David Stockton to Sign 10-Day Contract with Kings

Despite being the Sacramento Kings‘ head coach for less than a week, George Karl is already making some moves to shake up his roster a little bit. Ahead of the trade deadline on Thursday, the Kings acquired backup point guard Andre Miller from the Washington Wizards. The new coach is quite familiar with Miller from their days together with the Denver Nuggets. Now, the team is calling up a player from the D-League’s Reno Bighorns.

With an injury to starter Darren Collison, and Miller’s lack of playing time (12 minutes per game in Washington) and age (38 years old) bringing his stamina into question, the team will recall David Stockton from Reno, and sign him to a 10-day contract, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein.

ESPN sources say Sacramento Kings planning to call up guard David Stockton from Reno Bighorns of @nbadleague to sign 10-day contract
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 20, 2015

With the signing of Stockton, the hope is to bring depth to a position at which they are in dire need, at least for the immediate future. The team sent Ramon Sessions to Washington in the Miller deal, leaving Ray McCallum as the only healthy point guard on the roster, besides Miller. McCallum himself averages only 14 minutes per game, meaning he and Miller combine for just 26 minutes per game, or just over a half. Stockton adds a healthy body, just in case one of the incumbents are injured, or need an extended rest.

Mar 21, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard David Stockton (11) shoots against Oklahoma State Cowboys guard

Marcus Smart

(33) in the second half of a men

Stockton has a great bloodline, as his father is the legendary John Stockton, a Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer, and the NBA’s all-time leader in assists and steals. The younger Stockton followed his father’s footsteps by attending Gonzaga University.

While a Bulldog, Stockton was a walk-on, and mostly became a contributor off the bench. In his first three seasons, he was known as a tenacious defender, willing to do all the dirty work to help his team. He became a starter in his senior season, as he started 36 games, scoring 7.4 points, dishing out 4.2 assists, nabbing 1.5 balls per game. He helped his team to the NCAA Tournament every season.

After his fourth year at Gonzaga, Stockton went undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft. He attended Summer League with the Phoenix Suns, but playing time was hard to come by. In two games, Stockton played just 19 minutes and scored six points. He did, however, tally three steals in 14 minutes in a game against the Dallas Mavericks.

In late-September, the Wizards brought in Stockton to be a part of their training camp roster. The NBA dream was short-lived, as he was waived on October 3rd, just five days after his signing.

During the 2014 D-League draft, the Maine Red Claws picked Stockton in the third round, but he was traded to the Bighorns that night. He stuck with Reno, and has played 31 games for the team. In just over 27 minutes a night, Stockton scores 16.6 points on 46 percent shooting. He also shoots 36.4 percent from beyond the arc.