This article is part of our NBA Team Previews series.
STATE OF THE FRANCHISE
The Sacramento Kings had another disappointing season in 2013-14 as they finished 28-54 and missed the playoffs yet again. They head into the 2014-15 season led by their star center DeMarcus Cousins who had the best season of his career last year, averaging 22.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. However, they lost talented point guard Isaiah Thomas in free agency over the summer and will try to replace him with free-agent acquisition Darren Collison. The Kings also drafted shooting guard Nik Stauskas to help give them increased perimeter production. While they Kings have some talented young players, it will be tough for them to make the playoffs in an extremely competitive Western Conference.
PLAYING TIME DISTRIBUTION
Darren Collison will start at point guard and should play 30-35 minutes per game. Ray McCallum and Ramon Sessions will battle to be the primary backup at the point. Sessions should play 10-15 minutes per game as he could play both the point and shooting guard. Ray McCallum should play 10-15 minutes per game as well. Deonte Burton could also see limited minutes at point guard if he makes the team. Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas will battle to earn the starting shooting guard position with McLemore likely entering training camp as the front-runner for the job. Unless one of them runs away with the job, McLemore should play 25-30 minutes per game, while Stauskas should play 20-25 minutes per game. There is also a chance that they could be on the floor together at times. Rudy Gay will start at small forward and should play 35-40 minutes per game. Derrick Williams will be a backup at both small forward and power forward and should play 15-20 minutes per game. Omri Casspi and Alonzo Gee will also see limited minutes as backups at small forward. Jason Thompson is the likely starter at power forward and should play 20-25 minutes per game as he may also see some time at center. Carl Landry will serve as the primary backup at power forward and should play 15-20 minutes per game. Reggie Evans will serve as a backup at both power forward and center and should play 10-15 minutes per game. Eric Moreland could see limited minutes at power forward and cented if he makes the team. DeMarcus Cousins will be the starting center and should play 30-35 minutes per game. Ryan Hollins will also provide depth at center and should play limited minutes off the bench. Sim Bhullar could see limited minutes as a backup center as well if he makes the team.
PLAYER OUTLOOKS
Centers
DeMarcus Cousins: The 2013-14 season saw Cousins firmly establish himself among the league's elite frontcourt players. Coming off of a 2012-13 campaign in which he averaged 17.1 points and 9.9 rebounds, Cousins upped his all-around production, boosting his scoring more than five points per game (22.7) while averaging career-highs in rebounds (11.7) and assists (2.9). He also shot a career-best 50 percent from the field and converted nearly 70 percent of his attempts within three feet of the rim. Arguably the year's biggest All-Star snub, Cousins finished the season with the fifth-highest PER (26.1) in the league, and ranked among the top five in rebounds per game, total rebound percentage, defensive rebound percentage (first), and usage rate. Despite the vast all-around improvement, Cousins' career continues to be overshadowed by lingering character issues. It's well-known that he's among the league's most intense competitors, but he often draws criticism for allowing his emotions to spill over onto the court. Cousins ranked among the top four in personal fouls for the fourth straight season and picked up a league-high 16 technicals. Still, he hasn't let his emotions affect his production, and he figures to again be among the top fantasy forwards/centers this season. The Kings may be a few years away from contending, but after a strong summer with Team USA at the FIBA World Cup, Cousins' stock is higher than ever.
Sim Bhullar: The massive, 7-5, 360-pound center went undrafted out of New Mexico State in 2014 but signed a deal with the Kings in August after playing for Sacramento's Las Vegas Summer League squad. Bhullar averaged 10.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks in two collegiate seasons, helping lead the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and 2014. While Bhullar's size is obviously intriguing, he doesn't move overly well and is extremely limited offensively. At this point, he's a longshot to make the final roster, but he should draw interest from teams, or the D-League, based upon his size alone.
