March was another good month for Isaiah Thomas.
For the second consecutive time, the Kings point guard was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month.
Thomas and Tyreke Evans are the only Kings to receive the honor in consecutive months. Lionel Simmons and Brian Grant are the other Kings who have won the award.
Thomas led Western Conference rookies with 4.9 assists per game in March and was second in scoring at 13.6 points.
Among all rookies, Thomas led in fast-break points (64) and free throws made (54). He was second in assists (89) and third in points (245) and steals (24).
Not bad for a player who was picked last in the June draft.
"I didn't expect to get awards like this, but I always expected (to be honored) if I got the opportunity," Thomas said. "And coach has given me a big opportunity and a big chance, and I'm trying to do the best I can to take full advantage of it."
Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving was the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month. Irving has won the award three times this season.
Irving, the first pick in the draft, led rookies in March with 19.9 points and 6.7 assists per game.
The Kings have made a push for Thomas to be considered for Rookie of the Year. Irving is the favorite.
"I don't know," Thomas said when asked about winning Rookie of the Year. "Kyrie Irving is far ahead of the pack, but anything can happen. I'm going to try to finish this season off a great way individually and team-wise."
No return set for Salmons – Reserve swingman John Salmons missed his fourth consecutive game because of a sore right hip.
"He's going to be out for a little bit," Kings coach Keith Smart said, adding that Salmons would continue to receive daily treatment.
© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.
• Read more articles by Jason Jones
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "Report Abuse" link to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand.
• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
• Don't flag other users' comments just because you don't agree with their point of view. Please only flag comments that violate these guidelines.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "Report Abuse" link to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them.
Order Reprint
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "Report Abuse" link below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.