Sacramento Kings Need More from Ben McLemore
It's not crazy to think the Sacramento Kings really have something going here. There's plenty of talent and experience in the lineup. But to sustain their hot start, they'll need all hands on deck throughout the grind of the 82-game season.
And Ben McLemore's hands might be as important as anyone's.
Only he's been rather inconsistent since Sacramento drafted him No. 7 in 2013. The Kings even went ahead and selected Nik Stauskas, another 2-guard, in the lottery one year later.
In spurts, we've seen McLemore flash his eye-opening two-way potential driven by world-class athleticism and textbook shooting mechanics.
What we haven't seen is steady production and contribution. McLemore shot just 37.6 percent and 32 percent from downtown last season. He became one of those cross-your-fingers type of offensive players—if you're a Kings fan, you just had to cross your fingers and hope his jumper was on.
Because when it is, he's capable of catching fire and scoring in bunches. McLemore scored at least 15 points 16 different times last year, and in 12 of those games, he connected on at least three three-pointers.
One of the challenges for McLemore, other than knocking down more shots in general, has been finding ways to stay effective when his jumper is off, which, after 90 careers games, has occurred a little too much.
At this point, he's got a heavily perimeter-oriented style of play without the shooting accuracy it requires.
According to 82games.com, 78 percent of McLemore's shots last year were jumpers, and 80 percent of those jumpers were assisted.
Obviously, the Kings are going to need his jumper to start falling with a little more consistency. But assuming his shooting accuracy and consistency take a few more years to build up, he'll have to find other ways to score or contribute on nights his outside touch is cold.
He averaged only 1.9 drives per game and one point per game off those drives in 2013-14. In comparison, fellow 2-guard Alec Burks, who played roughly the same amount of minutes, averaged 5.5 drives per game.
Just saying "attack more" is easier said than done. McLemore's handle isn't the greatest, which prevents him from being able to capitalize in one-on-one situations.
But it's definitely something he'll need to improve if he plans on taking that next step. McLemore attempted just 1.7 free throws a game last year. That's not exactly a number that screams "scorer."
So far this season, we've seen the same ups and downs from McLemore as the ones he experienced as a rookie.
He converted just five field goals through his first four games on 19 attempts. Of those 19 attempts, 15 of them came from at least 18 feet or deeper.
Over his last four games since then, his shot selection has been somewhat better, though he's still taken 25-of-37 shots beyond the 18-foot mark during the stretch.
Thankfully, he's hit more of them, including 11 three-pointers. There's no real explanation except for increased confidence, which is really what fuels a streak shooter like McLemore.
But with an offensive repertoire this reliant on perimeter scoring, inconsistent impact is inevitable—especially considering that McLemore isn't a factor in the playmaking department, given his one-assist-per-game average and career 5.7 percent assist percentage.
In terms of what we'd like to see more of, McLemore did score a couple of buckets in the second half Tuesday night against the Mavericks that saw him get himself open for layups cutting and flashing off down screens.
This is really the type of action toward the rim we just haven't seen enough of from McLemore, who's seemed more comfortable and confident with his jumper than trying to finish plays in traffic on the move.
Still, McLemore is a perimeter scorer by identity, and one whose core duties must focus on complementary shot-making and finishing.
If the Kings plan on making a legitimate run, they're going to need their starting 2-guard to play a regular role, both on defense, where McLemore has been better this season, and offensively, where his impact continues to fluctuate.
"My offense is going to come, but one of my goals is to be a good defender, one of the best two guard defenders in the league," McLemore said via Sactown Royaly's Blake Ellington.
Sacramento ultimately leans a little too heavily on DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay, who together average nearly 45 points combined.
Cue McLemore. The firepower he's capable of providing could go a long way for this group as a third or fourth option.
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