Forwards
Rudy Gay: A month-and-a-half into the 2013-14 season, the Raptors made the decision to send Gay and his inflated contract to the Kings in exchange for a package centered around Greivis Vasquez and Patrick Patterson. Prior to the deal, Gay was off to the worst start of his career, shooting 39 percent from the field while attempting a career-high 18.6 field goals per game. Gay would only play 18 games for the Raptors. Astonishingly, he failed to top 50-percent shooting in any of those games. After the trade, however, Gay was a different player. His scoring average saw a moderate bump, but it was the efficiency that caught the eyes of the league. In 55 games for Sacramento, Gay shot a career-high 48 percent from the field, despite making only 31 percent of his three-pointers – well below his career average of 34 percent. Gay's two-point percentage skyrocketed from a career-low (by far) 39 percent pre-trade, to a career-best 52 percent post-trade. He also added 5.5 rebounds and a career-best 3.1 assists per game. Over the summer, Gay exercised his $19.3 million player option for the 2014-15 season, as expected. He'll return to join DeMarcus Cousins in one of the most intriguing, but enigmatic frontcourt duos in the Western Conference. The Kings hope Gay can use the second half of last season and a summer with Team USA at the FIBA World Cup as a springboard to more consistent, efficient production.
Jason Thompson: For the second straight season, Thompson appeared in all 82 games. He made 61 starts, averaging a career-low 7.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 25 minutes per game. At this point, the 28-year-old has seemingly maxed out his potential. He's a serviceable rebounder and decent interior scorer, but questions remain as to whether he's a starting-caliber player after posting a career-low 11.1 PER last season. He'll likely open the season as the Kings' starting power forward, but it would not be a surprise if Carl Landry, who was injured nearly all of last season, took over as the starter at some point. Thompson is probably better suited coming off the bench, where he could work in at power forward in addition to spelling DeMarcus Cousins at center.
Derrick Williams: Early last season, Williams was dealt from the Wolves to the Kings in exchange for swingman Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. While he was freed from a bad situation in Minnesota, Williams struggled to find his niche with the Kings. In 67 games, he averaged 8.5 points and 4.4 rebounds in 25 minutes. While his field goal percentage (44%) jumped more than eight points after the trade, it was still well below the desirable level for a forward who spends much of his time in the paint. He also continued to struggle from beyond the arc, shooting just 29 percent after converting at a horrendous 13-percent clip with the Timberwolves. On the positive side, Williams is still just 23 years old and appears to be in position for another season of consistent playing time. The California native projects as the backup to Rudy Gay at small forward and should see his fair share of minutes at power forward, as well. In two-plus seasons with Minnesota, Williams played 78 percent of his minutes at power forward. In Sacramento, that number dwindled to 61 percent.
Carl Landry: After signing a four-year, $26 million contract with the Kings last summer, Landry's first season in Sacramento did not go as planned. A hip flexor injury surfaced during the preseason and kept him out of action through the first month of the regular season. In mid-October, the Kings announced Landry would undergo surgery to correct the issue. He returned, as expected, in mid-January, but was clearly still hampered. After 18 ineffective performances, the decision was made to shut Landry down for the season, as he developed a nagging knee injury. In March, Landry underwent knee surgery to correct a torn meniscus. Following a summer of rehab, Landry expects to open the season at full strength. In Year 2 with the Kings, Landry will look to return to the form that saw him average 11.4 points and 5.7 rebounds with the Hornets and Warriors from 2011-13. The Purdue product projects to serve as the primary backup to Jason Thompson at power forward, but it wouldn't be surprising if he pushes the relatively ineffective Thompson for the starting spot as the season progresses.
Reggie Evans: Evans split last season between the Kings and Nets, coming to Sacramento in a February deal that sent Marcus Thornton to Brooklyn. The veteran was struggling with the Nets, shooting 39 percent from the field and grabbing 5.0 rebounds in 13 minutes per game before the trade. After arriving in Sacramento, Evans immediately embraced a larger role, and it was reflected in his numbers. In 24 games (21 mpg) for the Kings, he averaged 5.5 points and nearly eight rebounds per game. The physical Evans has always been among the league's best per-minute rebounders, twice leading the NBA in total rebound percentage. Now 34 years old, Evans' activity around the rim and on the defensive end may inevitably decline, but he'll be expected to fill a significant role off the bench. Evans will open the year as the Kings' fourth power forward, but his rebounding ability also allows him to slide in as a backup center, despite measuring in at just 6-8. Last season, 74 percent of his total minutes came as a power forward, with the remaining 26 percent coming at center.
