Future Summer League Champs? The In-Person Perspective of the Sacramento Kings | Locked On Kings
It’s been fun watching the 2 and 0 Sacramento Kings in summer league on our televisions at home. But what do they look like in person? Brendan Nunez from Sacktown Sports 11:40 is in Las Vegas. He was courtside for these first two games and he shares exactly what he is seeing and also hearing from Las Vegas right here on Locked on Kings. You are Locked on Kings, your daily Sacramento Kings podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is that time. Time for another episode of Locked on Kings. Hello and welcome into Locked On Kings, your podcast hub for Sacramento Kings coverage all off season long. My name is Matt George. I have the privilege of being your host here. I’m a Sacramento sports anchor and reporter for ABC 10 News. Man, I wish I was in Las Vegas to see these Kings rookies and Devin Carter dropping 30 in person. Wasn’t able to make it out this year, but that’s okay. We still are well covered here in Sacramento because we got a bunch of the Sacktown Sports 1140 guys from Brennan Nunez, Frankie Cardelli, Chris Watkins, Allan Styles, Jason Ross are all out there. Plus, you’ve got uh Jeremiah Salmanson’s out there. Ducen Mo are out there. Sean Cunningham is out there. Plenty of Sacramento media still in Vegas covering the Sacramento Kings. And I knew, man, I got to get some of them on the show. I got to hear from them about what they’re seeing, what they’re witnessing in person that we’re maybe missing that on the on the television broadcast at home. So, reached out to Brendan. He joins me right now from his hotel room in Las Vegas to uh to share with us what he’s seen out of these uh Kings rookies, out of Devin Carter in these first two games. And of course, we talk a lot about the backup point guard position. The Sacramento Kings have been very impressive so far in their first two games at Summer League. But why don’t we get the perspective of someone who’s in the building sitting courtside watching these rookies and Young Kings players balling out in person. Brendan Nunes is one of a handful of Sacramento Kings media members that is in Las Vegas. Brendan, I I’m I have so many questions about specific players, but I don’t want to lead the witness. I just want to open it up to you to give your biggest takeaway. What stood out to you the most? Like if you were starting a podcast right now fresh, what is the thing that you most want to talk about, you want to lead with that’s just caught your attention the most about this summer league team? Could be a player, could be the team as a whole. What is standing uh standing out to you? Yeah, you know, you try to get a general feel for everything. And I I would say my main takeaway out here is that there’s a a noticeable lack of Matt George really. Uh so so the trip is good. Yeah. You know, I didn’t say it. Um no, I I mean I would say personally I think one of the main things is that I think the team is really good for what it’s worth for summer league standards. And I I think that there’s a lot of fun things to watch for. Um, obviously Devin Carter, who I’m sure we’re going to get into it more, but said retweaked his shoulder a bit after game one, and that’s where some of the struggles came from a bit, had a great bounce back in game two with um I I think he ended with 30 points in that game. Um, you obviously get to watch Nee Clifford. He’s somebody that I think probably will look even a little bit better when he’s like the fifth best player on a floor and a little bit more of a connecting piece. Maxim Reno obviously turning heads, maybe the highlight of the trip so far. There’s Isaac Jones shooting corner threes and like coach Depesh wants him to play the four now. So, um I I guess for me a lot of what I lock to lock into during summer league is individual player development and sort of how you’re seeing growth within that. But with this team, it’s hard to not notice that they’re playing like a cohesive unit and they’re pretty good. Yeah, the the cohesiveness really stands out on the defensive end, and I know it’s been caught on the broadcast a lot, the coaching staff, and how much they’ve emphasized the defense and going back to last night’s game, game two, having a a 14-point defensive first quarter and a 17-point defensive third quarter. Of course, the individual performances, we’ll talk about Devin and Maxim and Nick, but defensively, it seems like this group is is is connected. And I mean, when when Scott Perry has talked so much about establishing a culture and building a culture, it’s a lot easier to get guys who are trying to make a roster and make a name for themselves to play hard and hustle and give 110%. But it’s good to see the Sacramento Kings, at least in our first glimpse of basketball since Scott Perry took over, starting to own or or or show some of those things that Scott and Doug Christie have have talked a lot about. And you know, Scott Perry’s big thing this offseason that he keeps repeating is establishing an identity. