Timme Strengthens Case to Crack Kings, NBA Summer League Roster originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Drew Timme is doing everything you can to make the Kings’ regular-season roster, although it wasn’t easy.
A three-time All-American and two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year who holds the career scoring record at Gonzaga, Timme has benefited from Summer League as much, if not more, than any other Sacramento player.
Two days after scoring 19 points in 22 minutes for the Utah Jazz, Timme put together a solid stat line in Wednesday’s 106-105 loss to the New York Knicks in Las Vegas. Timme had nine points with three assists, a steal and a block, but committed four fouls and was responsible for three of Sacramento’s 18 turnovers.
“It’s really easy to be on a team where guys like to move the ball,” Timme said after Monday’s game against the Jazz. “Sometimes it’s my night, sometimes it’s another guy’s night. It doesn’t matter. We just try to make the best play every time.”
As big as he is, Timme is quite adept at moving the ball and creating space for open shots from his teammates.
But the 6-foot-9 forward was not drafted out of college in 2023. He spent time with the Milwaukee Bucks’ G-League team last season, when he also suffered a foot injury.
Now healthy, Timme is once again trying to establish himself on an NBA team. This time it’s in Sacramento, where the Kings don’t exactly have a pressing need for the big man.
Sacramento already has Domantis Sabonis and Alex Len ahead of it on the depth chart. Timme is a more versatile scorer and has greater body mass than Len, although many scouts view Timme as a one-dimensional type of scorer.
In a league that is moving away from the traditional big man role, Timme’s battle remains uphill.
He showed some of the upside in his game against the Knicks, scoring five points early — including a rare 3-pointer — and also made a crucial steal from behind in the fourth quarter.
There is still time in Summer League for Timme to improve his value to the Kings, and he believes he can be a benefit to Sacramento if he sticks around.
“Just a smart guy trying to make a smart play,” Timme said when asked to evaluate himself. “I don’t have the best, maybe, physical or vertical attributes, but I’m going to find ways to make an impact.”
