3 Kings Who Impressed Most During The California Classic
Jul 3, 2019, 9:00 PM | Updated: 9:00 pm
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
The Sacramento Kings finished the 2019 California Classic with a 1-2 record after losses to the Heat and Lakers. They could have easily finished with a 3-0 record but lost back-to-back games in the final seconds.
Fortunately, the wins and losses don’t mean anything. All that matters to the organization is to see which of their young players stand out. The Kings were lucky as they had several players play well over the three-day exhibition series.
Here are the three players that stood out the most:
Wenyen Gabriel
Gabriel may have had the most to prove during the California Classic. The forward out of Kentucky played in 42 games for the Stockton Kings last season and averaged 10.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. With an impressive Summer League and preseason performance, he could find a way to sneak onto Sacramento’s roster come October.
Gabriel impressed in his two games during the California Classic, he averaged 19 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in his 24.5 minutes per game. In his first game on Monday against the Warriors, he stood out the most, posting 22 points and 12 rebounds in the Kings 81-77 win.
Kyle Guy
Being one of the Kings three picks in June’s NBA Draft, there was a lot of attention on the guard out of Virginia. In his three seasons in Virginia, Guy was a three-point shooter, shooting 42.5 percent from behind the arc for the Cavaliers. If the California Classic showed anything, his three-point shot is going to translate to the NBA.
Guy played the role of a volume shooter for the Kings and showed he wasn’t afraid of any shot. He hit several shots that had no business going in, including a few off-balance shots from distance. Guy averaged 12.3 points per game while shooting 40.9 percent (9-for-22) from three. Wednesday’s game against the Lakers, Guy took 17 total shots making just five but finished 4-for-9 from three.
Semaj Christon
Christon hasn’t played in the NBA in two seasons, last playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017. He also last played in the G League in 2017 as well. After playing for Hapoel Beer Sheva (Israel) last year, the Kings brought him in for their Summer League team.
Starting at the point all three games, Christon played as a dual-threat guard who distributed the ball well while putting up points. He finished with double-digit points in each game, averaging 12 points per game with a game-high of 13 (twice). He also averaged 7.3 assists per game, with a high of 11 Monday night, where he also finished with a double-double.
