How the Sacramento Kings benefitted from the trade deadline
By Rafe Wong
Acquired Young Talents
We talked about unloading Dedmon and his contract was a plus for the Sacramento Kings. Now let us talk about how their additions help the team.
Jabari Parker
Although Jabari Parker’s NBA career has not panned out as planned, one strength in his game is getting buckets. Parker has shown to be a productive scorer, especially around the midrange and interior areas, as he averages around 15 points a game in his career. With the Atlanta Hawks this season, 32 games, he is averaging around 15 points per game and shooting around 50 percent from the floor.
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There is no doubt that Parker is an incredible offensive talent, but in terms of fit with the Kings, there are some issues. Offensively, Parker is an iso scorer who is productive when he has the ball in his hands. Parker also gets most of his points inside the perimeter which interferes with the Kings’ goal of being a 3-point shooting club. As for defense, he has none so he will fit right in with Sacramento in that area.
Hopefully, Parker can adapt to the Kings’ system and become an asset for the team. He is only 24 years of age with a great upside, so there is optimism.
Alex Len
As for Alex Len, the 26-year old is a big body who stands around 7’0 tall and weighs around 250 lbs. Len is at his best when living in the interior as he can score in the post, rebound basketballs, and set up screens for his teammates. In terms of fit, Len does not fit well with the Kings’ fast-paced offense and especially does not fit well with Marvin Bagley III in terms of complementary skillset.
The upside, however, is that Len can improve the Kings’ rebounding as well as be an advantage when the team plays against small-ball lineups due to his size alone. Most likely, Len will not be in Sacramento’s future plans.