Two positives, two negatives from Kings' 20-point road loss to Pelicans

Through two games, the Kings continue to show signs of their youth. It didn’t take long for the New Orleans Pelicans to adjust to Sacramento’s game plan Friday evening. Once they got comfortable, the Pelicans put on an offensive display, setting a franchise record for most points scored in a game.

It wasn’t a typical blowout. It felt like more of a track meet that got sloppy. The Kings need to find a way to push the tempo, but not settle for the first shot they are given. In the immortal words of John Wooden, they need figure out how to, “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” 

Here are two positives and two negatives that can be taken from Game 2 of the regular season.

POSITIVES

Bagley takes advantage of his opportunity

Bagley made a few waves with his postgame comments following the opener. In game two, coach Dave Joerger was forced to turn to his young power forward early when Nemanja Bjelica picked up two quick fouls and Bagley showed up.

The 19-year-old hustled the glass and scored in a variety of ways in the post. His spin move around and dunk around Anthony Davis in first half was spectacular, as was his alley-oop catch and finish.

Bagley is a quick study and he’s already shown improvement. He doesn’t back down from a challenge, but eventually, he’ll need to play defense as well.

The rookie finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the loss. He’s confident in his abilities and only going to get better as the season goes on.

Offensive outburst

Bagley wasn’t the only King to put up numbers. Willie Cauley-Stein dropped in 20 points and seven rebounds. De’Aaron Fox added 18 points, six assists and seven rebounds in just 27 minutes. Frank Mason came off the Kings bench to score 18 points and dish out six assists, and Buddy Hield chipped in 17 points while starting at the three.

Sacramento shot 52.1 percent on 96 field goal attempts. They also hit 10-of-25 from behind the arc and went to the line 26 times. The Kings are playing fast and aggressive on the offensive end. They’ve also done a nice job protecting the ball, giving it away just 13 times in a wild up and down affair. 

NEGATIVES

Too easy

149 points. That’s crazy for a regulation NBA game. For the second straight contest, the Kings struggled to stop anyone on the opposing team. They are slow to rotate, they sag on the perimeter and they are getting killed on the glass. 

None of this is unexpected. The team is pushing the tempo and running a bunch of kids onto the floor. They’ll pick up the scheme and learn to communicate better soon enough, but in the meantime, they are going to take some lumps. 

New Orleans shot 58.9 percent from the field and hit 16-of-31 from behind the arc. They put on a passing clinic and they finished with eight players in double-figure scoring. The Pelicans are a tough playoff team, but the Kings need to do a better job of slowing their opponent, regardless of who they are playing.

Foul trouble

With Bagley having a bust out game, Harry Giles struggled with foul trouble again. In the opener, Giles picked up a quick foul every time he entered the game. Against the Pelicans, he was able to last 18 minutes before picking up six fouls and getting sent to the sidelines. 

Giles pays an aggressive style and loves to mix it up. His issues with fouls is a young player problem that usually gets better over time. Similar to DeMarcus Cousins when he was a young player, Giles has picked up two or three fouls per game that are completely avoidable. 

It’s not all bad for the 20-year-old rookie. He played inspired defense on Anthony Davis on multiple possessions and showed he’s not afraid to get physical. Giles finished the night with seven points on 3-of-11 shooting and added four rebounds. It won’t be long until the game starts to slow down for the young big.

The rookie wasn’t the only player to hear the whistle. Bagley finished with five fouls and both Cauley-Stein and Skal Labissiere each picked up four.