Alonzo Gee: The NBA's Carmen San Diego, Gee was seemingly on a different team every week this summer. In a matter of two months, Gee was technically a member of the Cavaliers, Pelicans, Rockets, and Kings, bouncing around as a throw-in in various trades. The latest of such trades happened in late-August, sending Gee and some unguaranteed deals to the Kings in exchange for Jason Terry. Whether Gee will open the season on the Kings' roster is entirely unclear, but the veteran is almost guaranteed to find a spot somewhere in the league. He's 26 years old and just two years removed from averaging 10.3 points and 3.9 boards while starting all 82 games for the Cavaliers. Last season, however, he saw his minutes cut in half, and his production shrunk to 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 65 games (24 starts). While he's not a great fantasy producer – Gee shoots a low percentage and rebounds at a below-average rate – he could be a valuable bench asset for many teams, and where he ultimately plays this season will go a long way toward determining his value.
Guards
Darren Collison: With Isaiah Thomas moving on to Phoenix in the offseason, the Kings brought in Collison on a three-year, $16 million deal. The 26-year-old will return to a full-time starting role for the first time since the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, when he started 56 of 60 games for the Pacers. Collison is coming off of a solid season with the Clippers, where he averaged 11.4 points and 3.7 assists in 80 games. The UCLA product started 18 contests while Chris Paul was on the shelf with a shoulder injury, averaging 13.3 points, 6.5 assists, and nearly three rebounds per game over that span. He's been one of the top backup point guards in the league over the past two seasons, making his living as an efficient scorer and hard-nosed perimeter defender. Collison has registered at least a steal per game in four of five NBA seasons and is a career 46-percent shooter – a tremendous number for a smaller guard. He showed mild improvement as a three-point shooter last season, converting 38 percent of his attempts – a hair better than his 37 career percentage. For as solid as Collison was during the regular season, the playoffs saw him struggle to find his shooting stroke, as his field goal percentage plummeted below the 40-percent mark. In 13 postseason games, Collison went just 1-for-12 from three. Despite the sub-par performance, Collison will be firmly entrenched as the starter in Sacramento. Backup Ray McCallum is a better prospect than most believe, but the 23-year-old stands little chance of giving Collison a run for the starting spot.
Ben McLemore: The uber-athletic McLemore flew under the radar as a rookie, despite playing in all 82 games and making 55 starts. One of the best athletes in the league at the shooting guard spot, McLemore struggled offensively last season, posting an ugly 38 overall shooting percentage. A three-point marksman in his one season at Kansas, McLemore shot a disappointing 32 percent from long range. He also added 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist. Despite the relatively poor rookie numbers, McLemore remains one of the NBA's highest upside talents. He had a solid showing at the Las Vegas Summer League, but 2014 first-round pick, Nik Stauskas, performed well there too. The sharpshooter out of Michigan isn't as athletic as McLemore, but he's a more polished overall player and will certainly challenge McLemore for the starting shooting guard spot.
Nik Stauskas: The Kings selected Stauskas with the 12th-overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. A rookie out of Michigan, Stauskas averaged 17.5 points and 3.3 assists while shooting 47 percent from the floor last season en route to being named the Big Ten Player of the Year and receiving Second-Team All-American honors. Once perceived as a three-point specialist, the 6-6 Stauskas greatly expanded his game at Michigan, becoming one of the more well-rounded players in the Big Ten. Outside shooting is still his primary strength, though, as evidenced by his 44-percent three-point shooting in two seasons at Michigan. In 75 total games, Stauskas knocked down 172 three-pointers, despite defenses keying on his perimeter abilities. Stauskas joins a Kings team that finished third-last in the league in three-point percentage last season. He'll open as the backup to Ben McLemore at shooting guard but should push the second-year Kansas product for the starting spot. If McLemore, who disappointed as a rookie, gets off to another slow start, Stauskas could have an opportunity to garner major minutes on a nightly basis.s.
