Evaluating Kings rookies, second-year guys through eight NBA summer league games originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The unbeaten Kings arrived to Las Vegas after a 3-0 showing in the California Classic, then went on to win just two of their remaining five summer league games.
They started off strong in the annual NBA Summer League showcase in Sin City, with all eyes on the Darius Acuff Jr. vs. Keaton Wagler matchup Thursday at Thomas & Mack Center.
Their next matchup brought them face-to-face with the No. 1 overall pick, AJ Dybantsa, and the Washington Wizards.
Sacramento faced Brooklyn a second time this summer, and that was proof that no matchup is the same.
Finally, they took on the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets to close out their summer showdown. Or, whatever you want to call it.
Summer league is the time to figure things out and adapt to one another. The Kings took full advantage of that, but there still is plenty to figure out.
Here are three takeaways from the Kings’ performance through eight summer league games as they posted a 5-3 record:
The rookies
No matter what game it was, what day it was, what the matchup was — all eyes always were on Acuff.
The No. 7 overall pick strung together a mixed bag through five total summer league games. He was really good at the things he was projected to be really good at, mostly, and he struggled in the areas he was expected to.
Perhaps the most glaring thing was his efficiency — or inefficiency — shooting the ball. But he’s a proven three-level scorer, so that likely will come with more reps at the NBA level.
Acuff looked like a rising star at the California Classic, dropping 25 points in his Kings debut and 22 points the following game. He attempted 48 shots between the two games.
He carried over the high-level scoring in his Vegas debut, outshining the No. 5 overall pick, Keaton Wagler, in Sacramento’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. Wagler couldn’t get much going offensively through 27 minutes, finishing with seven points on 1-7 shooting and 1 of 5 from 3-point range but making three of his four free-throw attempts. He also had two rebounds, one assist and one turnover, and was a minus-23 in plus/minus rating.
Acuff’s showing was much more promising after taking 13 more shot attempts than Wagler. The No. 7 overall pick finished with 19 points on 6-of-20 shooting from the field and 3 of 9 from long range, with three rebounds, seven assists, two steals, one block and four turnovers in 28 minutes.
Overall, in five contests, Acuff averaged 20.8 points on 35-percent shooting from the field and 27.8 percent from 3-point range, with 1.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.8 turnovers.
Meanwhile, Sacramento’s other 2026 first-round draft pick, Alex Karaban, missed all of the California Classic with an ankle sprain and made his summer league debut against the Clippers. He went scoreless in 24 minutes, missing all six of his shot attempts. He scored his first points against the Wizards on Sunday, knocking down a 24-foot 3-pointer. He finished with four points against the Nets and then blossomed against the Celtics, scoring a game-high 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting and making five of his 7 3-point attempts, with eight rebounds, one steal and one turnover.
He backed that up with an efficient 14-point performance in the finale against the Hornets.
Overall, Karaban averaged 8.4 points on 38-percent shooting from the field and 33 percent from downtown, with 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.8 turnovers in five games.
Finally, Emanuel Sharp looked the most poised, steady, and frankly, impressive of the bunch.
He looked like a product that just came out of Coach Kelvin Sampson’s program. At his introductory press conference in Sacramento, Sharp disclosed that he believes his defense is the most underrated part of his game. A few days later, he showcased just that. Watching him play defense has got to be as much of a treat for coach Doug Christie as it is for everyone else watching. He. Is. Everywhere.
He plays more physical than his size at 6-foot-3 (and probably more physical than allowed in a real NBA game). He is smart on both ends of the floor, and he plays with passion and emotion. It’s really beautiful to watch.
Sharp, who played the most games among the rookies, averaged 15.7 points on 37-percent shooting from the field, and he didn’t hesitate to let it fly from beyond the arc with 63 3-point attempts and a 34.9 percent clip, adding three rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.6 steals in seven games.
The second-year guys
Rookies entering summer league have a very unique experience. There is a little more leeway for mistakes and adjustments. With the second-year guys, not so much.
After going through a full 82-game NBA season, a second summer league stint is intended to grow and improve where you lacked as a rookie.
Let’s start with Nique Clifford, Sacramento’s sole first-round pick in 2025. Clifford needed to improve his decisiveness and aggressiveness with the ball as he approaches Year 2. At times as a rookie, he didn’t handle ball pressure well and sometimes appeared to lack confidence against good NBA defenses.
While his confidence appeared to take a significant leap on the court, there still were several instances where he looked lost or out of place with the ball in his hands. A part of that did seem to stem from being around newer rookie teammates, but that’s no excuse.
There were definitely improvements across the board with Clifford’s game, but none that wowed the crowd. Yet. There still is time to develop those skills in Year 2.
Max Raynaud has looked like a second-round steal for Scott Perry and the Kings after a promising rookie campaign. But as always, there are things to work on.
Raynaud missed all of the California Classic as he was playing for the French national team. He returned for the second game in Vegas and picked up right where he left off. Raynaud dropped a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double in his 2026 summer league debut.
His defense and rim protection need to improve, and in a small sample size, Raynaud still isn’t where he needs to be in those departments.
Dylan Cardwell has been a gem for the Kings in every way possible. The high-vibe, good-energy big man instantly became a fan favorite as a rookie. While he’s been able to hold his own defensively, the Kings need him to produce more offensively.
Cardwell averaged 8.5 points, eight rebounds, 1.5 steals and 2.8 blocks through six games.
Additionally, while the Kings certainly love and welcome his physicality, he needs to be smarter and defend without fouling. The Kings are better with him on the court, so he needs to ensure he’s available to be there.
Other notes
Turnovers were an issue for the Kings last year, and they only got worse in summer league.
Overall, Sacramento turned the ball over 118 times through eight games, including a 28-turnover game in a blowout loss to the Nets.
Acuff had a lot of those. But so did the second-year guys.
Last season, the Kings also struggled to start games off strong. That carried over in the California Classic and Summer League. Many speculated that Sacramento’s slow play last year was because of its older veterans. But a team led by 19-to 24-year-olds shouldn’t be playing this sluggishly.
There is no need to hit the panic alarms just yet, though.
Let’s check back in a few months.
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