Marvin Bagley III Shines as Kings Rout Trae Young, Hawks

Harry Giles scored 20 points in 21 minutes and Marvin Bagley III added 17 points and 12 boards as the Sacramento Kings beat the Atlanta Hawks 135-113 on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.

Trae Young contributed 23 points and eight assists for the 16-34 Hawks. The Kings improved to 26-25.

Marvin Bagley III Proves His Starting Lineup Placement Is Overdue

It's not a coincidence that the Kings are now 6-11 when Bagley plays 15 or fewer minutes (or not at all) and 20-14 otherwise. It's also not an accident that the Kings coasted to victory Wednesday largely because Bagley's 13 points and seven rebounds in 14 first-half minutes helped Sacramento to a 67-53 edge at the break.

Simply put, the Kings need to give the talented big man more playing time, and that begins with Bagley's placement in the starting five.

There's merit to bringing him along slowly and not putting too much on the rookie's plate, of course, but Bagley's recent performances prove that the training wheels need to come off as the team fights for a playoff berth.

Sactown Royalty also tweeted on Jan. 25 that he averages 19.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game when he sees 30-plus minutes of playing time.

Sean Cunningham of ABC10 Sacramento pointed out that Bagley had 22 points and 11 rebounds in his lone start of the season, which occurred on Jan. 22 against Toronto.

Basketball Reference tweeted that Bagley is just one of 12 teenagers in league history to have multiple games of 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds. With three more points on Wednesday, he would have joined a list of six players to do so three times.

Aside from the numbers, Bagley passes the eye test. He had no issue finishing strong in the lane with two defenders in his face:

He's also "smoother than a Matthew McConaughey commercial," according to Kings television color commentator Jerry Reynolds:

Bagley can effortlessly go coast to coast as well:

The Kings look like they're about to compete in the upper echelon of the Western Conference a la 2002 within a season or two given a recent influx of exciting young talent. Bagley's time to shine is now, though.

Hawks Showing Playoff Potential for Next Season Amid This Year's Struggles

The Hawks did not enjoy a fun Wednesday evening.

Atlanta was outscored by 24 points in the second and third quarters combined and allowed Sacramento to shoot 54.5 percent from the field. The Kings also had 17 more rebounds, 12 more assists, six fewer turnovers and 36 more points in the paint.

That's an ugly game any way you slice it, but from a broader perspective, here are a few things to keep in mind for a young and rebuilding Hawks team well out of playoff contention.

First, the Hawks are developing quickly. Atlanta is a semi-respectable 11-14 after starting 5-20. If the Hawks had played their first 25 games like they have their past 25, then they would be fighting for an Eastern Conference playoff berth.

Second, rookie point guard Trae Young is feeling it. Over his last three games, the ex-Oklahoma Sooner is averaging 26.3 points on 63.6 percent shooting. His ice-cold November, when Young shot 35.5 percent from the field, is a distant memory.

Third, John Collins is a scoring and rebounding machine. Yes, his 14-point performance on 5-of-15 shooting Wednesday was not his best effort, but he made 57.1 percent or more of his field goals 10 times in January alone. Also, he joined a fairly exclusive list recently, per the Hawks' Public Relations team:

Atlanta was likely overdue for a sluggish performance. After all, the Hawks are on the fourth game of a seven-matchup road swing. They also just upset the Los Angeles Clippers and had one fewer day of rest than the host Kings, so the letdown signs were there.

But Atlanta (and Sacramento for that matter) looks like it will be a perennial playoff contender in the 2020s. The Young-Collins duo has already made strides since the beginning of this season and will continue to do so.

What's Next?

The Hawks will continue a seven-game road trip Friday against the Utah Jazz.

The Kings will play the second matchup of a six-game homestand on Saturday versus the Philadelphia 76ers.