5 Questions the Sacramento Kings Need Answered During the Preseason
While the preseason may not count in the standings, it's still an important time for franchises like the Sacramento Kings to gain information that can be used in the regular season.
It's a time when questions about the rotation, filling voids from the previous season and integrating new players into the system can be worked on. For the Kings, they need to find answers in all three categories.
The team needs to figure out how to divvy up minutes between a packed yet inexperienced backcourt. There needs to be a balance between playing the best players but not at the cost of youngsters who are still in the developmental stages of their career.
The same can be said of a power forward position that has many options, although more experienced, who need to be woven into the game plan.
There are questions about the offense, particularly replacing the scoring that was lost when Isaiah Thomas moved on to the Phoenix Suns. Along with that comes integrating new players into the system who were brought in to help fill that void.
All of those things will be important in determining how the regular season plays out. So while the preseason doesn't count, it's far from meaningless.
Where Do Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas Fit In?
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Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas are the Kings' last two first-round draft picks. Both also play the same position: shooting guard. That means Sacramento needs to find a way to get playing time for both of them.
It's way too early in either of their careers to determine their long-term outlook. McLemore was raw in his rookie year, only shooting 37.6 percent from the field and 32 percent from three-point range. But he's still only 21 years old, and the Kings drafted him knowing that while possessing huge potential, he was far from a finished product.
Stauskas, on the other hand, appears to be more NBA-ready—at least as a shooter. He knocked down 44.1 percent of his three-pointers in his two years at Michigan and 47.8 percent of his triples in summer league. So far he's made 36.8 percent in the preseason.
Yet he needs to adjust to the physicality of the NBA game. And as Stauskas told Bill Herenda of Comcast, he's up for the challenge:
"It’s really just embracing it. Embracing that physicality, not being scared of it, don’t shy away from it, because I feel like if you shy away from it, the veterans, they kind of sense that and they’ll get up into you a little bit more, so you know, just trying to embrace it and play off of it.
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In order to do that, he needs playing time, and the Kings have given him 24.4 minutes a night through five games.
At the same time, McLemore needs time to develop. He's started four of the five games so far and averaged 26.4 minutes a night, with 10.8 points on 40.9 percent shooting from the field.
The Kings have done a nice job striking a balance between the two thus far. They can use the remainder of the preseason to determine what'll work best once the games start to count.
Who Fills Isaiah Thomas' Role as a Scorer?
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The Kings had three 20-point scorers last season in DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Isaiah Thomas. Thomas has now moved on to the Phoenix Suns.
While the players brought in—Darren Collison and Ramon Sessions—can make up for that loss on defense and as distributors, neither one is as good of a scorer as Thomas.
Thomas' 21.3 points per 36 minutes in 2013-14 trumps that of both Collison (15.9) and Sessions (16.6). The same can be said of his player efficiency rating (20.5), as I.T. is superior to the other two (Collison at 16.2; Sessions at 16.0) there as well.
More than likely it will have to come from a combination of players for a couple reasons: 1) The backcourt is deeper all around this season, and 2) there's not one single player brought in who possesses Thomas' skill set as a scorer.
Both Collison (13.6) and Sessions (11.6) are scoring in double figures so far, which is a promising sign if the Kings are to replace Thomas' 20 points.
Does Eric Moreland Have a Future with the Kings?
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Due to the plethora of power forwards, one player who figures to have difficulty sticking with the the team is Eric Moreland.
Moreland, who went undrafted, played with the Kings in the Las Vegas Summer League, and the team was so impressed with his play that it signed him to a training camp contract.
He brings a unique skill set to the table, one in which the Kings may be lacking. One area in particular is his ability to protect the rim. The power forward averaged 2.7 blocks during the summer league. Sacramento's team leader last year in the category was Cousins, with 1.3, and the Kings only averaged 3.9 blocks during the season.
Yet while the position is one that is stacked, Comcast's Bill Herenda points out there's the perfect player already in the locker room for Moreland to model his game after if he wants to make the team.
"For inspiration and a career to model, Moreland needs to look no further than across the locker room to [Reggie] Evans, who was undrafted out of Iowa and is entering his 13th NBA season and possesses similar traits – the high motor, tenacity, rebounding propensity and overall terrific team guy.
Moreland needs to have the same traits on and off the court, plus patience and mental toughness to stick in Sacramento.
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As Herenda previously pointed out in his article, "Moreland is likely to make frequent trips on I-80 between Sacramento and Reno, home of the Kings' NBA D-League affiliate Reno Big Horns."
But the preseason is his chance to show what he can do. He hasn't received much playing time—only 20 total minutes over three games—yet he's blocked two shots and grabbed five rebounds in his opportunities.
How Should the Kings Set Their Rotation at Power Forward?
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Power forward may be the Kings' most puzzling position. They have three players who could start or receive sizable minutes there.
There's Jason Thompson, who spent much of last season at the starter. Reggie Evans was brought in with a midseason trade from the Brooklyn Nets and spent some time in the starting lineup. The Kings also have Carl Landry, who's more than capable but was hurt most of last season.
While each player is worthy of minutes, all three bring different things to the table.
Evans is the best rebounder of the bunch. He's posted a 21.8 percent total-rebound percentage throughout his career, including a league-high 26.7 percent in 2012-13. Thompson (14.8 percent) and Landry (12.4 percent), while decent rebounders, are nowhere near Evans.
Landry is the best scorer. He's got a career PER of 17.6 and has averaged 17.3 points per 36 minutes. Evans (11.7 PER; 7.6 points per 36) and Thompson (14.0 PER; 13.3 points per 36) are considerably behind him.
Thompson is the most well-rounded of the three. He's a better scorer than Evans and a better rebounder than Landry. He is also most capable of meshing with other players in the frontcourt due to his ability to play both power forward and center—66 percent of his playing time has come at the 4, while 34 percent has been at the 5.
That's not even to consider the possibility that, although none are likely to start at the position, Rudy Gay, Omri Casspi and Derrick Williams can log minutes at both forward spots.
Having options is a good problem to have, but it's one the Kings will have to solve during the preseason.
How Will the New Players Fit in with Coach Malone's System?
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With head coach Mike Malone being in his second season with the Kings, a lot of the players have already had a year to acquiesce to his system. They know what he expects, and they've had a year to learn how to execute it.
The new players, however, will have to adjust to this on the fly. While it's not an impossible task, it's an important one, especially considering a few of the newcomers figure to play prominent roles.
With Thomas gone, either Collison or Sessions will have to step in as the starting point guard. They'll be tasked with running the offense and be an extension of the coach on the court.
Casspi and Moreland, if he makes the team, will need to be worked into the rotation at both forward spots. Both bring different skill sets to the table, with Casspi more of a small forward/stretch 4 and Moreland as a power forward/energy guy.
There's also Ryan Hollins who's capable of being DeMarcus Cousins' primary backup at center. Of course, it's a position Thompson can also capably play, so the preseason will determine how sizable the newcomer's role will be.
Last, but certainly not least, there's the rookie, Stauskas. He's going to get playing time by virtue of where he was drafted and his shooting ability, but his performance in preseason will determine if it's as a starter or reserve.
Of course, adjusting to the coach's system is a fluid process that figures to change throughout the season. But the preseason will be a strong indicator of how things will shake out in the early portion of the campaign.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.
What do questions do you think the Kings can answer during preseason? Let me know on Twitter @SimRisso.
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