Three takeways from the Kings’ preseason victory over the Phoenix Suns

Here are three takeaways from the Kings’ preseason opener, a 106-102 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night at Talking Stick Resort Arena:

Ferrell takes his shot(s)

The Kings shot well from outside the arc, connecting on 11 of 25 attempts for a 44 percent night.

Leading the way was Yogi Ferrell, who signed as a free agent after spending his first two NBA seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. The guard was 6 for 9 and led the Kings in scoring with 26 points.

The Suns shot just 3 for 22 from the 3-point line.

Ferrell didn’t start, but his hot shooting and solid overall play kept him on the floor. He finished with a team-high 30 minutes.

Cauley-Stein active on both sides

Willie Cauley-Stein started Monday’s game and showed plenty of hustle on both sides of the floor.

The fourth-year center reached double digits in rebounds before the halftime buzzer and shot well overall, going 7 for 11 on a mix of shots in the paint and a few midrange jumpers.

He finished with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds despite not playing in the fourth quarter.

Spreading the minutes

Coach Dave Joerger had 15 men ready to play even with Bogdan Bogdanovic and three others being ruled out before tip-off.

Eleven of them took the floor, with each one getting at least 19 minutes except for two-way player Wenyen Gabriel, who came in with less than two minutes left in the game. The only player expected to be on the regular-season roster who didn’t play was veteran forward Zach Randolph.

In a season where Joerger has said “a lot of development that needs to occur,” Randolph’s absence could be seen either as a chance to give the younger players added minutes — or he just gave the 18th-year forward the night off because he doesn’t need the experience.

This story was originally published October 1, 2018 at 10:00 PM.