The Sacramento Kings must look to the future, starting with rookie Justin James

As the fourth quarter began Wednesday night in Golden 1 Center, the Sacramento Kings trailed the Oklahoma City Thunder 96-76. The Thunder pushed their lead to 29 points before Sacramento’s final reserves came on and wrestled the advantage back down to 120-100 by the final whistle.

The result was not particularly surprising, but some of the players responsible for Oklahoma City’s emphatic win were not the usual suspects. The Thunder played Darius Bazley for 17 minutes, Hamidou Diallo for 18 minutes, and Luguentz Dort for 27 minutes. All three are relatively unheralded prospects under the age of 22.

Meanwhile the Kings stuck with their veterans deep into the blowout, including the curious decision to play 34-year-old journeyman Anthony Tolliver for the entirety of the final quarter.

The contrast in each team’s youth movement was particularly stark when watching Dort, who wasn’t drafted, score a career-high 23 points while Sacramento’s only available rookie, Justin James, rode the bench until the final four minutes of garbage time.

Now, not every rookie automatically deserves to play, and it isn’t some great crime to rely on older players. But at some point the Kings will need to look at their future, especially if they hope to keep the increasingly restless Sacramento fan base in their seats.

James has been exciting in his limited time on the court. He has shown flashes of promise in each game where he has played meaningful minutes.

On Nov. 22, James recorded 14 points, three rebounds and three assists in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets. A week later, he posted six points, seven rebounds and a pair of steals in a win over the Denver Nuggets.

A month later, James went 5 of 11 from the field and 3 of 5 from 3-point range for an efficient 14 points in a losing effort against the Indiana Pacers, his best offensive performance of the year. And even more promising is his execution on the small things that don’t show up in the box score.

Those are the only three games where James played 20 minutes or more. It’s not a big sample size, but it’s one that absolutely deserves investment.

The 23-year-old swingman from the University of Wyoming is a bouncing ball of athleticism at all times. He moves well for a player listed at 6-foot-7 and 190 pounds. There’s no question he has the speed and energy to run with franchise cornerstones De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley.

His defensive versatility has been impressive as well. James creates steals, blocks shots and makes smart rotations that even experienced vets sometimes fail to recognize. He’s looking less like a rookie every day.

“I played four years of college basketball,” James said after the game. “People say I’m a rookie, but me playing the extra four years coming out of high school helps a lot. I’ve seen a lot of basketball.”

Even in the closing minutes against the Thunder, James rewarded fans that chose to stay by crossing up Abdel Nader, driving baseline and hanging in the air to finish a reverse layup that used the rim to protect his release.

“I just tried to get extended and have the rim protect me just so the defender couldn’t get near me,” said James. “But in my mind I’m not really thinking about too much. I’m just playing basketball and I’m just playing off instincts.”

James went on to confirm that defensive effort, basketball IQ and versatility are parts of the game he prides himself in. He says he is focusing a lot of his energy in the weight room, working on his body to prepare for the physical demands of a career in the NBA.

It’s a good thing that James is getting himself ready for more playing time, because if the Kings recognize their need to develop the youth, then James should be in line for more of it.

Sacramento had three second-round draft picks last year, and they will have eight more in just the next two offseasons. With limited cap space, a few of those picks will probably need to become rotation-level players to help the Kings move into postseason contention.

It looks like the Kings did well by selecting James 40th overall over last summer. Now it’s time for the team to back themselves and let the rookie show what he’s got.