Kings mailbag: Lineup, rotation; What are expectations for Bagley and Haliburton?
The roster for the regular season is set, but Kings coach Luke Walton was still working through some final lineup decisions as the team concluded training camp Monday.
The Kings will visit the Denver Nuggets in their season opener Wednesday at Ball Arena in Denver. They finalized their roster after waiving Vince Edwards, Frank Kaminsky and Chimezie Metu over the past few days.
Some of Walton’s lineup and rotation decisions have come into focus after four preseason games, but others are still being assessed. What role will Marvin Bagley III play and how much of an impact can he gave after an injury plagued sophomore season in the NBA? How much playing time will rookie first-round draft pick Tyrese Haliburton receive? How do Kyle Guy and Justin James fit into the team’s plans?
You have questions and we have answers in this week’s Kings mailbag.
Note: Some questions have been edited for length and clarity.
Impact of Marvin Bagley III
@kstand40 asks: How much of an impact will Marvin Bagley III have this season? What does the staff expect of him?
If Bagley remains healthy, he will have every opportunity to prove he can be a foundational piece for this franchise. General manager Monte McNair said he thinks Bagley will “be a force, especially in transition.” Walton envisions all kinds of possibilities, saying on multiple occasions he believes Bagley can become a dynamic, multi-positional player.
The truth is the Kings still don’t know what they have in Bagley, the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. They would like to find out before he becomes eligible for a contract extension next offseason. Walton said he wants Bagley to become a better 3-point shooter and playmaker, someone who can score from anywhere on one possession and make the smart pass out of a double team on the next possession.
The Kings recently picked up Bagley’s fourth-year option for next season, but they will have to decide whether to offer a rookie scale extension before the 2021-22 season begins. If they don’t sign him to an extension at that point, Bagley would become a restricted free agent following his fourth season in Sacramento.
This is a big year in terms of Bagley’s development and the organization’s commitment to him, but both sides have reasons for optimism. Bagley appeared in only 13 games due to injuries last season, but despite playing in only short bursts he still averaged 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds. As a rookie, he appeared in 62 games, averaging 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds to earn NBA All-Rookie First Team honors.
The Kings still believe Bagley can be a special player. He will get a chance to show that this season if he can avoid injuries.
Luke Walton’s rotation
@EliVincent20 asks: What do you think Luke Walton’s rotation look like this year?
Walton will probably rely on a 10-man rotation. He has De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Haliburton and Cory Joseph at the guard spots. The frontcourt consists of Harrison Barnes, Glenn Robinson III, Bagley, Nemanja Bjelica, Richaun Holmes and Hassan Whiteside.
We can expect Fox, Hield and Barnes to be in the starting lineup against the Nuggets on Wednesday. Walton has talked about trying to keep either Fox or Hield on the floor with Joseph and/or Haliburton, who is capable of playing either guard position. You’ll see some overlap in the line changes and experiments with different combinations.
The frontcourt situation isn’t as clear. Walton was asked Monday if he had decided who would start at the power forward and center positions. He said the coaching staff was “still evaluating everything.” The Kings started Bagley at power forward and Holmes at center in their last two preseason games, but Walton said they experimented with groups featuring Bagley at center in practice over the past few days.
Value of Cory Joseph
@bstone76 asks: Why keep and play Cory Joseph when he won’t be around next year?
Two reasons: 1. Joseph is good enough to play on this team; and 2. to maintain his trade value.
Joseph is in the second year of a three-year, $37.2 million deal, but only $2.4 million of his $12.6 million salary for the 2021-22 season is guaranteed, which essentially puts him on an expiring contract. You’re probably right to assume he won’t be back next season.
At 29, Joseph doesn’t fit the long-term timeline for a team that is building around three players in their early 20s, and that contract is cumbersome. Still, he is highly professional and widely respected around the league. Joseph could be traded before the deadline in March, but in the meantime he gives the Kings a quality backup and a defensive-minded veteran guard who is willing to share his knowledge with younger players like Fox and Haliburton.
Joseph has invited Haliburton over for dinner and offered guidance to the 20-year-old rookie.
“The guy who’s taken me under his wing has definitely been Cory Jo,” Haliburton said. “Staying on me at all times to make sure I’m making the right plays and if I don’t, just keeping me going and telling me what he sees, talking to me before, after and during practice.”
What about Kyle Guy?
@GamalielOrtiz asks: It was one game, but fans loved what they saw out of Kyle Guy. Luke Walton kind of poured cold water on the idea of him having a lot of regular-season minutes. What kind of minutes do you see him getting with Cory Joseph and Tyrese Haliburton in the mix?
Guy was a clutch player at Virginia and he came through in the clutch last week in Sacramento, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer to cap a 20-point performance in a preseason win over the Golden State Warriors.
Guy has worked hard to improve his game and his physical strength, adding about 10 pounds during the offseason. His progress was very apparent at times during the preseason.
Guy won’t be part of the primary rotation when the regular season begins, but that could change due to injuries, COVID-19 cases or trades. If Joseph is moved before the trade deadline, Guy could slide into a backup role.
Walton has said numerous times everyone will get an opportunity to contribute over the course of the season. He also said Guy has earned the trust and respect of coaches and teammates.
“I give our G-League and development staff credit for working with him, but as far as being ready for the moment, I think that’s who Kyle Guy is,” Walton said after the win over the Warriors. “That’s who he was in college. He likes the moment. He’s a tough player. He’s a smart player. His teammates love him and it’s great to see him these last two games kind of start to play with that confidence and aggressiveness that he’ll need to play with to succeed at this level.”
How many minutes for Tyrese Haliburton?
@y_redrum0376 asks: How many minutes will Tyrese Haliburton play? There’s no substitute for game experience.
Haliburton is going to get a lot of minutes. Walton has been impressed with his understanding of the offense and defensive instincts. Teammates have been impressed, too.
“I see very, very special things in Tyrese,” Joseph said. “He’s going to be a superstar in this league one day.”
A number of variables will factor into Haliburton’s playing time. Based on what we’ve seen and heard so far, I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t end up averaging over 25 minutes per game. That number might be a little lower early in the season as Haliburton adapts to the NBA a month after being drafted with the No. 12 pick out of Iowa State, but he will play a significant role if he’s ready.
The future of Justin James
@sactowncrown asks: How does Justin James fit in long term with the Kings? What’s his role and what are his strengths?
We didn’t get to see much of James during the preseason. He appeared in all four games but logged only 9.8 minutes per contest, averaging 3.5 points on 2-of-13 (.154) shooting from the field 2-of-8 (.250) shooting from 3-point range.
At this point James appears to be a deep rotation guy capable of filling in at shooting guard or small forward in the event of injuries or illnesses. For now he’s behind the likes of Hield, Haliburton, Barnes and Robinson, but the roster could change over the course of the season.
James is a long, athletic wing — a prototype McNair likes — and he’s still young at 23. The Kings have until July 15 to guarantee James’ $1.8 million salary for the 2021-22 season, so they will use the coming season to determine how he fits moving forward.
