Sacramento Kings: Darren Collison’s Underrated Impact Off The Bench

Rajon Rondo has been getting all the attention for the Sacramento Kings, but backup point guard Darren Collison has been great in 2015-16 as well.

The Sacramento Kings may have a losing record at 12-17, but with the Western Conference still in hibernation mode to start the 2015-16 NBA season, they’re only 0.5 games out of the eighth seed heading into Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

It’s still early in the season, but with the Utah Jazz missing Rudy Gobert, the Phoenix Suns imploding and the New Orleans Pelicans so far behind already, the Kings have a legitimate chance to end a nine-year postseason drought.

But with Sacramento winning five of its last seven games, it’s worth pointing out the fine work that Darren Collison has been doing off the bench this season.

When Sacramento brought in Rajon Rondo, they were taking a chance on an embattled point guard who hadn’t played at a championship level since he tore his ACL back in 2013. So far, the gamble seems to be paying off, with Rondo averaging 12.4 points, a league-leading 11.3 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game.

More from Sacramento Kings

• 3 Reason why keeping Harrison Barnes was the right move for the Sacramento Kings
• How the Kings’ sneaky signing of Sasha Vezenkov can boost their offense
• Ranking the 5 best available power forwards in 2023 NBA free agency
• NBA Trades: The Kings could bolster their frontcourt by adding this center
• 3 Offseason moves the Sacramento Kings must make to win the West

However, even with Rondo tied for the league lead in triple-doubles (four), what Collison is bringing off the bench might have even more substance than simply being a stat sheet stuffer.

For one thing, Collison has been a little bit more efficient with his shot. While Rondo’s shooting numbers (45.8 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent from three-point range) are vastly improved from last season with the Dallas Mavericks, Collison has been a little bit better at 46.7 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three-point range.

Collison is taking one more three-pointer per game than Rondo this season, which makes sense since Collison has historically been a better three-point shooter. But when you factor in free throw shooting (Collison’s 85.3 percent smashes Rondo’s pitiful mark of 53.6 percent), it’s clear that Collison has found a way to be extremely efficient off the bench.

Despite having his playing time reduced by nearly six minutes per game compared to last season when he was the starter, Collison’s numbers haven’t dropped off too far either:

• 2014-15:  16.1 PPG, 5.6 APG, 3.2 RPG, 1.5 SPG, .473/.373/.788 shooting
• 2015-16:  13.6 PPG, 4.3 APG, 1.9 RPG, 0.8 SPG, .467/.364/.853 shooting

Though he’s only started in three games this season, Collison has been so useful — fourth in scoring among bench players, in fact — that he’s averaging 28.9 minutes per game. The reason? His versatility in being able to play alongside Rondo in the frontcourt.

According to NBA.com, Collison is in eight of Sacramento’s 15 best five-man lineups based on point differential, with him mostly sharing the court with Rondo and/or Omri Casspi in those lineups.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

Collison has been heating up in the month of December as well, scoring in double figures in nine of the team’s 10 games. He also nearly had a triple-double in a 10-point win against the Houston Rockets while filling in for a suspended Rondo, tallying 14 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds in 41 minutes.

Coming off a season high 24-point performance that helped the Kings escape Paul George and the Indiana Pacers, Collison’s underrated impact off the bench has never been more clear.

Rondo’s early antics this season include homophobic slurs, towel whipping from the bench and kicked cameras. He’s not the most reliable guy in the world as a potential head case on a night to night basis, he’s been injury prone over the last few years and his stats can sometimes feel empty.

More hoops habit: NBA Christmas: A Gift For Every Team's Wish List

But if something were to happen to Rondo, the Sacramento Kings should feel good about the backup point guard they have on deck who is currently thriving off the bench and is more than capable of stepping up if need be.