Key storylines to follow as Kings open training camp Tuesday

The Kings will enter training camp Tuesday again as one of the least experienced teams in the NBA.

The roster lists 17 players, 11 of whom will at most be starting their third NBA season, with center Willie Cauley-Stein and free-agent acquisition Nemanja Bjelica entering their fourth.

Players expected to be highlighted this season are guards De’Aaron Fox, the Kings’ top draft pick in 2017 (No. 5 overall), Bogdan Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield. With rookies Marvin Bagley III and Harry Giles taking the front line with Cauley-Stein, Sacramento has plenty of young talent to showcase each night.

General manager Vlade Divac has referred to the Kings as a “super team, just young.” This season will be a chance to show that potential.

Here are some things to watch for as training camp opens Tuesday:

The Duke connection

The Kings have two players who will get their first NBA run in 2018-19.

Bagley, this year’s No. 2 overall pick, is a power forward who the Kings feel is athletic enough to see time at all three frontcourt positions. A double-double machine in his lone season at Duke, Bagley will have a shot to show off that skill set in the NBA. His summer league was cut short due to a bruised pelvic bone, but he averaged 10.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in four games.

Giles, drafted 20th overall in 2017, saw his first action in summer league after missing last season while rehabilitating from knee surgeries. He showed why he’s been the talk of the organization for months. He even displayed some fire, trash talking and picking up some technical fouls.

Now, as the team takes the training wheels off, Giles, also a one-and-done from Duke, will look to bring his skills and passion to a team that’s been perceived as “too nice” in recent years.

They’ve been around

Despite the youth movement in Sacramento, the team also has a few long-timers who will bring valuable experience. But how will they be used?

The team’s leading scorer last year was Zach Randolph. The power forward, entering his 18th NBA season and second with Sacramento, averaged 14.5 points and started 57 of his 59 games, but his court time dropped significantly when the Kings shifted toward their young players following a Jan. 15 loss at Oklahoma City.

The two-time All-Star is the team’s elder statesman at 37 years old. Will he start or mostly serve mostly as a mentor?

Also on board are 11th-year center Kosta Koufos and eighth-year guard Iman Shumpert, two players who have multiple years of playoff experience.

The rotation

Last season, 14 Kings appeared for the opening tip, with Fox leading the way with 60 starts.

Fox and Bogdanovic project as the starting backcourt, though Bogdanovic is expected to miss some time, at least in the preseason, while recovering from a minor procedure scheduled for Monday on his left knee.

Expect a battle for minutes in the frontcourt, with Bagley, Cauley-Stein, Giles and Randolph among the candidates.

But don’t forget Justin Jackson. The second-year forward lit up the scoreboard all summer, averaging 18.1 points in seven games. Can he use that momentum to make a run the starting small forward spot? Jackson was an opening-day starter last season, but his up-and-down campaign included a short G League stint before starting the Kings’ final 35 games.

All the Kings’ men

After waiving center Deyonta Davis on Saturday, the Kings have 17 players on their training camp roster, which must be reduced to 15 by Oct. 15. They have one two-way player, who splits time with the team’s G League affiliate in Stockton, in undrafted rookie Wenyen Gabriel and can have up to two, as they did last year with forwards Jack Cooley and JaKarr Sampson.

It remains to be seen if the Kings will assign two-way status to someone or make a cut to reach 15 for the regular-season opener Oct. 17 against the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center.

Kings’ key dates

Monday: Media day

Tuesday: Training camp begins

Oct. 1: Preseason opener at Phoenix Suns, 7 p.m.

Oct. 7: Fan Fest and open practice, 1-2:30 p.m.

Oct. 15: Roster finalized by 2 p.m.

Oct. 17: Regular-season opener vs. Utah Jazz, 7 p.m.

This story was originally published September 22, 2018 at 12:53 PM.