Kings notes: De'Aaron Fox runs wild in preseason loss to Lakers

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A win is nice, but development of talent is the focus in Sacramento. Despite losing to the Los Angeles Lakers 128-123 Thursday evening at Staples Center, the Kings showed improvement in many facets of the game. 

Young players took strides, which is all that really matters. Point guard De’Aaron Fox blew up, Marvin Bagley III posted stats and Harry Giles III continued his strong play. In addition, Buddy Hield shot the lights out and plenty of other players stood out as the Kings fell to 1-1 during the exhibition season. 

Here are some notes from the loss.

-- Fox is ready to star - It didn’t take long for Fox to show that he’s improved. The second-year point guard lit the Lakers up for 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and added five assists and a pair of steals in 17 minutes. He pushed the tempo, pressured the ball and his 3-point shot looks much improved. If this is the player the Kings get this season, they’ll surprise teams.

-- Bagley drops a double-double - Dave Joerger is in full development mode. With not a veteran in sight, the Kings’ coach turned to his rookie big to play 31 minutes against the Lakers. He responded with a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double. The numbers looked good on paper, but more than that, he appeared a lot more confident in his second preseason game.

-- Harry Giles is earning minutes - For the second straight game, Giles made a huge impact on the game. He’s still struggling with foul trouble, but for a 20-year-old kid that has barely played basketball in the last three years, he’s impressive. Giles finished the evening with 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes. His no-look pass to Willie Cauley-Stein in the first half was incredible.

-- While Bogi’s away… - After coming off the bench for much of last season, Hield is getting an opportunity to shine as a starter with Bogdan Bogdanovic on the shelf. The third-year guard hit 4-of-8 from behind the arc on his way to 16 points in 19 minutes. Sacramento needs Hield to shoot eight or more 3-pointers each and every game this season and he looks up for the challenge. He has the potential to lead this team in scoring this season, although Fox might be the one to watch at this point. 

-- Give em’ a look - Joerger emptied the bench against the Lakers, playing Cameron Reynolds, Jamel Artis, Wenyen Gabriel and Kalin Lucas major minutes. Gabriel led the group with 10 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes. He’s long, athletic and he plays defense, which will earn him time on the court down the road. It’s an interesting collection of players, many of which will make their way to the Stockton Kings of the G-League once the preseason schedule ends. 

-- Whistles - Every year the NBA sends out a list of “points of emphasis”. It appears that a few Kings players fell asleep during the presentation. Giles, Skal Labissiere and Ben McLemore all fouled out in limited minutes for Sacramento. Labissiere played just 12 minutes before being disqualified. The refs called fouls away from the ball all game, which challenged both teams. The Lakers outshot the Kings at the line 55-28 with the Kings picking up 44 personal fouls to just 25 for the Lakers.

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