SACRAMENTO -- Dave Joerger went mad scientist in the Sacramento Kings preseason opener Monday evening Phoenix. In a league that keeps getting smaller, Joerger bucked the trend and sent what he's now calling his "4-7s group."
For a short stretch in the team's win over the Suns, Joerger turned to Frank Mason III to run the point and then surrounded him with Skal Labissiere, Marvin Bagley III, Harry Giles III, and Willie Cauley-Stein.
"Well, I'm trying to get a lot of those guys developed in gameplay minutes and it can be a challenge," Joerger said following practice on Wednesday. "It's something we'll mess around with a little bit and it definitely caught some people's attention."
Giles, listed at 6-foot-10, 250-pounds, was the shortest of the bigs. He was also one of those caught off guard by the lineup.
"It was different, just a surprise, I was like ‘okay'," the redshirt rookie said. "Coach, he put us all in, it was like, ‘for real?' He was like, ‘Harry, sit down (in the huddle during a timeout)' and I was like, ‘me?' I seen Skal, Willie and Marv already. It was cool, something that we're willing to try again."
Giles said that the team hasn't practiced the look and that the players were caught off guard by it. He also said that he and the other bigs will be ready next time the 4-7s is called.
"Some people are going to talk their junk about it, but you know, the NBA changes every day. So that's interesting," Giles said.
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Like the rest of the group, Giles had no idea what position he was playing.
"I don't know about that one," De'Aaron Fox said with a smile. "It was interesting, but for us, it's all about executing."
In 1:17 minutes of action, the 4-7s were outscored 3-0 and turned the ball over twice. Joerger said he's willing to try it again in the preseason as he looks to get as many minutes for his young core as possible.
