Sacramento Kings Preview

Hello Readers,

I am currently on an airplane, and since I haven’t sent out a preview in a few days, everyone gets a treat- a second preview.  First, as promised, the Sacramento Kings.

SACRAMENTO KINGS

Key Additions: Thomas Robinson (rookie), Aaron Brooks (FA), James Johnson (FA)

Key Losses: Ummm, basically no one.

Projected Lineup: This team has so many player of basically the same talent level, that the starting lineup will probably change a lot throughout the year. 

PG: Tyreke Evans

SG: Marcus Thornton

SF: John Salmons

PF: Demarcus Cousins

C: Jason Thompson

Role Players: Brooks, Robinson, Isaiah Thomas, Jimmer Fredette, Chuck Hayes, Francisco Garcia, Johnson.

Comments: I think it is important to start with the uncertainty of the owners and location of the team. The Maloof Brothers have made it clear that if the city Sacramento does not build a new stadium, they will move the team to somewhere that wants it. And with the growing popularity of the NBA, and the profatibility of having a franchise, numerous cities have expressed interest. The list includes Anaheim, Las Vegas, Vancouver, Virginia Beach, and Seattle. If this team does in fact move, I would expect them to go to Seattle due to their history of having a franchise, the heartbreak of losing the Sonics, and the fact that they recently got money to build a new stadium. The team needs this to be resolved before they can make a move towards competing for a playoff spot.

Anyways, the PG situation for the Kings is kind of ridiculous. First they have Tyreke Evans. After having a tremendous rookie season, he has kind of reached a ceiling. His playmaking ability is very solid, but he still hasn’t solidified himself as either a PG or a SG. He can score and is tall like a SG, and can pass and penetrate like a PG, but he isnt amazing at either. Still he is the Kings best player, and could be an all-star at some point. Isaiah Thomas and Aaron Brooks are basically the exact same player, and either could end up as the teams starting PG if Evans moves to SG. These guys are both really short, fast, and can make it rain from 3. Thomas was the best rookie out of the second round last year, but at 5'9, it will be difficult or him to become more than just an electric scorer off the bench. Brooks spent the last year in China, so it will be interesting to see if he's still got the talent that he had when he was Houston's best PG. And then there is Jimmer. This guy is just not meant to be in the NBA. Similar to Adam Morrison, he was excellent at the college level, but he just doesnt have the athleticism or strength to be a quality player. Sure, you may see him have a hot shooting night every now and again, but at the end of the year, he will be at the end of the bench. Still, he is the Kings best player, and still has a chance to be an all-star.  Isaiah Thomas and Aaron Brooks are basically the exact same player, and either could end up as this teams starting PG. Isaiah Thomas and Aaron Brooks are basically the exact same player, and either could end up as the starting point guard if Evans moves to SG. These guys are both really short, really fast, and can make it rain from 3. Thomas was the best rookie last year from the second round, but at 5’9, it will be difficult for him to ever become more than an electric scorer off the bench. Brooks spent the last year in China, so it will be interesting to see if he has gotten any better. And then there is Jimmer. This guy is just not meant for the NBA (a la Adam Morrison). While excellent at the college level, his skills don’t transfer. Sure, you may see him get hot and have some good scoring nights, but as the year goes on, he will find himself at the end of the bench with very little playing time.

I am a big fan of Marcus Thornton. He is incredibly underrated. He has developed into a really good scorer, and should average north of 20 points this season. His defense and rebounding need improvement, and like a lot of Kings players, he is on the brink of becoming all-star caliber player. This applies to Evans, Thornton, and Cousins. The team doesn't play with any sort of consistency, and these 3 don't play much defense at all. I didn't realize how old Francisco Garcia is. He, like many other Kings, is a streaky shooter and doesnt play hard on defense. If I had to be on a player to be traded this year, it would be this guy. He could be an OK player for a team that lacks wing depth, such as the Pacers or Nets. 

Projecting Salmons as the SF, I am respecting his experience, rather than his skill. As the year moves on, they should move Thornton here, play small with Evans and Brooks/Thomas at guard. When Salmons was on my fantasy team, he shot the ball a lot at a really low percentage. He is kind of clutch, can make plays for others, and should provide some veteran leadership. Oh, he will probably be traded too. Johnson is the backup SF, he is athletic, but like Al-Farouq Aminu, is neither good at offense nor defense. 

I am a big fan of Marcus Thornton. He is incredibly underrated. He has developed into a really good scorer, and he should average around 20 points. His defense needs improvement, and like a lot of the players on the Kings, they are on the brink of becoming all-star caliber players if they could just be more consistent, but not quite there yet. That goes for Evans, Thornton, and Cousins. The team just doesn’t win enough, and the defense of all 3 can be seriously questioned. I didn’t realize how old Francisco Garcia is. He, like all the Kings, is a streaky shooter and terrible defender. If I had to bet on a player to be traded this year, I would take this guy. He could be an OK role player for a team like the Pacers or 76ers that could use wing players off the bench.

Putting Salmons at SF, I am basically only respecting his experience, rather than his skill. As the year moves on, they will have thornton here, with evans and brooks/Thomas at guard. Salmons, I remember from when he was on my fantasy team, shoots the ball a lot with not so much success. He is kind of clutch, and should provide some veteran leadership. Oh, he will probably be traded too. Johnson at backup is athletic, but as we discussed with Al-Farouq Aminu, isn’t particularly good at offense or defense.

DeMarcus Cousins could be on the verge of a breakout season. Last year, it looked like he might have to be traded, but he turned on some switch and played more maturely the rest of the season. He is really good on the boards, and has developed some nice post moves to become a potential 20-10 guy. Again, his defense is just piss poor, and he doesn’t have the consistency. Hmm, seems like I’m a broken record. Thomas Robinson is an interesting prospect. He is definitely raw in terms of his skills, and people thought he might stay at Kansas to develop them. After all, he was a bench player just 2 years ago. However, he has energy and athleticism to earn the playing time to develop those skills, similar to Kenneth Faried last year. I think that many people expect Robinson to show offensive skills, but he will disappoint if this is the case.

At the end of last year, Jason Thompson showed signs that he could also become a productive big man. He is tall and strong, has a bit of a jump shot, and is amazing in NBA Jam. Chuck Hayes is the exact opposite in a center, he is short with no skills whatsoever. He gets around by shoving people inside, never giving up on a play, and otherwise being crafty.

This team is loaded with young players, especially guards, and like the Hornets, this will be a year to see exactly what they have in these guys. There will be uncertainty with the future location of this team, and that won’t help a young team trying to avoid distractions. Expect the Kings to be close to the bottom of a very difficult Western Conference.

Next up, Brooklyn Nets