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Does Sim Bhullar Have A Future With The Sacramento Kings?

By Nathan Grubel

April 3, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center Sim Bhullar (32) shoots the basketball during warm ups before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
April 3, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center Sim Bhullar (32) shoots the basketball during warm ups before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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When the Sacramento Kings signed center Sim Bhullar to a 10-day contract on Friday, history was made in the NBA, as there has never been another player in the league of Indian descent.

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Not only was Bhullar’s dream being fulfilled, but he also has the opportunity to represent his country proudly on one of the world’s largest stages.

“He adds a very interesting dimension to the game,” Kings coach George Karl said of Bhullar to reporters Friday. “And our game is becoming an international game and India is becoming one of the greatest, largest, biggest democracies in the world. I think it’s a good story and hopefully we’ll find some minutes for him.”

What Karl said is key though: It’s a good story.

Bhullar has enormous size standing 7-foot-5 and weighing in at 360 pounds, but that size hasn’t exactly done everything for him.

Sure, Bhullar can dunk without jumping. He can power his way into the lane like few big men can. Bhullar can even block and alter shots just because he’s that big and takes up enough space inside.

However, Bhullar is far from being a polished center.

Bhullar’s touch around the rim has tended to be mediocre at best, and because of his large size, his conditioning has always been a problem for him. In fact, the conditioning problem has shown in the D-Leauge, where he’s gotten limited playing time most likely due to that, and has put up average numbers for someone of that height and length.

In the D-League, Bhullar has averaged 10.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, which are fine numbers for someone to put up in the NBA, but he’s in the D-League.

Usually, players that have been able to make an impact in the league have dominated the D-League if they’ve had to have been sent there. Bhullar’s numbers do not cry out dominance, and only on rare occasions have stories like that worked out in the prospect’s favor.

So could Bhullar put up numbers like that for the Kings? Yes, he very well could given the coaching system the Kings have been able to have in place for DeMarcus Cousins.

Cousins has become one of the best, if not the best, centers in the game, and that hasn’t just been because of his natural talent alone. The Kings have worked with him night and day to improve his skill set, especially on the defensive end where he’s improved tremendously.

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    • Offensively, Cousins’ touch around the rim and his jump shot have also gotten better while with Sacramento, meaning that he’s had a bit of a developmental curve, but it’s also really started to pay off.

    Bhullar could have some of the same coaches work with him, along with those who could really get him into better shape, which is arguably the biggest key to his success.

    The bigger question though is does Bhullar have a real future with the Kings?

    I’m going to go with no on that one, as ultimately Bhullar’s conditioning is going to do him in. Sacramento could sign him to a deal that would finish out the season, but that’s highly unlikely, and that would be the only way to really begin his developmental and conditioning process.

    Like Karl said, it’s a nice story. It’s a great moment in sports history, but it isn’t anything more. At least with the Kings.

    Next: Is Cousins the NBA's Most Versatile Center?

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