Benedict Tagle

An MRI conducted this evening in Orlando, Fla. on Kings guard De’Aaron Fox confirmed that he sustained a left ankle sprain during practice today. He will be reevaluated in 7-10 days and his status will be updated as appropriate. 

A third-year guard and fifth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft out of Kentucky, Fox is averaging 20.4 points (.475 FG%, .307 3pt%, .703 FT%), 4.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 31.7 minutes per game in 45 games (43 starts) for the Kings during the 2019-20 season. 

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De'Aaron Fox Medical Update

While the majority of NBA players today are of color, this wasn’t always the case. On Oct 31, 1950, Earl Lloyd broke the League’s color barrier when he entered the game for the Washington Capitols against the Rochester Royals (which today are now the Sacramento Kings).

While it marked a historical moment, he described it as ordinary in an interview years later.

"Rochester was a sleepy upstate town where schools were integrated and they were used to seeing blacks and whites playing together," he told Jack Saylor of the Detroit Free Press on the 50th anniversary of the game. "The game was totally, unequivocally uneventful except for the date — Oct. 31. Maybe they thought I was a goblin or something."

Two other black players Chuck Cooper and Sweetwater Clifton also made their debuts in the 1950 season, shortly after Lloyd became the first.

In 1955, the Syracuse Nationals won the NBA title, making Lloyd and teammate Jim Tucker the first black players to play for a championship team. Lloyd played a key role on the team, averaging 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds.

Lloyd was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, recognizing his contribution to the sport. His speech gave credit to his families, teachers, and coaches for their influence on his achievements.

“It’s easy to be successful when you’re surrounded by greatness,” he said in Springfield.

His contributions to the game extended beyond his playing days. When he joined the coaching staff of the Detroit Pistons in 1968, he became the first African-American assistant coach. He was the second African-American head coach in NBA history when he took over the Pistons in 1971.

Lloyd pioneered a new era of basketball. Breaking the color barrier is a feat that will forever be remembered in NBA history.

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Earl Lloyd: The Man Who Broke the NBA’s Color Barrier

Following the midseason trade of DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento used a combination of youth and veteran leadership to anchor the middle, seeing steady contributions from the trio of Willie Cauley-Stein, Georgios Papagiannis and Kosta Koufos.

Inserted into a starting role in the second half of the season, the athletic seven-footer thrived with increased responsibility. As a starter, Trill averaged 13.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while showcasing a deft touch with the ball as his assist averaged increased to 2.5 per contest as a starter.

In games with at least 30 minutes, the former Kentucky standout averaged a double-double, tallying 15.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. During these contests, the team benefitted, exemplified by their 6-6 record in games Cauley-Stein saw at least 30 minutes of action.

Recording single game career-highs of 29 points and 16 rebounds during the year, Trill showcased the skill fans hoped to see when he was picked in the top 10 of the NBA Draft in 2015.

Playing consistently throughout the season, veteran center Kosta Koufos averaged 6.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. In his two seasons with the Kings, No. 41’s best came in 2016-17. Between field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and rebounds per game, Koufos improved upon his first year averages in Sacramento this season.

A stalwart in the rotation, the Greek center played a key role on the defensive end of the ball. One of the NBA’s best at utilizing defensive verticality – contesting shots without fouling - he held opposing players to under 50 percent shooting from the field.

Working with Skal Labissiere, Cauley-Stein, and Papagiannis prior to every game, the nine-year vet was also an important veteran presence for the young trio of big men.

Spending the start of the season between Sacramento and Reno, rookie center Georgios Papagiannis made the most of the opportunities presented to him. While in Reno, No. 13 averaged 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, scoring in double figures in 18 of the last 20 games he suited up for the Bighorns. Papagiannis also recorded six double-doubles for Reno in his final 12 games for the Kings D-League affiliate, in addition to averaging 2.6 blocks per game.

Getting the call-up from the Kings, the 19-year-old center saw consistent playing time in the team’s final stretch of the season, posting 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

Displaying a soft touch, Papagiannis shot 54.9 percent from the field, second-best on the team behind Koufos.

Showing growth throughout his time in Sactown, Big Papa closed out the season strong, scoring in double-digits in the three of the Kings last five games.

