Sacramento Kings: So Many 4s, So Little Time
After two seasons plus 16 games with the Minnesota Timberwolves, they decided to trade Williams, so the Kings decided to give him a chance as they traded Luc Mbah a Moute.
When the Kings made the trade for Williams it seemed he would be their starting small forward for the season. However, a few days later the Kings made another trade for Rudy Gay from the Toronto Raptors, and with the trade went Williams minutes at small forward. Now Williams is big enough to play power forward as he is taller and longer than both Blake Griffin and Kevin Love.
The Kings played Williams at power forward throughout the year as a backup and did not look like the number two overall pick in the 2011 draft. He started off strong for the Kings averaging double digits for the months of January and February.
He shot the ball at 45 percent from the field, which is better than the 42 percent he averaged in Minnesota. Then things got worse for Williams has he only averaged five points per game the last two months of the season, while shooting less than 40 percent from the field.
Williams is finding it hard to stay on the floor with his play, and as the former No. 2 overall pick, he is looking more and more like a bust.
The Future
Williams is under contract next season for $6.8 million, there is little chance the Kings will keep Williams after next season. He will have a chance to play next season and could see time at both the forward positions off the bench. If Williams wants to get any kind of free agency buzz after next season, he will have to improve on his play.
I believe that Williams could be a stretch power forward, but he needs to improve his 3-point shooting. In college he was able to shoot 57 percent from 3 his final year, now in the pros he shoots just less than 30 percent. If he can find a way to improve his overall shooting he could find himself playing somewhere else and actually contributing.
Before the season began the Kings signed Landry for four years and $26 million. When the Kings signed Landry, he was supposed to be fighting for the starting power forward position. Before he could play even a game he tore his left hip flexor during practice and had to miss all but 18 games of the season.
This season was a waste for both Landry and the Kings, next season everyone hopes for a healthier season.
The Future
Landry should be healthy and ready to compete for the starting power forward position. It seems that if the Kings trade away Thompson or Williams, it will leave Landry as the starter playing next to Cousins. It will be interesting to see if Landry and play next to Cousins effectively.