Depth. That was the Sacramento Kings’ claim to fame after a summer of change. 17 games into the season, that depth is the only reason that Sacramento has a fighting chance to recover from their horrendous start.

Injuries have sapped head coach Luke Walton’s rotation, leaving him to institute new schemes while adjusting to personnel. Despite back-to-back losses to the Celtics and 76ers, the Kings are still 7-5 over their last 12 games and four of those losses are by a combined 13 points.

Since it is Thanksgiving, this is a good chance to take a moment to dive into a few positives and negatives for the Kings' season with regards to depth. There are a few players stepping up, some that are being asked to do too much and a couple that aren’t living up to their billing.

The 3-4 week window for re-evaluation did not result in a return for De’Aaron Fox, as he’ll be out a lot longer than that. On the plus side, he was able to take his boot off and walk on his injured ankle after just five days. That is half of the time that was initially predicted and it’s a good sign. But Fox’s recovery time is closer to 6-8 weeks than it is a month. If he returns before Jan. 1, it would be a shock. Keep in mind that a bad ankle can become a chronic issue and limit a career long-term. Allowing the ligaments to heal 100 percent is a key, and even then, this could be an issue that returns down the road.



Buddy Hield without Fox is not the same. Hield is a great shooter and he has significantly improved at creating space and scoring off the dribble. Fox gets Hield 2-3 wide-open 3-pointers every game with his speed, which forces defenses to sag off just a little. Hield is averaging close to the 20.7 points per game he averaged last season, but after the loss to Philly, he's shooting just 38.6 percent from three. That’s still a really good clip, but it’s well below the 42.7 percent he averaged last year. On the plus side, Hield is on pace to make 318 3-pointers this season, which is 40 more than he converted a season ago.



Cory Joseph wasn’t supposed to play this much. It’s hard not to get frustrated with the overdribbling and poor shooting, but Joseph is being asked to anchor the defense on one end and then run the offense on the other side of the court. Since taking over as the starter eight games ago, Joseph is averaging 4.4 points, 5.8 assists and 31 minutes per contest while shooting 29.4 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from 3-point range. He’s better against second-team players and as a secondary role player on offense. In a perfect world, Joseph would be playing 14-16 minutes a night as the secondary ball-handler alongside Bogdan Bogdanovic. That is not the hand that Walton or Joseph were dealt with the injury to Fox.



Justin James is fun. The 23-year-old rookie played just 15 minutes over five games to start the season. But with so many bodies missing, the second-round pick out of Missouri is getting some burn and brings a lot to the table. Over his last four games, James has played 20.5 minutes per contest and been a cumulative minus-3 over that span. For a player that wasn’t expected to see time at all this season, he has been able to provide energy, defense and an occasional highlight-reel play. Walton has to like what he is seeing from James so far, especially with Trevor Ariza on hiatus.



The Kings need Dewayne Dedmon to snap out of his funk. The veteran center posted a nice game against Philly, finishing with 18 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes of action. That was the first time this season Dedmon had gone for more than 11 points after averaging 10.8 points per game last year in Atlanta. Walton needs the player who shot 38.2 percent from 3-point range last season, not the one that has hit just 10-of-42 (23.8 percent) from deep through 17 games. In all fairness, Dedmon was supposed to be paired with Marvin Bagley, but that ended after the opener. If he doesn't find his game now, there’s a good chance he’ll lose his spot in the rotation when Bagley is finally healthy, which could come as early as this weekend.



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