Sacramento Kings: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 preseason opener
By Adi Brescic
3. One rookie shines, one needs work
Neither Bagley nor Giles started in this one. They came off the bench together and played nearly the same amount of minutes (24 for Giles, 23 for Bagley).
Though Giles had the prettier stat line of the two, it’s not saying much if you were actually watching the game. Giles finished with 14 points, six rebounds, three steals and shot 5-for-12 from the floor. His offense looked good only sometimes, and his defense was an issue all game.
There was one possession in particular when Ayton faced up against Giles near the elbow, paused for what felt like an eternity, and just pulled up in his mug without Giles even attempting to get a hand up or look in the slightest bit engaged in playing defense. He fouled out in the fourth quarter with 1:24 left.
Things didn’t go any smoother for his frontcourt partner, Marvin Bagley.
Defensively, Bagley looked a lot sharper than Giles, contributing with two blocks and a steal. However, the same could not be said for his offensive struggles.
Bagley couldn’t find a rhythm all night and his offense felt forced at times. He only converted two field goals on seven tries, and went 3-for-6 from the foul line. He ended his night with seven points, two rebounds and two assists.
Again, it’s just the preseason and coaches are experimenting with things and looking to see what works. It’s also worth noting that Bagley and Giles spent the majority of their time on the floor with the second unit, so we didn’t really get to see them a whole lot with guys like De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield.