What We Learned In Kings' Narrow Preseason Win Over Lakers

All training camp, everyone was raving about Dennis Schröder . From his leadership on and off the court and strong play coming off of the EuroBasket MVP run, he was getting praise from players and coaches alike.

But in the first three preseason games, he looked out of sorts and out of rhythm. It was a different story tonight, though, as he led the team with 25 points on 10-of-17, 58.8%, from the field. The shots going in were great, but he also looked smooth and confident with the season around the corner. Hopefully, tonight was the version of Schröder that the Kings will get for the upcoming season.

Drew Eubanks Fills in Well

It's hard for any single player to replace Domantas Sabonis, but Drew Eubanks filled in admirably for the All-Star center. He finished the night with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal in just under 20 minutes.

That's a solid stat line, but it's not so much the numbers as how he looked filling in for Sabonis. The Kings were able to run the same action and offensive scheme that they run with Sabonis, which is something they haven't had the luxury of doing with a backup center since they traded for Domantas.

Eubanks isn't nearly as talented, but he does have a similar skillset to set screens, pass, rebound, and may even be a better shot blocker than Sabonis. Hopefully it's not for long, but it was nice to see him play well while Sabonis rested his hamstring.

Keon Ellis Shines

Keon Ellis is known around the league for his defense, but he's also one of the best three-point shooters on the Kings. We've seen in his career that he can have nights where he explodes from beyond the arc, and tonight had the feeling of one of those games.

He finished the contest with 20 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals on 7-of-12, 58.3%, shooting from the field and 6-of-9, 66.7%, from three. When he gets his shot going and shoots with the type of confidence he showed tonight, he's nearly impossible to slow down.

He also had some off-the-dribble threes like in the clip above, which we haven't seen much throughout his first three years in the league. If he can unlock his off-the-dribble game, which he worked hard on this offseason, he could take another leap as he's set to hit unrestricted free agency next offseason.

Nique Clifford Caps Off Strong Preseason

If there is one 'winner' of the Kings' preseason, it has to be Nique Clifford. He once again showed that he is ready to contribute right away as a rookie, filling in for DeMar DeRozan in the starting role. He finished the night with 13 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and a steal, and helped lead the young players to victory in the final minutes.

He does so many little things right on the court that add up. From scoring to facilitating, he already appears to be a jack of all trades type of player who could help every team in the NBA. He may not have the star potential that other young draft picks have, but he looks like he has an extremely high floor, which is more than you can ask for from a late first-round pick.