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that that’s the same thing that coach Dip has been saying out here. And no surprise here, but did kind of I guess confirm yesterday this defensive orientation and defensive focus you see with uh the G-League team. That’s exactly what’s going to be going on with Sacramento. Um for people that don’t know, Coach Mystery and Doug have a great relationship, have for a while. Um, and there’s a reason that you’re seeing them play this way. Uh, again, probably not a shocker, but it’s just, you know, it’s good to know that that’s what you’re going to see. And I think that part of this cohesiveness, like you, again, creating an identity, you want to do that in every facet of your organization, the G League, and this is something they’ve talked about in years prior as well, to be fair. Um, but it I I think it does help build some momentum. And also again, if you’re focused on the individual player development, it puts them in contextual situations that I think translate best to obviously their eventual goal of playing with the main club in Sacramento. Well, back here in Sacramento, all we can do is react with our fellow fans and then of course the haters too on on social media. And everything is under the guise of, well, it’s summer league. We want to enjoy some things. We don’t want to be overly critical because it’s summer league. One of the best parts about being at Summer League is it’s like a basketball festival, right? Just the amount of people that are there from former NBA players to current players to scouts and agents. Have you talked to anybody or heard anything or just heard any comments from people that aren’t part of like the Sacramento media circle that are impressed or or whether it’s Maxi Mareno or Devin Carter or Nick or any of them just have you heard anything or any kind of commentary of what these people believe that the Sacramento Kings are currently in summer league and what they can be next season? I would say that they’re two very different tones. Uh those questions there that the prospects uh guys seem to feel pretty good about. Specifically, I would say Maxim Reno, again, I think he’s the one turning heads. You see it with the fan base as well. I’m sure everybody watching at home. I mean, he’s kind of the one that you’re like, “Oh, wow. This guy was the 42nd pick.” Um as you said, he sort of, you know, pushed his way to Sacramento a little bit. And Jason Ross got a sit down with him the other day. Um, I I was kind of in the room helping out with that and you know, Max talked about how, by the way, he said good with Max and Maxim. Um, he he said that he thinks that sometimes people don’t understand the accent. I personally think his English is phenomenal. I don’t know what he Oh, I think it’s great. Yeah, he’s It sounds great. Fantastic. Um, but you know, he said that essentially you get a call when you’re in the second round and they say and you get kind of a choice of do you think it’s a good fit or not? And he clearly wanted to go to the Kings. The first answer when Jason asked essentially why was I loved as you know and went into other things as well. Obviously his coach at Stanford coached um Isaac Jones. He played with Andre Stoyakovic um at Stanford. He has a decent amount of ties but I would say he seems to be the one that impressed people most and we’re kind of surprised that he fell to 42 in the way he did being a 71 guy. And there’s not very many. I know sevenfooter sounds common in the NBA, but most guys are really like 610 you’re probably talking about. Maxim is legit 71 out there and has potential and showing flashes as a three-level scorer. So, I would say he’s the one kind of turning heads most. And a lot of sevenfooters for for lack of a better term can kind of be like clunky. Like I I I can’t imagine what it’s like to be that tall and have your brain communicate with that your entire body and react as quickly as you possibly can. But it it looked like it looks like to me on the offensive end like Maxim is NBA ready. I think the offense is smooth. The pick and roll looks fantastic. The floor spacing is obvious. He’s even showed a couple of um a little bit of a scoring ability in the post. I have questions about the defense and and I’ll ask you about the defense in just a second, but in terms of the offense and how polished it is, right? Like I’ve heard firsthand that there are members of this Kings organization that believe that Maxim can be a day one contributor, can be someone that’s in the rotation right away. You talk about how much he admires Domas looks up to Domas. Doas can absolutely teach him a thing or two, but I think he could also teach Domomas a thing or two about looking for his own shot because Maxim his senior year led Stanford in field goal attempts. In last night’s game, despite Devin Carter dropping 30, Maxine led the team in field goal attempts. Like offensively, the confidence and the the the the pol. It just looks so polished. It just looks so NBA ready for the sevenfooter. Yeah, I think you see it again from all three levels. And it’s not even just scoring, like it’s putting the ball on the deck. Um he really kind of functions as a guard a lot. He’s he’s playing the five out there