Stockton Kings announce their 2023-24 opening night roster
Nov 10, 2023, 3:27 PM | Updated: May 14, 2024, 8:58 am
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 07: Sacramento Kings Assistant Coach for Player Development Lindsey Harding passes the ball during the warm up before the game against the New York Knicks at Golden 1 Center on March 07, 2022 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
The 2023-24 NBA season has been underway for a few weeks, meaning the G-League is right around the corner. The Stockton Kings play their first Showcase Cup game on Friday, November 10th, on the road against the Santa Cruz Warriors and recently announced their 13-man opening night roster.
Of course, Sacramento’s two-ways, Keon Ellis, Jordan Ford, and Jalen Slawson, will have the chance to spend time with Stockton. But, excluding them, the Stockton Kings will feature just three returning players.
Deonte Burton, Chance Comanche, and Christian Terrell spent time under head coach Bobby Jackson, but this season will feature Lindsey Harding at the helm. To aid her initial season, they’ve added some experienced players to the squad: Jeremy Lamb, Jaylen Nowell, and former Kings’ first-round pick Skal Labissiere.
When asked about their roster construction at Stockon’s media day, Harding started by highlighting their experience. “We have some NBA players,” she said. “We have some players that haven’t played in the NBA that I think could be NBA players — like so, so close. I think that experience is really great for us.”
Dane Goodwin and Jake Stephens, who played for Sacramento’s Summer League team, also will suit up for the Stockton Kings. Finally, the roster rounds out with guard James Akinjo, who they acquired via trade, and their most recent G-League Draft pick, Lousiana Tech’s Kalob Ledoux.
So, Stockton’s collective opening night roster is as follows:
- James Akinjo (6’1″ – Baylor)
- Deonte Burton (6’4″ – Iowa State)
- Chance Comanche (6’10” – Arizona)
- Keon Ellis* (6’5″ – Alabama)
- Jordan Ford* (6’1″ – Saint Mary’s)
- Dane Goodwin (6’5″ – Notre Dame)
- Skal Labissiere (6’10” – Kentucky)
- Jeremy Lamb (6’5″ – Connecticut)
- Kalob Ledoux (6’4″ – Lousiana Tech)
- Jaylen Nowell (6’4″ – Washington)
- Jalen Slawson* (6’7″ – Furman)
- Jake Stephens (7’0″ – Virginia Military Institute)
- Christian Terrell (6’5″ – Sacramento State)
It’s a promising roster for the Stockton Kings, who are coming off a year where they ended the regular season with a league-best 25-7 regular season record before suffering a disappointing loss to the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the first round of the postseason.
Their experience, as mentioned above, could be crucial for success. Harding also shared that the group spent most of the offseason together and was able to work with their parent club in Sacramento.
“We have a group of guys that have been here since September,” she said. “They were like, ‘We want to be here. We want to come.’ So, we brought them to Golden 1, and they were practicing with the Sacramento Kings. They were in the gyms with them lifting, and they didn’t have to come that early. And then, before training camp, we opened it. If you want to be here, come. Up to three weeks, four weeks, we had almost my entire team here because they were so excited to come. So, for me, I can see how bad they really want it.”
The G-League is a powerful development tool when embraced and utilized ideally. The Kings seem willing to commit resources to improve upon last season’s with one apparent goal: to win the G-League championship.
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