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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham
@jameshamnba.bsky.social
7.4K followers 65 following 1.3K posts
Kings Insider for ESPN 1320 and The Kings Beat. Long time beat writer, podcaster and radio personality covering the NBA's Sacramento Kings.
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James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 13h
6. So many fouls. It's preseason for everyone, including the officials. The first half felt like it took two hours as the teams combined for 33 fouls and 45 free throw attempts. They made an adjustment at the break, but it was a grind with 64 total fouls and 73 combined free throws. Yuck.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 13h
5. Not on the bingo card. Dario Saric played just 16 games last season for the Nuggets and he didn't step on the floor in game 1 of the preseason. In game 2, Saric shot 4-for-4 from 3 on his way to 14 points in just 14 minutes. Not bad.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 13h
4. Getting comfortable. It might take a little while for rookie Nique Clifford to settle in once the regular season starts, but the early returns in preseason are very good. Clifford posted 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block in 26 minutes.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 13h
3. Too physical? Domantas Sabonis attacked the Blazers bigs in the post, finishing with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block. On the downside, he picked up 3 fouls in the first quarter and 5 for the game in 17 minutes.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 13h
2. Uh oh. Keegan Murray has yet to make a 3-pointer, but he is playing an aggressive style on both ends of the court. Murray finished the night with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. He also sat out the second half due to a left thumb injury.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 13h
1. Seen enough. Zach LaVine is ready to start the regular season. The veteran shooting guard is silky smooth and the only Kings player that can consistently hit a 3-point shot. LaVine finished with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 5-for-8 from long range.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 13h
Better, but not good enough. The Kings looked like a more cohesive unit in their second preseason game. They didn't get outscored by 30 from behind the arc and they were much better defensively. The result was a competitive 124-123 loss to the Blazers. Here are 6 quick thoughts.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 14h
From Kings:
INJURY UPDATE vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 10/10 Keegan Murray (Left Thumb) - WILL NOT RETURN
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 1d
According to a league source, the Sacramento Kings are signing Daniel Batcho and Mitch Mascari today. The duo will be waived later in the day with the hopes that they will both join the Stockton Kings.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 1d
Ep. 257 of The Kings Beat Podcast: Kings drop preseason opener to the Raptors, still a work in progress. With Brenden Nunes and Sean Cunningham kings-beat.beehiiv.com/p/kings-drop...
Kings drop preseason opener to the Raptors, still a work in progress
Ep. 257 of The Kings Beat Podcast
kings-beat.beehiiv.com
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 1d
The Sacramento Kings have waived Dexter Dennis:
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 2d
Clifford finished with 10 points and 9 assists.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 2d
6. Trouble with the triple. The Kings couldn't guard the 3-ball at all last season and game 1 of preseason was much of the same. The Raptors finished 20-for-37 from long range, outscoring the Kings 60-to-30 from deep. This trend needs to end asap.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 2d
5. Welcome to the show. Rookies Nique Clifford, Dylan Cardwell and Maxime Raynaud made their debuts. Clifford appears to be part of the 10-man rotation. Cardwell and Raynaud aren't. Clifford scored 8 points and dished out 9 assists. Cardwell scored 12 points. Raynaud added 7 points and 6 boards.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 2d
4. Quiet night. DeMar DeRozan didn't take his first shot until midway through the second quarter. When you're in year 17, scoring preseason buckets isn't really a priority. DeRozan finished with 6 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 2d
3. Aggressive, but... Keegan Murray is looking for a breakout fourth season. He got the Kings on the board with a dunk in traffic, but on the offensive end, that was the highlight. Murray finished with 6 points, but shot just 2-for-9 from the field. He added 4 blocks.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 2d
2. We heard throughout training camp that the Kings were going to move Domantas Sabonis around the court this season. It was subtle, but Sabonis attacked from different angles from the jump. Sabonis posted 19 points and chipped in 4 rebounds.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 2d
1. Midseason form. Zach LaVine was engaged on the defensive end and even forced a few mistakes from the Raptors. On offense, it was effortless. LaVine scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3 makes from behind the arc before sitting out the second half.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 2d
A work in progress. The Sacramento Kings opened their preseason schedule against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. It wasn't pretty as the Kings were manhandled by a final of 130-122. Here are six quick thoughts:
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 2d
Hearing that nothing is wrong with Zach LaVine. The Kings planned to keep him out in the second half to play other players.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 2d
Starters:
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 5d
Sunday Musings: Can Scott Perry and Doug Christie avoid the pitfalls of previous Kings regimes?
kings-beat.beehiiv.com/p/sunday-mus...
Sunday Musings: Can Scott Perry and Doug Christie avoid the pitfalls of previous Kings regimes?
Scott Perry and Doug Christie work to form lasting bond
kings-beat.beehiiv.com
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 12d
Basketball is back. Sacramento Kings kickoff 2025-26 campaign with Media Day. kings-beat.beehiiv.com/p/basketball...
Basketball is back. Sacramento Kings set to open 2025-26 training camp
Kings kickoff 2025-26 campaign with Media Day
kings-beat.beehiiv.com
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 12d
No, the Jaylin Williams that played at Auburn and then in the G League last season. So many Jaylin Williams.
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jameshamnba.bsky.social
James Ham @jameshamnba.bsky.social · 12d
According to the NBA's transaction log, the Kings have waived Jameer Nelson Jr. and Jaylin Williams. They were on Exhibit 10 contracts and the Stockton Kings have returning player rights for both.
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