technically in their starting lineup and Isaac is the four like I mentioned working on Isaac’s three-point shot and moving him there. But at at first you don’t almost don’t even really know because Maxim can play the five as well. The way they or the four as well offensively the way he stretches out um a little bit of like a hitchy jump shot, but it goes in it. It works well. He can almost even do it off movement a little bit. And I think the ability to put the ball on the deck is something that really stands out again at that size. Like we mentioned, I know Kevin Oconor’s comp that he had mentioned was like Kelly Ool Lin I saw and I I think I see a lot of that in his game. Um again a lot taller version which I think makes a very big difference for what it’s worth um for surviving on the defensive end but offensively you do see a little bit of everything. I think the the passing has really impressed me whether that again is attacking and close out off the dribble and you know hitting a spray three. Sorry to say that word I guess. Um but that or hitting back door cuts. I think that we’ve seen that a handful of times as well. That first game he has what 11 of their first 14 and then doesn’t score much at from that point. But it’s because they started taking his scoring away and he set up his teammates. And to see that next layer of the offense I I think is to your point showing that he’s could potentially be fairly ready. I still think obviously an adjustment period we’re talking about, but with no Valenunis on the team, you got Drew Eubank sitting there, you’d imagine that at very least Max will get a chance to prove that he could deserve uh minutes there throughout the course of his rookie season. Today’s episode of Locked on Kings is brought to you by Hungry Route. 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Defensively though, I do have concerns and he hasn’t blocked a shot in these first two games. I look, I I can’t call myself a supporter of of Mike Brown and disregard what Mike said about block shots being kind of a lame stat. There there’s more to protecting the rim than just blocking shots. But looking at Maxim, I don’t feel in the paint that when he’s trying to contest shots and and and stop um whether it’s a guard or a wing attacking the basket, I don’t think he attacks the basketball. I think he puts his arms up because he’s got a ridiculous wingspan. And you see a lot of guards having to result in just putting a floater over the top of him because he’s he’s so dang tall. But I want to see Maxim be more aggressive and try and attack the basketball. And like there’s a big difference between how Maxim defends the paint and then how like Dylan Cardwell def defends the paint. Dylan uh he had the the blocked alley oop the other night. I’m not saying Maxim has to do things like that, but Dylan he he attacks the ball and I’m not seeing that yet from Maxim in the paint. That’s probably the biggest gripe that I have with him, but it’s good to see an area where his game has to grow. Scott Perry was on the broadcast for NBA TV in game one and actually commented on how impressed he was by the improvement of Maxim’s uh foot speed and his his movement defensively in that area. So, that’s good to see. I just want him to be a little more aggressive. He he racked up seven fouls last night. I’m all for that. Be more aggressive in trying to attack the basketball if someone comes into the paint. You’re 7 foot one. Shouldn’t be that easy. Yeah. And it’s an interesting sort of thing. I think Matt, you might have uh been at this practice as well, but Duce asked him about how at Stanford um he had a lot of blocks in the last handful of games, but not many in years prior. And um it was because he was so important to their offense that they essentially were telling him to not be that aggressive defensively. Well, in the NBA, you’re like the definition of a role player. I like Max. Maybe we’re talking starting center down the line. Um but reality is 42nd pick. We’re probably talking about a backup center. um which is fine and but that means that you are playing a limited role and you need to be able to play defense like now a lot of your energy can be put into the defensive end of the floor and the communication that he has out there on the floor. I’m not sure how much it gets picked up through the broadcast I’d imagine it does at least a little bit because he is screaming out there. Um when JR sat down with him his voice was pretty much gone because it was after game one. Um and I also think he he gives off that he is very smart. I mean, the guy did go to Stanford. Um, but listen to the basketball terminology that he drops when he’s out there. In one of the postgame interviews, he’s talking about how fun it is when teams get frustrated when you’re calling out their plays. So, I I think that there is a lot of room for improvement there for a guy that clearly really likes to watch film. Um, and you know, it’s early on, but seems like a student of the game and again was just something that he wasn’t putting that much of a focus on. And I would imagine it becomes more essential to his game now. So we’ll we’ll see where that improvement comes because the foot speed that Scott Perry mentions and stuff is I guess a limiting factor in in what we can talk about here. But he is 71. You talked a little bit about Nick Clifford earlier and you talked about how you think he’s going to be even better when he’s like the fourth or fifth option in a lineup. The versatility jumps off the page right away on both ends of the floor, right? He can do just a little bit of everything. hasn’t quite excelled at one thing, but that’s fine considering where Sacramento drafted him and what we believe he will be for this Kings team uh in in the NBA. I mean, the the fourth quarter scoring has jumped off the page with what was it 11 or 12 points in game one, 10 points in the fourth quarter, in game two. But Brennan, I don’t know if you you heard this or saw this because it was on the broadcast last night. Nick was interviewed right after the game last night and they asked him about the fourth quarter. man, you’re so good in the fourth quarter game. First thing Neat says is, I got to be better early on, though. I got to I got to be more involved early on. And like that that stood out to me as someone who’s not just going to be Mr. fourth quarter and score when it’s the end of the game and look for his buckets late. Like, he wants to be more aggressive early on. I’ve just been there’s nothing about the way I’ve watched Nick play so far that suggests that he’s a rookie. And I can say the same thing about Maxim, and I know both of them are older prospects, but Nick looks like a secondyear player playing in the summer league just for reps. That’s what he looks like. Yeah. And again, like you mentioned, I think the age definitely factors into that having spent five years in college. Um, but yeah, the the little bit of everything. Jack of all trades trades as coach uh Mystery has been calling them here. You see all the rebounds that he was able to get down the other day. Um, but it felt like yesterday was maybe one of the first catching shoots I feel like we’ve seen. And again, like I feel like that’s an NBA role that we’re talking about a lot. You know, I think that’s where this looks more simple. Um to like I guess go on the other end a little. I think the left hand still looks a little bit shaky. I know that’s something that a lot of people were on in the pre-draft process. Again, if you’re not dribbling that much at the NBA level in year one, that’s something you can continue develop over time. Um and so that’s why I think the limited role could be more beneficial to him. I think about like Keon Ellis saying that, you know, it’s it’s a different game, I guess, but the combine was just so bad for him. He’s like my type of game just does not work there, you know, and I think the combine and summer league are similar. Guys are trying to earn things here or earn deals and earn spots. And when you’re a guy that just does the little things, a little bit of everything and sort of plugging in the holes, I think it doesn’t it doesn’t feel or like pop as much in these sort of games until you look at the box at the end, you’re like, Nick had how many rebounds, you know, and it’s like he had what in the fourth quarter? So, I I think that he’s playing well, even if it doesn’t always necessarily pop off the screen. Um, and a lot of the tools are encouraging, but I I I do think I expected a little bit more, but we’re only two games in so far, and it’s more so just happened in bunches. And that could also be a product of, like we were talking about how good this team is overall. The biggest difference I noticed with Nick between game one and game two is in game two, it seemed like there was more of an emphasis on him as a distributor and as a creator. And I don’t know if that was a focus of the Kings coaching staff. I don’t know if that was a focus of Naks, but he turned the ball over five times. I’m okay with it if you’re trying different things as a as a creator. Did have five assists, had a couple really good passes, a couple really good moments of twoman game with his fellow rookie Maxim right now. I’ve heard and been told that there are those in the Kings organization that believe that Nick could be an option for Sacramento at that point backup point guard spot. I don’t know if anything has happened in these first two games that gives Scott Perry any kind of confidence that the backup point guard is currently on this roster or is on the summer league team. But I we did get to see glimpses of what Maxim looks like, not necessarily as a backup point guard, but as someone who is creating and the offense is running through them a little bit. I thought he did a a pretty okay job. Yeah, I I I’m gonna hold off on the backup point guard thing for sure. Um I think maybe with the caveat of hey, we need you to defend point guards, but really we’re going to run through maybe Malik, Zack, Demar, Dom, whoever may be out there, then sure, you know, and again, connective piece. He can defend points. I I think that he kind of seems to do a little bit better at defending guards. Um not that he can’t defend up for what it’s worth. I actually think uh more often