The Kings are developing a Summer League identity. For the second straight game, Sacramento’s squad, led by rookie Davion Mitchell, put the clamps on an opposing team.
After running through the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, the Kings shut down the Washington Wizards on the second night of a back-to-back, coming away with an 89-75 victory.
Caleb Homesly and Mason Jones had strong outings for Charlotte, but it wasn’t nearly enough to slow the balanced attack of coach Bobby Jackson’s Kings squad.
Here are three takeaways as the Kings make it two straight wins in Las Vegas.
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More than a defender
We are learning more and more about Mitchell with every game. In the opener, he locked down James Bouknight, which was expected, but he also dished out nine assists without turning the ball over once.
In Game 2, he showed off the 3-point shot that made him an impact player at Baylor. Mitchell finished the night with 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting, including a pair of makes from long range. He also ran the offense, found his teammates with a variety of strong passes and was plus-18 in just 22 minutes of action.
Mitchell will be a special player on the defensive end, but all of these other aspects of his game will add value to the Kings' rotation this year. He migh be asked to play a variety of roles, and so far, he’s showing he can handle just about every aspect of the guard position.
NBA
Man in the Middle
The Kings invested a second-round pick in Neemias Queta in a large part due to his shot-blocking capabilities. Through two games in Las Vegas, he’s starting to show that he’s more than just a rim protector.
Despite limited practice time, Queta is acting as a leader on the defensive end. He has shown an ability to stay in front of smaller players on the perimeter and he made a couple of excellent reads in the pick-and-roll.
Queta finished the night with six points, six rebounds and a block in 22 minutes. He just signed a two-way contract with the Kings and is likely to spend plenty of time bouncing back and forth to the G League. But there is an outline of a very interesting player, although it might just take a year or two to get there.
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Wings
Louis King and Jahmi’us Ramsey didn’t stand out at all at the California Classic and that was a problem. Two games into Vegas, the pair of wings are settling in and making strides.
King caught fire in the third quarter and helped Sacramento get some separation. He knocked down the corner 3-ball, finishing with a team-high 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting from behind the arc.
Ramsey is shaking off the rust after missing time with an ankle injury. You can see his confidence growing on the court, although he still needs to smooth out some rough spots in his game. After posting 23 points in the win over the Hornets, he dropped in 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting.