Kings mailbag: What happens to Harry Giles and Alex Len when Richaun Holmes returns?
There was a buzz inside Golden 1 Center on Sunday when the Kings came home after continuing their improbable run to postseason contention with a 3-1 road trip.
The team announced center Richaun Holmes was nearing a return from injury. Point guard De’Aaron Fox declared he would play against the Detroit Pistons despite some nagging injuries. Fans were bursting with newfound enthusiasm and excitement as they filled the arena before the game, but the buzz promptly turned to boos as the Kings fell behind 18-1 and 27-6 before rallying for a 106-100 victory.
Kings coach Luke Walton yanked four of his five starters in the opening minutes and turned to his bench for a spark. Everybody breathed a big sigh of relief and concluded they would have to do better when they played the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, but the day’s events raised a number of questions. We have answers in this week’s Kings mailbag.
@OZepeda32 asks: Can the Kings afford to fall behind 18-1 ever again?
Let’s ask8ball.net: “My sources say no.”
@Amend70 asks: How does Holmes’ return impact the current rotation?
Holmes is progressing in his recovery from a right labral tear that has caused him to miss the past 23 games. The team said Sunday that Holmes was moving into full-contact activities and could return to practice later this week.
When Fox and Marvin Bagley III returned from injuries earlier this season, Walton brought both off the bench in the early stages of their respective comebacks to reintegrate them into the rotation and manage their minutes restrictions. We still don’t know when Holmes will be back and whether his minutes will be restricted. Given the way the Kings have played lately, it would not be a surprise if Walton eases Holmes into action in a backup role at first, but Walton acknowledged “it is easier to get someone like Richaun back into the flow of things because of what he does and how he plays and how he makes other guys around him better just by being that guy who sets screens, rolls hard, puts pressure on the rim every time.”
One way or another, Walton will have to free up minutes at the center position. He could reduce the number of minutes Nemanja Bjelica and Harrison Barnes get at center in small-ball lineups, but Walton thinks those lineups have been good for the team at times and that wouldn’t create enough minutes for Holmes anyway. The only way to free up significant minutes for Holmes is to cut back on minutes for Harry Giles III and/or Alex Len, both of whom have contributed to the team’s improved play recently.
@Kellen_Browning asks: What does the frontcourt rotation look like when Holmes comes back? And which of them guards Zion?
Walton said he is discussing this issue with members of his staff. He has not finalized his plans for Holmes, Giles and Len, but he said matchups could determine who plays from night to night and admitted that “most likely we won’t play all three within the same game.”
This is going to be a difficult decision for the coaching staff. Consider the per-36-minute averages for Holmes, Giles and Len from Basketball-Reference.com:
▪ Holmes: 16.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.7 blocks.
▪ Giles: 16.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.0 blocks.
▪ Len: 10.5 points, 16.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals, 3.7 blocks.
Holmes has an offensive rating of 133 and a defensive rating of 107, giving him a net rating of plus-26. Giles has a net rating of plus-five with an offensive rating of 113 and a defensive rating of 108. Len, in his first five games for the Kings, had a net rating of plus-15 with an offensive rating of 118 and a defensive rating of 103.
Do you want to give up the energy, excitement, scoring and playmaking abilities Giles provides? Or do you want to sacrifice the interior size and toughness you get from Len, who is 7 feet tall and 250 pounds?
“We’ll manage that when we get to it,” Walton said. “Harry’s playing very solid for us right now, making plays, playing with an edge. Alex is doing a really nice job, giving us something we didn’t have as that big 7-foot center. And Richaun is maybe having the most consistent year out of anybody. We’ll get to that when we get to it.”
As for guarding Zion Williamson, good luck. Williamson is 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds with eye-popping athleticism. He has logged 91 percent of his minutes at power forward and nine percent at center, according to Basketball-Reference. In his first 15 NBA games, he has averaged 24.1 points on 59.3-percent shooting from the field and 41.7-percent shooting from 3-point range. I don’t know if anyone can guard him.
@Amend70 asks: Does (Bagley) return this year? If so, does he start?
There is still no timeline for Bagley’s return. The Kings announced Feb. 20 that Bagley recently incorporated stationary shooting and partial weight-bearing conditioning activities into his rehabilitation program. He is also running under water and using an antigravity treadmill. The team said an update on his status would be provided in three weeks, so we should hear more next week.
At that point, the Kings will have less than five weeks remaining in the regular season. The Kings want to get him back on the floor to further his development, but if they are still in a playoff race his return might disrupt the chemistry and cohesiveness the team has waited so long to establish this season.
If he returns, Bagley will almost certainly come off the bench.
@jobulicious asks: What was (general manager Vlade Divac’s) reason for not picking up Giles’ extension?
The Kings declined their fourth-year option on Giles’ rookie-scale contract in October. Divac has not explained his decision publicly, but there have been rumblings about Giles’ summer work ethic and readiness for the season.
Giles missed most of training camp and the start of the season due to knee soreness. Given his history of knee injuries, that might have been a factor in the decision as well.
@Jeff77188779 asks: Will the Kings be able to bring back Giles now that his option wasn’t picked up? It needs to happen!
Under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement, the Kings can offer Giles $3.97 million in the first year with annual 8 percent raises. Other teams can offer more money.
Only six teams are projected to have salary cap space this summer, but lots of teams will be able to come up with more than $4 million using mid-level exceptions. It’s unclear at this point what kind of offers Giles will command as an unrestricted free agent this summer. The love between Giles and Sacramento fans has been well documented, but his agent might advise him to go to the highest bidder.