than not I’m like he he looks size-wise like he fits in out there. I know there were questions about like two three to me he looks like he can play a three no problem. Um and I think that you see that on the film as well but you know kind of just different seeing a guy in person sometimes I guess. Um so yeah I mean I I the ball handling worries me a little like definitely for a backup point guard thing. I think Devin is probably more advanced in that aspect and I think that Deon still needs work there. Um, if you were just looking for the best backup point guard solution on the current team, I think it’s probably Mason Jones, but I don’t think that that’s even a direction that like for the short term, obviously long term maybe a different story. Um, but I think if if that’s the reality that you probably could use something else there. Um, not that Nick couldn’t develop into that or like I mentioned play that role alongside some other guys that you run through a little bit more. Just guess a little early with the handle in my mind for that. Like I said at the top of the show, today’s episode of Locked On Kings is brought to you by FanDuel. Summer sports aren’t in full swing, and whether you’re all about baseball under the lights, golf on the green, or high stakes soccer action, FanDuel is the best way to make every game more exciting. You’re already following the action, so why not make it a little more thrilling? With FanDuel, you can get in on the game while your friends are getting sunburned at the beach. FanDuel is a great way to track your favorite matchups. And the app keeps it fresh with new daily promotions and fun ways to bet so it never gets stale. It never gets old. And it’s easy to use. The payouts are fast. So when you when you get your money quickly and even it makes every regular season game feel like a mustwatch event. Whether you’re placing a same game parlay or watching a bet ride into the end of the game into the ninth inning, FanDuel makes it feel like you are part of the action. If you’re new to FanDuel, new customers can bet just $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. So, put those $5 on the easiest bet you can find. I’ve been saying put that $5 on the Colorado Rockies to lose. You’ll probably get that $150 worth of bonus bets on the FanDuel app. Go to the FanDuel app, download it right now, or go to fanduel.com to get started. Yeah. What do you make of Devin Carter, too? Because he has the struggles in game one where I felt he wasn’t himself at all. And I think you could tell he was trying to do the point guard responsibilities and those were the top of his mind and he didn’t really play his game. Then you have game two where it helps that he exploded offensively. He had like those eight points in 40 seconds or something like that that helped get him going, but the rebounding was there. eight rebounds. The the defense was there, three steals, right? So Devin looked like more of himself in game two and that translated to the point guard responsibilities. He’s never going to be a pass first point guard. He had three assists. I don’t expect him to be. I don’t know if the Kings are looking specifically for a pass first point guard as that backup point guard spot, but I mean, is there is there anything about what you’ve seen from Devin over these two games that makes you feel one way or another that he can or can’t handle that responsibility at the NBA level for the Kings, at least in the short term? I think the biggest thing for me with Devin was after yesterday’s game, we got to talk to him a little bit and he said that he sort of retweaked his shoulder right before game one. And even going into game one, you saw he kind of had it taped up. We saw him shaking it a little bit. At one point he comes out of a timeout, he doesn’t have the tape on anymore. Um, and so you see a big difference in game two and he just was more comfortable, I think, a little bit more aggressive. He’s also in a role where he’s playing the point guard on this team. Even though it is point guard by committee, I would say he’s the main one, but he’s also trying to be aggressive and like get his own. And I think him finding that balance is one of the main things he’s learning as a point guard here is how to maintain the rhythm of a game while also maintaining his own rhythm. And I think sometimes it’s not always the smoothest. You know, we talked about this being a pretty cohesive unit to be honest. I think Devin takes them out of their rhythm a decent amount of times, but he’s also the one he put up 30 yesterday. that you kind of have a right to, you know. So, I just think that’s one of the things um that he’s getting accustomed to running point guard. He he’s also talked about making reads. I think playing alongside Max is really good for that because the versatility that we mentioned, you get to practice playing with a roller and a popper because Max can do all of the above. Um he said yesterday, Max is nice was his quote. Um and he has a background with Nick, too, by the way, which is kind of interesting. Um, but yeah, I mean I I still do kind of think that he’s a little miscast currently as a point guard. Um, and again, maybe most ideal in that role we were just talking about for Nick essentially of we want you out there guarding the points, but we’re going to have you and sure like bringing the ball up the floor, I guess, is probably what we’re hoping to get with the point guard. And then once you’re there, okay, let’s get into the action with some of these other guys and have them essentially be who we’re running things through. I think maybe we could get to that point. But I think the main thing for me is like I I just hope that this guy can string together a good amount of time where he’s healthy and continue to get better because right now it feels like there’s a decent amount of like having to wait for that. And I feel for the guy that that must be a really tough process. It was actually a year ago, like in two days that we found out that he was getting surgery and not going to be playing for his rookie season. Um, or not be playing for the start of his rookie season. Um, so you feel for the guy, but there’s there’s a lot of talent there and you can see it. And I think just keep in mind that um I don’t think that this guy has gotten much time over the last couple years to continue to develop his game, which I get people can roll their eyes at and worry at worry about. Um I will also say I’m not trying to stand on my soap box. I really uh get bothered when people are on somebody for their injuries. I I think that uh Devin is doing what he can out there and um so I I just I hope he continues to get more time to develop here. Um because I think there’s a very good player in there. I just think he needs to be able to continue to get more reps healthy. Well, here’s the reality of the Kings, too, is unlike last season where he was drafted as an injured rookie onto a team with like win now expectations, to some extent, this roster still expects to be competitive. But I’d say the Kings are in a lot better position now of giving any player time to work on their game and develop a little bit than they were last season when there was this playoff mandate uh on that team. But like I I I I felt this way after game one and it wasn’t just because he played poorly, Brandon. I was thinking like Devin Carter probably knows that his best path to playing time on this Kings roster is at that backup point guard spot. But if playing backup point guard doesn’t allow you to play your game, then you’re just not a good fit. You’re just not the right fit for the team. And it’s not because that he’s not capable of playing the shooting guard position. It’s just we know there’s a log jam at that position ahead of him. He’s not playing over Lavine. He’s not playing over Keon Ellis. not playing over Malik Monk, who we believe is a two, not a one. So, I I I I feel for Devin a little bit because he’s probably looking at this roster and going, “These this point guard spot is what I have to do in order to get consistent playing time right away.” So, I appreciate him taking on that challenge. But, I don’t know about you, Brendan, I look at this roster and the Kings kept their MLE with the sign and trade with Detroit to get Dennis Shruder. I’m wondering if and and Scott Perry said it in an interview on NBA TV in game one, like they’re still looking at the point guard position. I I I don’t know if there’s going to be much that Devin can do over the course of the remainder of summer league to change this feeling, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Scott’s looking at this roster and going, “Man, my backup point guard still isn’t here. I just don’t have him yet, and I got to go and get him.” Yeah, I think everything seems to be pointing towards he still feels like he uh needs another point guard and I think that’s reasonable, but also when you look at just like how I personally would value the guys on the roster. Um I don’t know that I really care about the fit that much. I I think Matt, we’re kind of on the same page. This roster is probably going to look really different within give it like a year, a year and a half. Like it’s going to look very different. Yeah, maybe the deadline. Like I don’t know how much I personally am factoring in in my thoughts of oh well like how does Deon fit with these other guys? Like you have very few guys that I think are core pieces that I feel like will probably stick around, right? We’re talking like Keegan and Keon is really kind of all I got on that list to be honest. Keon’s not pissed off. Yeah. And that’s a questionable one too and who knows Scott didn’t draft Keegan. So, I think when you’re that up in the air, just like keep the guys that are talented. And sure, if they don’t fit with the other ones, then you figure out how to make that guy fit rather than, you know, worrying about, oh, he doesn’t fit with Zack, Demar, Dom, like rather than he he doesn’t fit with guys that you’re already eventually going to move on from. Then, you know, who should we prioritize here? Well, we we’ll wrap up with this, Brendan. And and this I preface this question by saying we know this is not going to happen, but I’m I’m curious where your brain is at in terms of what you think is more valuable for this organization right now. Is it Zack Lavine and Demar Rosen, all signs point to they’re going to be on the roster? If they’re going to be on the roster, they’re going to play. Is it more valuable in your mind for the Sacramento Kings to play those guys, add these young pieces and intermingle these young pieces with those guys and try and be as competitive as possible right now and see if you can maybe get a six seed? Or is it more valuable for the organization to throw Maxim and Nick and Devin and all these guys out there, not talking 30 minutes a night, but make sure prioritize those guys getting their opportunities. Prioritize Keegan Murray taking 12 or more shots a game. Like is that more valuable you think for the organization going forward or do you think there is still value for this team in you’ve got these veterans, you can compete in the West, maybe you can use that to get some experience for these young guys in terms of meaningful games at the end of a season or competing in the NBA Cup or whatever the case may be. Where do you where do you lean on that scale? Yeah, you know, me personally, I probably lean more towards playing the young guys, but I think my sort of I guess admittedly copout answer here is I think it’s most beneficial that you’re leaning into the older guys as veterans and like you mentioned helping the younger guys get experience because I think the most beneficial thing is that Scott Perry’s plan plays out in the ways that he wants it to. And his plan from everything he’s um said to us is that he wants to help build up the culture and identity of the Sacramento Kings. And as much as people are going to get on tomorrow for his play style, that guy is a culture builder. That guy is a great like keyword great. Highlight it, bold it, all of the above, veteran. Everybody loves him. There’s there’s kind of talk that he might be out here for what it’s worth. Um we we’ll see if he’s at one of these games because it’s kind of interesting. No, no Kings have really been out here. I saw Terrence Davis yesterday. Um but take that for what you will. I know like Zach is what at the golf tournament, weren’t you? Yeah, he’s he’s in Tahoe right now. Yeah. So guys have things going on. I’m not reading too much into it, but um yeah, I mean I think the most beneficial thing is Scott’s um vision plays out in the way he wants it to. And I think that Demar, for example, is a guy that’s really valuable to that. I think Domos, you hear Max talking about, I love Dom. And one of the things that Max and Nick um are really going to need to learn of, as most rookies do, is adjusting to NBA physicality and especially Bigs. And guess what? Domas is as physical as it comes. Like these guys are going to help even if I I get the hiccups on the roster. I agree. I think they’re going to be very mediocre next year, unfortunately. Um, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get valuable reps for some of these guys and in the process maybe also rekindle value on some of the top guys. Well, Brendan, you’re going to be in Las Vegas for the entirety of summer league. So, dare I say, third uh summer league championship. This team looks good. They look stacked. Maybe I think they look pretty good. I I Yeah, I think that they can do it for sure. I I think they have a good chance. Um, yeah. I don’t really know what other teams specifically stand out to me. Maybe maybe Dallas will get up there. Actually, I think Dallas might have lost yesterday even to San Antonio. San Antonio is a pretty good team for sure. Cooper just got shut down, too. So, Carter Bryant looks amazing on the Spurs. Um, so we’ll see. But I do think this Kings team definitely will have a run for it. I know some teams aren’t even practicing out here and the Kings are. So, bring it home. Bring home the hardware. Brendan, keep up the great work there in Vegas. Don’t lose all your money. I still mad at you for the last time we were in Vegas together. I tried to do it last night, man, and the number didn’t hit. For those for those who don’t know the story, the first time Brendan ever went to Las Vegas was Keegan Murray’s summer league. And I don’t have good luck in Vegas or in casinos, period, unless I’m playing poker. And we went to a roulette table just for the heck of it. And I told Brendan, “Hey, put some money on black 13 for keeping.” First time gambling. First time ever gambling and he doesn’t do it and of course it hits and I was pissed. I put on I did go black but I didn’t do 13. Well, he at least he won but I was pissed cuz that never that never works for me. And then he saw Tyresese Hallebertton just randomly and started hanging out with Tyrese. So Brennan had a great time in Vegas. I didn’t other than Keegan hitting that big shot against Paulo Beno in the in the Magic. But you know what? I’m not bitter. It’s only been three years. Whatever. Bren, keep up the great work, my man. Appreciate you. Appreciate you, man.
Matt George is joined by SacTown Sports 1140’s Brenden Nunes, who is in Las Vegas covering the Sacramento Kings Summer League team.
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