season, his first with the team, was nothing short of miraculous. Will he ever be mentioned in the same sentence as Riley, Jackson, or Poppovich? Probably not. But there’s only a couple of those guys for a reason. What we have is a very, VERY good coach. One that I would argue was the perfect coach for this team last season – a drill sergeant for an aimless franchise. Did I agree with him on everything? No. Davion not defending Curry as he dropped 50 comes to mind. But he’s earned the benefit of the doubt from me, at least for not. We are in very good hands with this FO and coaching staff, and being dissatisfied with a first round playoff exit is to completely forget what the previous 16 seasons have felt like.
You’re just now asking these questions 2 and a half months after that series?
Jesus, Scoot and Amen out in their first games. Unfortunate.
Amen looked really good before he went down. Scoot, hard to say.
Which team is Jesus on?
Wemby obviously will need to get stronger but good lord, he appears to have some serious vision as well. Point wemby is a sight to see at his size handling the ball
Tryouts for Anjali’s empire have started.
it’s good to be Queen
Been watching Wemby, he’s no Keegan Murray.
I agree. Tremendous upside. But he’s got a long ways to go. Small sample size in Summer league, but he struggles with contact. He might struggle for a bit.
This is the first time anyone has ever predicted that he struggles with contact.
I’m watching him struggle with contact. Easily thrown off balance. Settling for jumpers. Missing layups. Small sample size, but the hype train had me expecting more. For a guy that should dominate Summer League, he’s not dominating and isn’t even the best player on the floor.
He isn’t playing for a job. He is playing to run up and down the court for a bit.
Nobody ever thought he would be a physically dominant player in any way. The guy is a freak in so many ways. Anyone would gladly trade Keegan for him.
Yeah…he has a lot more money and has a whole bunch more natural ability.
Oh… Ford vs Ferrari… I just got it.
I just switched over to the Warriors Lakers Summer league game for 10 seconds and Doris Burke was just slavering over Looney and the Warriors the entire time before I changed the channel. Just crazy level suck.
ESPN should’ve kept Suzy Kolber and let Doris go.
Is Jones playing as poorly as his stat line suggests?
not really, he hasn’t shot well but he’s been involved on both ends
Very fun game.
Forgot about Edwards, he played well and hit some tough shots after a slow start. He was looking to cut off Queta, when Queta was operating as the hub, he fought for boards and had a few blocks/steals.
For the most part, Kings played tough D.
Ellis had 5 steals (not 7). Ford had bad last game in Sac but rebounded well tonight (lol at that pun)
Q came alive in 4th quarter but that 3! nope.
C, Jones up and down – 4/11 I think and missed 3 FT’s. but hit critical 3 late. He has to smooth out his game but does have the skills.
My bet C. Jones vs. the duds rookie Podz. Podz was up by 6 on points after first two games in Sac but tonight Jones had 12 and Podz has 9 (5 minutes to go)
Ford is small but an interesting 2 way- if break glass, call for a Ford.
Q is sloppy and awkward but sometimes very effective. Needs to go to the basket and stop fading away- much better tonight.
I agree on all points. It was an ugly but entertaining game.
Victor Wembanyama might be too tall for the NBA
His shot was just…not.
Five blocks tho!
People are talking like he’s Kareem 2.0. imo he’ll likely be Mobley 2.0
Yeah really not impressed. I know, first game and all, but he looked surprisingly awkward and weak. Was he over-hyped? Possibly. Amen Thompson looked much more like a star to me. He will be a stud.
Can’t agree. My hot take:
Very good footwork, great hands, high skills – passing vision, handles, shot form, blocks are all there in a 7’4” package.
He’s not a banger – yet. He’s a 19 year old with a slim frame like we’ve never seen before.
He’ll be a SF/PF with SG skills for a few years. What was Giannis at 19?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor at the time – was 22 when he entered the NBA from John Wooden’s UCLA) and he still needed to find his way (but not much).
This kid, (who interviews intelligently and centered IMO) has a long and likely wonderful career ahead of him, health willing. And very fortunately, again IMO, with Popovich and Co. in San Antonio (as opposed to the 2007-2021 Kings, for example).
Pigeon-holing due to height will disappoint, I fear. I am anxious to see a finished product – but that’s seasons away.
A nice thing seen at Summer League (Kings v. Hawks Cox Pavilion, Friday night)
On the courtside seats:
Vivek, Monte, Wes, Alvin Gentry, Paul Johnson, Anjali, Jordi Fernandez, Jay Triano and…
Keegan Murray, Trey Lyles, Kevin Huerter, Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov and… Mathew Dellavedova! Yes an actual Delly sighting!
Have to love the unity!
cool
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