Here are a few storylines to watch for over the coming weeks at the Summer League in Las Vegas.
The Sacramento Kings will kick off the 2021 Las Vegas Summer League this Monday against the Charlotte Hornets. Here are three questions that are likely to be answered over the coming weeks in the desert.
Is Davion Mitchell as NBA ready as advertised?
Mitchell’s first game of The California Classic against the Golden State Warriors was spectacular. He was far and away from the best player on the floor, putting up 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field. Mitchell looked confident pulling up from three and had a number of impressive finishes around the rim.
Mitchell’s second performance in The California Classic vs. the Lakers was less impressive, as some of those same pull-up 3-pointers didn’t fall and he ended up shooting just 4-of-13 from the floor.
The odds are that Mitchell will continue a lot of the offensive burden for the Kings in Las Vegas, so it will be interesting to see which California Classic performance is closer to Mitchell’s true self.
Are Robert Woodard or Jahmi’us Ramsey NBA quality players?
The results from the Kings’ two second-round picks from the 2020 NBA Draft, Robert Woodard and Jahmi’us Rasmey, in the California Classic were extremely disappointing. Both were considered solid picks by the Kings given their slot in the draft, but neither played significant minutes for the Kings last season.
Woodard struggled in both games against the Warriors and Lakers, shooting a combined 5-for-20 from the field. While Woodard’s body is incredibly impressive from a physical standpoint, he didn’t use it much to his advantage and, at some point, the Kings are going to need him to display some actual NBA-level skill out there.
Ramsey only played one game in The California Classic, so he deserves some more slack, but his one game was pretty uninspiring. Ramsey only made one field goal in the closing minutes of the game after starting in the backcourt next to Davion Mitchell. Ramsey and Mitchell together isn’t the most optimal fit for Ramsey and his ability to showcase himself, but still, he’s got to be better than he showed in his first summer league minutes.
If Woodard and Ramsey continue to struggle against the level of talent in the NBA Summer League, it’s unlikely either amounts to much against actual NBA talent.
Was Chimezie Metu’s late-season performance legitimate?
Chimezie Metu was pretty solid for the Kings during his 488 minutes with the team last season. Most of those minutes came towards the latter part of the season, but Metu showed some really solid offensive skill for a guy that entered the season on a two-way contract before getting signed to a guaranteed deal later in the season.
Metu made 13 of his 37 3-point attempts with the Kings last season, which was a pretty impressive number albeit on a low number of attempts. Metu further proved his 3-point-shooting ability this summer playing with Nigeria during the Olympics.
On a team like the Kings that is in dire need of some shooting from the big man position, Metu has the chance to prove he is the stretch big that the Kings currently lack.
Against the talent he will see in the coming weeks, Metu should be able to really showcase his value to the Kings going forward and prove that his late-season performance was not just legitimate but a sign of something more.