Why the Kings' Latest Two-Way Signing Actually Matters

The Sacramento Kings have had a ton of success with two-way contracts since their inception. Keon Ellis, Isaiah Crawford, Dylan Cardwell, and Neemias Queta have all since signed standard contracts in the NBA after starting on two-way contracts in Sacramento. 

With an open two-way spot, fans were very interested to see who would be next in line to possibly use the opportunity to break into the NBA. Finally, we have our answer, and I think fans will really like the Kings’ choice here: Sean Pedulla.

Another Point Guard!

After Ben Simmons went down for the year with a torn Achilles tendon, the Kings were stuck without a real option at the backup point guard spot. As we saw in game one, Darius Acuff Jr. has a ton of responsibility already, and it would behoove the team to get some help for both his sake and theirs. Luckily, Pedulla is exactly what they needed on a two-way.

Pedulla was a very productive player in college, finishing his career at Ole Miss after three seasons at Virginia Tech. In his senior season, he averaged 15 points, 3.8 assists, nearly two steals per game, and shot 39% from three on over six attempts per game. 

He’s a smaller guard, but he plays tough, and his craftiness helped him put up over 23 points per game in the G League last season and land him the G League Rookie of the Year title.

Really, the biggest knock on Pedulla is his size, not his skill. Pedulla doesn’t have official measurements from the combine available, but he measured in at 6’1.75” with shoes at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which would mean he’s about six feet tall without shoes. Because of this, I can’t imagine him playing with Acuff Jr. much, but putting him next to a bigger guard like Nique Clifford would make a lot of sense.

How Much Should We Expect To See Pedulla?

Two-way slots allow for a maximum of 50 regular season games, and players are often not active for all 50 games. The Kings are in a bit of a different boat, though, and have been known to use their two-way guys early and often. Jonathan Mogbo already saw eight minutes in game one as Doug Christie searched for answers against the L.A. Clippers.

I doubt the Kings want to rely on Pedulla, but they may be forced to, with Malik Monk being the only other realistic option as a backup point guard. There’s also an added layer of Monk being on the trade block and possibly not in the best graces with the team after not being in shape for camp and often being out of the rotation last season. It’s possible the Kings do keep Monk around and/or sign another guard to the full-time roster, but for now, Pedulla looks in line for a decent amount of minutes.

More Than a Two-Way?

Could Pedulla be the next King to sign a standard contract after joining on a two-way? I would argue that he has a really good chance. Pedulla is a very intelligent and talented offensive player, but his defensive activity and rebounding are why I think the Kings will fall in love with his game. 

Pedulla had a 3.3% steal percentage at Ole Miss and averaged 1.6 per game last season in the G League. He also grabbed five boards per game last season, which is pretty impressive for a guard who is barely over 6 feet.

Pedulla is also still relatively young, having just turned 24 earlier this month, which makes him younger than Nique Clifford and Dylan Cardwell. He still has time to develop, but the Kings will need to give him enough runway to make mistakes when he does play with the parent club. If they do, I don’t think it’s out of the question to think Pedulla could become a TJ McConnell-type player off the bench.

Sacramento has a history of using two-way spots on older players who likely don’t have much development left in them, which is why it’s great to see them give someone slightly younger a chance to break into the league. I don’t want to get everyone’s hopes up (and/or my own) because it is rare to see a huge impact from a two-way player. 

Regardless of how things end up with Pedulla, it’s nice to see the Kings address a need with a promising young player instead of an aging veteran.

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