Justin James (basketball)

Justin Taylor James (born January 24, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Wyoming Cowboys.[1][2][3] He was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft.[4][5][6]

Justin James
No. 10 – Sacramento Kings
PositionShooting guard / Small forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1997-01-24) January 24, 1997
Port St. Lucie, Florida
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeWyoming (2015–2019)
NBA draft2019 / Round: 2 / Pick: 40th overall
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–presentSacramento Kings
2019–2020→Stockton Kings
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-Mountain West (2018)
  • Second-team All-Mountain West (2019)
  • Third-team All-Mountain West (2017)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

College career

A native of Port St. Lucie, Florida, James was an unheralded basketball recruit out of high school, generating only one high-major offer from Mississippi State, before ultimately going to the University of Wyoming.[7] He became a full-time contributor by his sophomore year and increased his scoring average each year.[7] James led the Mountain West Conference in scoring during his final season at Wyoming, averaging 22.1 points per game as a senior,[4][5][6][7] despite playing as a point guard, a position he does not normally play, because Wyoming needed James to have the ball as much as possible during a 8–24 season.[7] He also led the Cowboys with 8.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game,[5][6] and made second team All-Mountain West. James had a three-point field goal percentage of 33.7 percent during his college career.[4] Despite his high scoring, James posted career-lows in field goal percentage (40.9 percent) and 3-point field goal percentage (29.6 percent) during his senior high, as well as 4.1 turnovers per game.[7]

James finished his college career with 2,061 points, the third-highest in Mountain West history.[6] He also participated in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, one of 64 seniors from around the country invited to the event.[8]

Professional career

Sacramento Kings (2019–present)

James was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft with the No. 40 overall pick,[4][5] and is the first University of Wyoming player drafted since the Los Angeles Lakers selected Larry Nance Jr. in 2015.[5] He was the Kings' first pick in the draft, as the team did not have a first-round selection.[5] CBS Sports had ranked James as the 96th-best prospect heading into the draft, while The Sporting News and nbadraft.net had him unranked, and most mock drafts did not predict he would be picked.[7] But Sacramento General Manager Vlade Divac said the team drafted him because they followed his college career and appreciated his passion and production: "We talked to everybody about his professionalism and his love for the game. We were so excited when we spent time with him in Sacramento."[7] On July 10, 2019, the Sacramento Kings announced that they had signed James.[9] On October 25, 2019, James made his debut in the NBA, coming off the bench in a 112–122 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers with two points.[10] He scored 30 points for the G League Stockton Kings in a win over the Iowa Wolves on January 11, 2020.[11]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Sacramento 3606.4.417.310.476.9.5.2.32.5
Career 3606.4.417.310.476.9.5.2.32.5

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Wyoming 31316.6.418.358.5652.1.8.3.45.1
2016–17 Wyoming 37626.2.462.419.7625.02.2.8.516.0
2017–18 Wyoming 323231.2.472.308.7266.03.11.1.518.9
2018–19 Wyoming 323238.2.409.296.7418.54.41.5.622.1
Career 1327328.1.442.337.7315.42.6.9.515.6

References
  1. Potter, Chris (January 6, 2019). "Is carrying the load for Wyoming wearing on Justin James?". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  2. Potter, David (February 9, 2019). "Justin James' career-high 36 points lead Wyoming to Border War win". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  3. Potter, David (February 9, 2019). "Justin James shines one last time at home in Wyoming's Senior Day win". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  4. White, Marcus (June 20, 2019). "2019 NBA Draft: Kings select Wyoming's Justin James at No. 40 overall". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  5. "UW's Justin James taken by Sacramento Kings in NBA draft". Casper Star-Tribune. June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  6. Wagaman, Michael (June 20, 2019). "Kings add scoring with Wyoming's Justin James". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  7. Potter, Davis (June 21, 2019). "Justin James' passion, production sold the Sacramento Kings on him". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  8. "Wyoming's Justin James will play in Portsmouth Invitational Tournament". Casper Star-Tribune. April 16, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  9. "Kings Sign Justin James". NBA.com. July 10, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  10. "Lillard scores 35 as Trail Blazers top Kings 122-112". ESPN.com. October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  11. "Kings' Justin James: Scores 30 points in G League win". CBS Sports. January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
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