Preseason Preview: Nets at Kings

ben_mclemore_vs_joe_johnson

Gametime: 10:00 pm PST

Where: Mercedes-Benz Arena, Shanghai, China

Broadcast Information: NBA TV, KHTK Sports 1140 (Radio)

Sacramento Kings Probable Starters (1-1)

PG: Ramon Sessions
SG: Nik Stauskas
SF: Rudy Gay
PF: Reggie Evans
C: DeMarcus Cousins

Brooklyn Nets Probable Starters (1-0)

PG: Deron Williams
SG: Bojan Bogdanovic
SF: Joe Johnson
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Brook Lopez

Three things to ponder

1. The point guard race

Through two preseason games Darren Collison and Ramon Sessions are de facto options A and 1A for head coach Michael Malone. Collison started the opener and shot 5-of-7 field goals, while Sessions earned the nod in Game 2 and produced six assists to zero turnovers. Both guards have logged even minutes and executed plays, and their versatility to slide to the two may make the final choice for starter trickier for Malone. Sophomore Ray McCallum made his first preseason appearance with less than four minutes to go in their last contest, so his role remains unclear.

2. A situation at small forward

No one should be alarmed by Rudy Gay’s cold shooting thus far, but the role behind him seems up for grabs. In Game 1 the Kings opted to slide Nik Stauskas to the three and run Collison and Sessions in the backcourt. Derrick Williams played 15 minutes, but he was a healthy scratch on Tuesday, the same day Omri Casspi scored 15 points in 26 minutes after an underwhelming seven-minute showing in the opener.

3. Intriguing DNPs

Big man wonder Sim Bhullar has played one minute with Sacramento to date. Summer league standout Eric Moreland has yet to make an appearance. Journeyman Ryan Hollins has nibbled a few minutes, but it’s likely the Kings will soon need to fork over floor time to see what they have in their rim protection department.

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