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Positional Breakdown in Review: Center

After serving the last five seasons with the Orlando Magic, Scott Perry joins the Kings front office as Executive Vice President. Before his time in Orlando, Perry spent 12 seasons with the Detroit Pistons as a Collegiate Scout (2000-02), Director of Player Personnel (2002-2007) and later as Vice President of Basketball Operations (2008-12).
 
During his tenure in the Motor City, the Pistons reached the Eastern Conference Finals on six occasions (2003-08), made consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals (2004 and 2005) and won an NBA Title in 2004.
 What will you be focusing on as Executive Vice President?

I’ll be assisting Vlade with a lot of the day-to-day operations with the team. I will be working with player agents, the team, helping formulate trade ideas and free agency initiatives while working closely with the rest of the front office team. I’m focused on trying to improve our basketball team and creating an environment that is conducive to getting the incredible fans here something they really want – and that’s a winning team.
 
This is a very special fanbase in Sacramento. Having to come in here as a visitor for a number of years (I’m finishing my 17th season in the NBA) I can recall a lot of great times here in Sacramento and look forward to many more to come.
 What excites you the most about joining the Kings?

A number of things. The people, the chance to work with Vlade, who’s been respected for a number of years, not only as a very good player but now that he’s made the transition to the front office, just a good person. That’s important to me – to be around good people.
 
I think the timing too, is important. It’s an exciting opportunity. It’s a young basketball team, that’s obviously in the growing and developmental stages. I see a great opportunity to help elevate the situation, improve and get back to the winning days.
 You’ve had your hand in coaching, scouting, player personnel and other positions. Are there any valuable lessons you’ve learned along the way?

It’s a people game. At the core of every successful organization are good quality people – from all the people in the front office to the coaching staff and the players – it’s important to have high character people who have one goal in mind and that’s winning.
 
For the team, you chuck all individual agendas and leave them at the door when you come into the office. Once you come into this office, we’re working together, it’s always fun.
 
You need to create a team that is about sacrifice and helping the next person, about subverting your ego a little bit, for the betterment of the team. That’s what winning entails.
 
My 11 years in Detroit were the best example for me of that. I lived it. Worked it every day. Coaching staff, players, front office personnel, maintenance persons, it didn’t matter. If you’re in this building, you’re part of our team.
 
And that’s something in my role here that I’m going to take very seriously and bring to the office every day and make sure I can help put that stamp, if you will, in the building.

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Kings Q&A: Scott Perry

As the 2016-17 season neared its close, Willie Cauley-Stein found his groove alongside rookie bigs Georgios Papagiannis and Skal Labissiere. As Cauley-Stein’s playing time increased, his role as a leader among the young trio of big men increased.

In a video from Yardbarker, the second-year big man discusses his recent growth and future projections in Sactown.

With Labissiere and Papagiannis in their first NBA seasons, Trill took the two rooks under his wing to teach them the ins and outs of the Association.

Though there’s just a one season difference in experience between Trill and the frontcourt duo, WCS has plenty of insight to share. “We’re trying to build a culture, a family first culture,” Cauley-Stein explained.

In the same way, the duo has challenged him early and often between games and practices.

With a more vocal role as a leader and improved skillset, Cauley-Stein looks to play an even bigger role in his third year in the league.

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Cauley-Stein Fostering 'Family First' Culture

With his rookie campaign in the rearview, Georgios Papagiannis has turned his focus to building towards next season.

Following an impressive finish to his rookie campaign, Papagiannis has been hard at work in the weight room alongside Kings Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Ramsey Nijem. Nijem recently uploaded several clips of the 7-foot-1 center’s time in the gym, exemplifying the 19-year-old’s work ethic.
See No. 13 at work below.

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Papagiannis Focused on Physique

Following a midseason move that sent rookie Buddy Hield from New Orleans to Sacramento, the 2016 lottery draft pick focused on one thing - improving his game.

In an interview with NBC Sports California, Hield described the trade as a wake up call, “so you go into your own element and try to make yourself better.”

The Bahamian native put those words into action, with the results being reflected in his season splits. No. 24’s averages increased from 8.6 points and 2.9 rebounds to 15.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest with the Kings. His field goal percentage jumped up from 39 percent with the Pelicans to 48 percent in Sactown.

