Suns Forward Louis King Impressing in Summer League
When it comes to Phoenix Suns forward Louis King, he's been here before.
King earned MVP honors for the 2021 Summer League after propelling the Sacramento Kings to a blowout win in the championship game.
In Sacramento's 5-0 run last year, King averaged 13.5 points, five rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. He had 21 points and five steals in the title game against Boston.
So when King was added to the Suns' Summer League roster just weeks ago, Phoenix fans could reasonably expect good things out of the Oregon product.
Louis King Again Impressing in Summer League
Through three games, King has delivered thus far.
Tuesday night's 105-78 victory over the Dallas Mavericks pushed the Suns to 2-1 through three games, and King played a major role in those efforts. He paced the team with 14 points to go along with 10 rebounds, three steals, one assist and one block.
And, an emphatic dunk that netted him a technical foul (that was very worth it):
King Catches Eyes Across the Basketball World
NBA on TNT analyst Kenny Smith joined the broadcast team prior to the dunk and said King has been one of the few players to catch his eye since landing in Las Vegas.
"This is nice, man. Young fella is playing well. Because when you come into the Summer League, there's so many guys that you're not 100% familiar with. You're like, 'who's gonna catch my eye?' King's caught my eye," said Smith before listing a few other players throughout the Summer League.
Through Phoenix's first three games in Vegas, King has been the sole player to hit double-digit scoring in all three contests and owns just one of two double-doubles (completed against Dallas along with Olivier Sarr) for the Suns.
He's also the lone Suns player to score 20 or more points in the Summer League thus far.
Thus far, King has averaged 14.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists/steals per game. Phoenix is currently just one of ten teams to have a 2-1 record with more games to be played later in the week. The Utah Jazz (2-0) are the Summer League's lone undefeated team.
Could we see another strong run led by King, similar to last year?
King Eager to Prove What He's Capable of Doing
In a interview with ESPN following the win over the Mavericks, King said he's trying to show Phoenix and whoever else is watching what he's capable of doing.
"Basically, I can control the game from the one to five position, and just get my teammates in the right position so we can win the game," said King.
This isn't a new battle for King, who signed a two-way deal with the Kings in May of 2021 before being waived in February of this year. He played in just ten games for Sacramento last season.
Phoenix is set to play Sacramento on Friday.
"Right now I'm just trying to get my two feet in the door being a three-and-D guy. Once I'm in the door and get past everything else I know I will show a little bit more of what I could do."
Will that opportunity be in Phoenix? Many believe the Suns already have their roster set for the upcoming season. However, King's continued impressive performances in the Summer League should once again lead him to more avenues of playing in the league.
For now, King (who went undrafted in 2019) will continue to lead the Suns out on the floor in hopes creating similar magic like last year.
Regardless of how the Summer League finishes for Phoenix, it's evident King still has his best basketball ahead of him.
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