Ray McCallum: As a rookie last season, McCallum averaged 6.2 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in 20 minutes per game. He appeared in 45 contests and made 10 straight starts in March and April while Isaiah Thomas was sidelined with a quad injury. Buried on the bench for the first half of the season – McCallum saw time in only nine of the Kings first 40 games – he made a handful of appearances for the Reno Bighorns of the D-League. In seven games in the D-League, McCallum showcased the skills that made him one of the top point guard recruits in the nation coming out of high school, averaging 20.0 points, 4.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.0 steals in nearly 36 minutes. Thomas is now out of the picture, but the Kings brought in free agent Darren Collison to fill the void. McCallum will again serve as the backup and should carve out a consistent spot in the rotation with the Kings featuring shallow depth at the point guard spot.
Wayne Ellington: Ellington spent last season buried on the Mavericks' bench, averaging just 3.2 points and 1.0 rebound in a career-low (by far) nine minutes per game. He was traded to the Knicks – along with Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, and Shane Larkin – in June, only to be shipped to Sacramento a month later. The former North Carolina star has struggled to find his niche in the league since entering as a first-round pick in 2009. After three mostly underwhelming years in Minnesota, Ellington bounced from Memphis to Cleveland to Dallas over the next two seasons. Outside of his 38-game cameo with the Cavs in 2012-13, during which he averaged 10.4 points on 44-percent shooting, Ellington hasn't displayed much consistency. He's just a 42-percent shooter for his career and is close to being typecast as a three-point specialist. To his credit, he's one of the better outside shooters in the league (42 percent last season), but the question is whether he'll have enough opportunities to make an impact. Ben McLemore and rookie Nik Stauskas are firmly ahead of Ellington on the depth chart, and he'll likely be relegated to a fringe-rotational role.
Deonte Burton: The 6-1 Burton was one of the more productive guards in the country last season, averaging 20.1 points, 4.4 assists, and 4.3 rebounds as a senior at Nevada. He shot 47 percent from the floor and 31 percent from three while getting to the line nearly seven times per game. Despite an impressive combine (39.5" max vertical leap), Burton went undrafted, but he signed a deal with the Kings in mid-August. While he has the athleticism to play both guard spots, Burton projects to see most of his time at point guard, serving as the backup to both Darren Collison and Ray McCallum. His deal is likely unguaranteed, so there's a chance he could be waived before the regular season, but if he sticks with the Kings, the 2014-15 season will probably be more of a learning experience than anything else.
SLEEPER
Nik Stauskas: The Kings drafted Ben McLemore in the 2013 NBA Draft to be their shooting guard of the future, but he struggled in his rookie season and only averaged 8.8 points in almost 27 minutes per game. They had another high draft pick this summer and took another shooting guard in Stauskas, which can't be the best news for McLemore. Stauskas averaged 17.5 points and 2.6 three-pointers per game with Michigan last year and will be pushing McLemore for the starting shooting guard job. Even if McLemore enters the season as a starter, he may not see the typical minutes that a starter would because of Stauskas' presence, and McLemore could eventually lose the job altogether if he stumbles like last season. Stauskas is not going to provide a ton of rebounds and assists, but he could be a solid source of points and three-pointers that can be had in the later rounds of most drafts.
BUST
Darren Collison: Collison had a promising start to his career in New Orleans but is now on his fourth team in the NBA after averaging 11.4 points and 3.7 assists as a backup with the Los Angeles Clippers last year. He has been a trendy sleeper pick a couple of times in his career, and owners might be thinking that again this year as Collison will have a chance to start again. However, the Kings have a couple of solid backups behind him in McCallum and Sessions. If Collison struggles, coach Mike Malone might be comfortable with either of them replacing him in the starting lineup. Sessions never seems to get much publicity, but he has averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 assists per game for his career compared to 11.9 points and 4.9 assists for Collison in his career. Proceed with caution when considering Collison on draft day.