Despite the growth, the 23-year-old isn’t satisfied, aiming to build off his first year with a dedicated offseason plan.

“I need a lot of things, this summer is great for me because next year it will show how big of a jump I can make,” he told NBC Sports California. “After that, we build off of that. Just keep building. I’m never going to take a step back.”

The confident shooting guard continued by detailing his high ambitions to NBC’s James Ham.

“…people might be satisfied with (his rookie campaign), but I’m trying to build and make progress and try to get this franchise to the playoffs,” he concluded.

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Hield Shares Vision for Future

In late April, Kings General Manager Vlade Divac hired Luke Bornn as Vice President of Strategy and Analytics. Bornn comes to Sacramento after most recently serving as Head of Analytics for A.S. Roma of the Italian Serie A Football League. He has also held professorships in the Statistics departments at Harvard University and Simon Fraser University.

Bornn is a well-known expert in sports analytics, having been a mainstay at the renowned MIT Sloan Analytics Conference. He has authored numerous papers covering the NBA and is frequently referenced by the media as an analytics expert.
 
In his role with the Kings, Bornn will use data engineering and collection alongside machine learning techniques to advise basketball operations staff and provide valuable insights on roster compilation, player evaluation and overall strategy.

Kings.com had a chance to speak with Bornn on his new role and how he will help Sacramento basketball.
 How excited were you about joining the Kings?

“Super excited. I think the team is really promising and young. The front office with Vlade [Divac], Ken [Catanella], Mike [Bratz], Peja [Stojakovic], and Scott [Perry] – it’s a lot of forward looking individuals focused on winning and turning this franchise around. I’m really excited to be a part of that.”
 What is the primary difference, if any, from going from basketball to soccer, and back to basketball?

“First there’s the logistical differences of being in Rome, learning Italian, and working alongside very traditional Italian soccer culture. In contrast, basketball tends to have more use of data and technology, and as a sport is much more evolved in its use of analytics.” 

"Since joining the Kings, I’m often asked ‘Coming from soccer, what can you do in basketball?’ Interestingly, it’s the same question I got when I went to Roma, with people asking me ‘Coming from basketball, what can you do in soccer?’, as the bulk of my research and work before joining Roma was in basketball."

"When people talk about applying statistical methods to sports, they tend to tie together basketball and hockey and soccer, and that’s for good reason. These sports have a lot of similarities in the way people move, coordinated offensive and defensive actions, and so on. As a result, there’s a lot of carryover of ideas and techniques, but at the same time, there is of course a lot of unique challenges in each sport as well. For instance, the amount of data in basketball is much, much bigger, purely because of the technology that has been implemented — player tracking data, for example.”
 What do you believe is the most important data you can provide to a GM?

“I don’t think there’s any one magic number for player evaluation or strategy or scouting -- it really is context-specific."

"So, what you look at for an off-the-bench shooting guard is very different than what you might look at for a starting center. It’s about knowing the right suite of metrics that help you understand a player’s full game. There are metrics which try to capture a players’ overall performance in a single number, but if you really want to understand how a player is going to fit within your team, you must go beyond these one-size-fits-all metrics and dig in to the characteristics of each player’s playing style and how they’re going to contribute on the court.”
  What do you feel is your biggest opportunity to contribute to the team?

“Ultimately my role, and that of analytics more broadly, is to help the team make better, more objective decisions. Vlade, Ken and others in the front office have done a great job with planning and decision-making this past year, and my role will be to continue to expand and improve upon that. It’s all about getting all the information we have into a single, easily accessible place, and then making sure our decisions are driven by that information.

What is your ultimate goal for the analytics department and for the team in general?

“It’s Vlade who’s driving the direction of this team, and I love the way he envisions it. It’s a team that’s very unselfish, a team that’s moving the ball, a team that’s creating opportunities for one another."

"To align with that vision, I’m currently working towards setting up an analytics team and infrastructure so that there are processes and systematic decision-making tools in place that will be used for years and years down the road. We want these tools to help us make decisions that align with the team’s strategic vision, so that we are doings things that achieve those objectives not just this year, but for years into the future.”