Precious Achiuwa, ready for the Sacramento Kings' season after "sitting out for a long time," says scoring isn't his job: "I don't really care offensively. It's just my job here is to make these guys better." Top priority: get Zach LaVine going early, and Darius Acuff Jr. too.
Darius Acuff Jr. is the lone inexperienced player in the Sacramento Kings' first lineup. Zach LaVine called him a gifted, high-IQ point guard whose preseason mixed uncertain moments with dominant ones: "Darius has been good... And then things where he's dominating."
Zach LaVine on the Sacramento Kings' starters barely playing together in preseason: "it sucks." Doug Christie: "it took the last game to finally see a unit out there that you can see hitting the court." Asked if that group starts the season, he said: "we'll have to see."
A young Kings player went down holding his knee, and Zach LaVine wouldn't guess how bad: "The way he grabbed his knee, obviously I don't want to put anything out there." Ben Simmons and Keegan Murray made preseason debuts; LaVine said Simmons looked healthy all camp.
Darius Acuff Jr., 19, already has Zach LaVine expecting defenses to key on him: "there's going to be games where they're going to be loading up on me or him." LaVine on the Kings rookie's scoring: "You don't average 25 in college for no reason. Kid can score."
"I don't think I've dunked one time in training camp yet." Former dunk contest champion Zach LaVine of the Sacramento Kings says he "can't do that no more" but promised he'll "get some during preseason."