Sacramento Kings: is their future brighter than we thought?

Michael Dugger
Jul 25, 2017 · 7 min read

The Sacramento Kings haven’t made the playoffs since 2006 and traded away any chance at the postseason when they shipped star player DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans at the All- Star break. They received heavy criticism for only receiving Buddy Hield and a 2017 1st round pick that will be sent back to NOLA if it lands in the top 3, and now general manager Vlade Divac’s job is in jeopardy with Process master Sam Hinkie rumored to be on their radar (no report on his interest). Cousins is a consensus top- 15 player in the league, a 4x All-Star, and an Olympic Gold Medalist, but the Kings’ front office thought the time was now to pull the plug on the Boogie era and go all-in with a rebuild. Despite being scrutinized around the league, Sacramento has allowed their young players to see the floor more and the results are surprisingly promising.

Let’s start with Buddy Hield. The rookie from Oklahoma struggled to make an impact with the Pelicans averaging 8.6 PPG in limited action. The Pels didn’t ask much of Hield with their own superstar in Anthony Davis demanding the bulk of the looks, so seeing his scoring average increase to 15.1 is no shock . It’s the highly efficient .608 EFG% and .442 from 3 that makes him look like the sharpshooter we saw in college. Head coach Dave Joerger is putting the ball in Hield’s hands and allowing him to use a series of space-creating moves. He lacks the ideal size for 2 guards, so he has to get creative in order to get his shot off, which is leading to moves like this step-back released off one leg seen at the 0:30 mark:

Hield has improved his ability to finish at the rim, knock down pull up 3s, and is starting to make plays for teammates off the bounce to the tune of 7 assists in the Golden State game shown above. Buddy has a place in this league, but needs to have a backcourt mate that is pass-first and willing to defend the best opposing guard so Hield can hide on defense (more on this later).

This trade also opened up frontcourt minutes for a pair of Kentucky big men. With the ball-dominating Cousins leaving town, rebounding and post touches have become aplenty for Willie Cauley-Stein and rookie Skal Labissiere. Cauley-Stein’s potential coming into the league was tailored around his defensive potential protecting the rim while having the lateral quickness to switch on the perimeter. His offensive game was unpolished out of Lexington, relying on putback dunks and alleys to rack up points. Now we know he simply needed the post-touches. WCS is showing a soft touch with both hands around the rim with an improving midrange jumper in the works. WCS is put up 12.9 pts/8.0 RPG/2.2 APG/0.9 BLKS/1.1 STLS on a nightly basis after the All-Star Break. He led the team in minutes played post-All-Star break after seeing the court only 13.0 minute a contest when Cousins was in town.

Lexington Herald-Ledger

The real revelation on the Kings’ has been the offensive repertoire Skal Labissiere has shown in his brief NBA cameo. Labissiere only appeared in 8 games before the All-Star break, but now averages around 16 minutes a game off the bench with some starts mixed in. Like Cauley-Stein, Skal came into the league as a raw prospect who struggled to consistently score without dunking. With some court time, however, the rookie is boasting a fluid jump shot that has flashed some range to the 3-point line. His post-game is intriguing as well with Skal flashing a natural feel with both hands in the paint. He has already taken a page out of Shaun Livingston’s book and utilizes the post-fade that leaves defenders helpless in stopping it, if he continues to knock it down with regularity in his 7’0” frame.

He finished 2nd with a 16.8 PER on the Kings (basketball.realgm.com) shows just how efficient Labissiere has been so far. Toss in a 21-point 4th quarter outburst in Phoenix and Kings’ fans may have a late 1st round gem on their hands. The promising development of these two big men has to have the coaching staff excited for their future frontcourt.

This trio has been the direct benefactors from the Cousins trade, but not everything has been positive. They are 25th in defensive efficiency according to NBA.com with Hield and Labissiere looking lost on that side of the ball nightly. Despite Buddy’s constant effort on the ball he continues to get beat with backdoor cuts at an alarming rate His liabilities will be hidden if Skal and Cauley-Stein can provide the rim protection that is expected with their combo of length and bounce. This trio is a bright start to the post-Boogie era, but they need young pieces to join them. Which is why this lottery has potential to help fans fully move-on from their star player.

Lottery night 2017 will be a nervous night for many fan bases around the league with Kings’ fans not to be left out. They have the potential to capture two top 10-picks if the Pelicans pick falls out of the top-3 (95% chance it does). If their own pick falls out of the top 10 it will go to Chicago. Philadelphia has the right to swap with Sacramento’s pick, so there are a handful of slots this team could be choosing from. They should hold onto both picks, but we’ve seen crazier things happen with the NBA Lottery. If the balls don’t fall their way, they could end up trading Boogie Cousins straight-up for Buddy Hield. So this 1st round pick is crucial to the development of this franchise.

stats per basketballreference.com

Draft Express currently has them selecting 5th and 9th in their latest mock draft, choosing Kentucky guard Malik Monk and Florida State forward Jonathan Isaac, respectively. I love Monk’s potential in the NBA as a scorer, but he wouldn’t fit well in a backcourt with Hield. I think another Kentucky guard, De’Aaron Fox is the perfect complement to Buddy. Fox is coming off an impressive run in the tournament, including lighting up UCLA for 39 points in a clash with Lonzo Ball. Fox is lightning quick with the ball and has the athleticism to develop into a havoc on defense, but needs to massively improve his jump shot. His penetration ability reminds me of a southpaw John Wall, although Wall was more built coming into the league. He would make the game easier for the rest of his teammates while providing the Kings with the point guard prospect they’ve yearned for.

I am a fan of the Jonathan Isaac selection. He wasn’t asked to do much at FSU, but still managed to impact the game on both sides of the ball that has him locked in as a lottery pick. Isaac can shoot the 3, put the ball on the deck and make plays, and guard on the perimeter at 6’11”. The freshman showed an ability to protect the rim averaging 1.5 blocks per game, and would form a paint controlling triumvirate in the paint with WCS and Skal. Isaac and Fox need to add a significant amount of bulk to their frames, but their skills are perfect for the modern game.

A Fox-Hield-Isaac-Skal-WCS lineup would be one of the more interesting cores in the modern NBA. Fox would push the pace with shooters spotting up around him. Dave Joerger has run offensive sets with Cauley-Stein and Skal starting at the high post as Darren Collison navigates his way through them as the opposite big man rolls or floats out for a midrange jumper. The idea of Fox blitzing through these screens is an intriguing scheme for the coaching staff to consider when selecting on Draft night. The defense would continue to be a mess as most are with young players; but their potential on that side of the floor is scary with those same 3 front court players protecting the paint and switching on the perimeter. This team would instantly become a League Pass cult favorite if these players fall to them, which is more likely than not in a loaded draft class.

I’m not saying Sacramento was smart in trading Boogie for Buddy Hield and a top-3 protected pick. Nor am I saying the first round picks will display the same Boogie dominance. But the Pelicans aren’t exactly world-beaters with Cousins on their roster (4–1 when he sits, to be precise). The standings will change with more than half a dozen teams entering full tank mode and the lottery is unpredictable. But regardless, maybe this trade is a stepping stone to building a fun, exciting team to reward the loyal fans who continue to support the Kings in Cali’s capital.

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Michael Dugger

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@dugger_fern

The Fern

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