With the Sacramento Kings’ 2014-15 regular season all but over, coach George Karl has been given the luxury of tinkering with lineups and figuring out the team’s areas of need. Despite using their lottery picks shooting guards in the past two drafts, the Kings still desperately lack a NBA-level starter at that position.
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In the 2014 NBA Draft, they drafted Ben McLemore. McLemore was regarded as one of the better three-point shooters in the draft, and his incredible athleticism was what set him apart from his other fellow draftees. He drew comparisons with Ray Allen – a tall order considering what Allen was able to accomplish in the early stages of his career.
However, McLemore hasn’t quite panned out for the Kings. He shot 37.6 percent from the field, and 32 percent from three. His strength – shooting the ball, seemingly disappeared once he got into the league, and as such, the team found it hard to play him. He was poor defensively, and struggled to make an impact on the team.
His struggles were clearly noticed by the front office, as they went out and drafted another shooting guard, Nik Stauskas, next year. Stauskas was very similar to McLemore, with the only exception being his lack of athleticism. It was a head-scratching decision, but many theorized that it was partly due to the organization being disenfranchised with McLemore.
Well, aside from the running joke of Kings’ owner Vivek Ranadive yelling “Stauskas” and “Nik rocks!”, he hasn’t had much of an impact on the Kings either.
Stauskas currently averages less than 15 minutes per game, and is shooting a poor 35.8 percent from the field. At 29.6 percent from three (1.9 attempts per game), Stauskas seems to be following in McLemore’s footsteps in losing his shooting touch.
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His lack of defense is another reason why the Kings cannot afford to give him playing time, as he doesn’t seem to offer much else outside of his shooting.
The good news is that both guards are young. Both turn 22 this year and McLemore has shown signs of progress this season. He is still struggling from the field (42.7 percent), but is at least shooting 35.2 percent from behind the arc. His recent performances have been positive, and he showed early on in the season that he is much improved from last season.
However, neither of the two are ready for prime-time action next season. The Kings are one or two pieces away from truly competing for a playoff spot, and could look for a big upgrade in the upcoming free agency.
Stauskas and McLemore are long-term projects, but given that the Kings have missed the playoffs in more than 10 seasons, the current ownership is working on a tight deadline, and might not have the necessary patience to see the two develop.
It seems almost ridiculous to suggest that the Sacramento Kings should get rid of two of their youngest talents, but given their aspirations and where Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins are in their careers, mortgaging one of the two young prospects for a ready-to-contribute replacement might be the best thing for the franchise.
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