The Sacramento Kings are still looking for their first preseason win, and while the results of tonight's game may not be important, the overall look and feel of the contest is going to be crucial heading into the regular season.
It's been a disappointing preseason so far for the Kings, to say the least. Not so much from an on-court production standpoint, but in terms of who's played and the overall storylines surrounding the team. Darius Acuff Jr. will always be must-watch television for the Kings this season, but here are three other things to watch as Sacramento gets a final chance to prep for the games that matter.
Who's In, Who's Out
By far the biggest storyline of the exhibition season for the Kings has been player availability. Domantas Sabonis has played just over ten minutes, Ben Simmons just over eight, and Malik Monk has still yet to see the floor.
Last game, the Kings sat out nearly everyone. The three veterans above, Acuff, Zach LaVine, and De'Andre Hunter, all sat for various reasons, and against a Portland Trail Blazers team that played all of their starters heavy minutes, it looked like a Summer League squad taking on an NBA team.
It's still too early to know who's in and who's out, but once again, the biggest storyline of the game for Sacramento may not even include anything that happens on the basketball court tonight. Hopefully we finally get to see the full rotation, or at least something close to it, and those guys get a chance to develop some in-game chemistry.
Nique Clifford
Of the players who have been on the court all four games (Nique Clifford, Alex Karaban, Daeqwon Plowden, Emanual Sharp, and Precious Achiuwa), Clifford arguably has the most left to prove.
So far, Clifford is averaging 8.0 points, 4.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and a steal on 26.8% shooting from the field and 11.1% from three. Those aren't quite the numbers that the Kings or fans were hoping for from the second-year wing. It's been a hard preseason for anyone to get in a rhythym, but Clifford especially has struggled to get anything going.
The concerning part is that the opportunity has been there for Clifford. He's played the second-most total minutes to only Sharp, but hasn't really stood out on the court. Clifford is working on his defense and has talked about growing on that end of the court, but he'll need to improve his efficiency from last season if he wants to become a rotational mainstay.
Clifford shot 33.3% from three last season, so the 11% from the postseason is likely an anomaly, but making a few shots tonight would help get some shooting momentum for Clifford heading into his sophomore campaign.
Jonathan Mogbo
Unfortunately for the Kings, they'll be without both of their promising sophomore centers to start the season. Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell are both out with injuries, which throws Sacramento's center rotation into flux. Sabonis, when healthy and playing, will start, and Achiuwa looks like he will be the primary backup as the Kings lean into small ball.
The player who should get the biggest increase in opportunity is two-way player Jonathan Mogbo, who's already had some great moments in preseason so far. He's averaged 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.7 steals in 24.4 minutes per game on 56% shooting from the field and 33.3% (1/3) from three. He even had five steals against the Golden State Warriors, putting his huge 7-foot-2 wingspan to great use.
Throughout the offseason, it always felt like getting Mogbo on a two-way deal was a steal, and that only looks more like the case through three preseason games for the third-year player. Mogbo is one of many Kings' players who deserve a chance at true rotational minutes this season, and with the injuries, it looks like that chance is going to come sooner rather than later.
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