Sacramento’s young core prioritizes selfless play and veteran mentorship in Las Vegas, leveraging high assist numbers and rookie growth to pursue the franchise’s third summer league title.
The Sacramento Kings opened the Las Vegas Summer League with a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, but the team is prioritizing the process over game results.
Rookie guard Emanuel Sharp views every summer league game as a learning opportunity. Each matchup is a chance for the young, talented players to showcase their growth with teammates and showcase their skill set.
"Win or loss, we're just taking it as a chance to improve our chemistry," Sharp told reporters after the game. "Improve how comfortable we are with each other. We're listening to what coach says and just trying to execute every game."
Sharing the basketball is part of improving chemistry, and Sacramento recorded 22 assists in Thursday night's victory. Darius Acuff Jr. had a game-high seven assists, and Isaiah Stevens followed behind with five.
Acuff Jr. has emphasized that he wanted to get his teammates involved more after his rough California Classic debut. The Kings’ seventh overall pick had six total assists in his first two games against the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.
Bouncing back with seven assists in the Las Vegas Summer League opener is impressive, and Acuff Jr. may have been knocking off some rust in the California Classic. He did have the game-winning assist to Nique Clifford in Sacramento's three-point victory over Brooklyn last Saturday.
Strengthening team chemistry also helps when sophomores play in summer league. Dylan Cardwell and Clifford were rotation players in the regular season and are participating in the summer league.
They are veterans in a unique way. Cardwell and Clifford are mentoring their teammates, who were in the same position they were in last summer league.
The duo has fit alongside Acuff Jr. like a glove, which can accelerate his transition to the NBA game. Sharp's shooting prowess has looked great as advertised. He shot 3-for-8 from three against the Clippers.
Building chemistry in summer league is important as Sacramento aims for its third summer league championship in franchise history. The Kings have the talent, veterans and staff to achieve such a feat.
Sacramento, with a flawless record in both the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League, faces its toughest challenge on Sunday. The team will face off against the first overall pick, AJ Dybantsa, and the Washington Wizards.
Dybantsa scored 27 points against the Utah Jazz on Thursday night, tying the most points scored in summer league. Sacramento defeated Keaton Wagler, the fifth overall pick, and the Clippers, and they could add another victory over a lottery pick to their record.
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