Richaun Holmes’ injury opens the door for Bagley or Dedmon to rise to the occasion

Following news of layoffs and major changes at SB Nation, several writers from Sactown Royalty have joined The Bee to do what they do best: Provide commentary and information about The Sacramento Kings.

The Sacramento Kings can’t seem to shake the injury bug. Richaun Holmes is the latest to feel the pain, as the Kings announced on Sunday that his shoulder injury would sideline him for the next two or three weeks.

Holmes has been one of the most consistent performers for the Kings this season, averaging career-highs across the board as well as being one of the league’s leaders in field goal percentage (only New York’s Mitchell Robinson and Utah’s Rudy Gobert are ahead of him on that front). The 26-year-old center was signed this offseason to be an energizing presence off the bench but with injuries to Marvin Bagley III early and Dewayne Dedmon struggling, he quickly earned a starting role.

Now the tables have turned and the Kings will need both Bagley and Dedmon to step up in Holmes’ absence. This is the frontcourt pairing the Kings envisioned coming into the season, but we haven’t really gotten to see it. After Holmes usurped his starting spot, Dedmon quickly fell out of favor to the point where he completely fell out of the rotation for nearly a month. This culminated in his much-publicized trade request, for which the NBA fined him $50,000. Despite this, Dedmon rose to the occasion when finally called upon. With the Kings in dire need of frontcourt help last week with both Holmes and Bagley out, Dedmon had his number called and proved instrumental in helping Sacramento come back from a 21-point third-quarter deficit, showcasing all the skills the Kings hoped he would bring when they signed him to a three-year, $40 million contract.

Bagley, on the other hand, hasn’t been given the opportunity to prove himself for more unfortunate reasons. In the first game of the season, Bagley suffered a broken thumb in the fourth quarter, resulting in him missing the next 22 games. Eight games after returning, Bagley was finally getting into a rhythm, scoring 18 points in less than 20 minutes against the Timberwolves. But a bad step led to another extended absence. Fortunately for both Bagley and the Kings, its sounds like he’s getting closer to returning and should see the floor as soon as this week. Nobody needs this chance to shine more than Bagley, who has faced tough scrutiny on and off the floor thanks to the inevitable Luka Doncic comparisons.

While Dedmon and Bagley would be the most traditional pairing, Nemanja Bjelica has more than earned his spot in the rotation, averaging a career-high 11.7 points and 6.4 rebounds, while shooting about 41% from 3-point range. Bjelica’s shooting ability adds another dimension to the Kings’ attack and opens up the floor for someone like De’Aaron Fox. It was hoped coming into the season that Dedmon would be able to provide similar spacing after shooting over 38% from three for Atlanta last season, but to date he has made just 12 threes. Until he regains his shot, Bjelica is the only true “stretch” big on the roster.

Third-year center Harry Giles also needs some playing time, and has started at center in Holmes’ absence. Giles is still fairly raw, but he’s the best passing big man on the Kings roster and has some potential on defense as well if he can cut down on his fouls. The Kings could also opt to go small and play lineups featuring Bagley at center with Bjelica or even Harrison Barnes at power forward. That was route the Kings took Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks, with neither Giles or Dedmon seeing the floor at the same time.

It seems impossible with the Kings sporting a record of 15-24, but they aren’t out of the playoff race just yet. Holmes’ injury could prove to be a death knell, but perhaps someone will rise to the occasion like Holmes himself did early on.

Akis Yerocostas has been covering the Kings for over a decade. Follow him on Twitter at @Aykis16.

This story was originally published January 13, 2020 at 12:03 PM.