Carl Landry Proving His Value to Sacramento Kings
SACRAMENTO, Calif — After a difficult return campaign with the Sacramento Kings in 2013-14, Carl Landry is making his presence felt this time around, helping the team get off to a 6-5 start.
Landry, who signed a four-year, $26 million deal in the summer of 2013, only appeared in 18 games for the Kings a year ago. On top of his struggles with injuries, the power forward had trouble finding a rhythm when he was on the court.
Now healthy, Landry has returned to his previous form and is posting numbers similar to those that made him a Sixth Man of the Year candidate prior to signing with the Kings. His inspired play is one of the reasons Sacramento has taken a step forward during the early part of the season.
A Lost Year
The 2013-14 season was basically a lost year for Landry.
The 31-year-old dealt with a hip injury that sidelined him for the beginning portion of the campaign. Then, after appearing in 18 games and failing to find his stride, Landry suffered a meniscus tear in his right knee that shelved him for the remaining 24 contests.
As one might imagine, it was a frustrating experience to go through.
"It was tough. To see my teammates struggle, my family, my brother struggle and not be able to do anything about it, it was definitely tough," said Landry, whose brother Marcus, also a basketball player, dealt with injuries and career uncertainty of his own. "And at the same time, I was going through a hard time. It was something where those were days where I had to stay encouraged and be positive."
On the occasions when Landry was on the court, he never really got into a groove. He posted career lows in points, rebounds and minutes per game. The forward also had his worst player efficiency rating and win shares per 48 minutes, an indication that his dip in production wasn't solely a product of reduced playing time.
| PPG | RPG | PER | WS48 | |
| 2013-14 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 11.2 | 0.88 |
| Career | 11.5 | 5.2 | 17.6 | 0.153 |
On top of it all, the Kings were struggling. Sacramento posted a 28-54 record and missed Landry, who was its marquee free-agent addition that offseason.
Getting Back on Track
With a new year came a new beginning for Landry. It was an opportunity to start fresh and make good on the team's faith in him. So far, he's making the most of it.
Landry is getting back to the production that made him one of the league's best reserves prior to his injury-riddled 2013-14 season. He's also reminding the Kings of the production he provided Sacramento in his first go-round, during the 2009-10 season, when he averaged 18 points.
His scoring is back up, both in terms of per-game (9.5) and per-36-minute production (16.6). The power forward is also attacking the glass (4.4 boards a night) and getting to the free-throw line (5.1 attempts per 36 minutes).
Also worth noting is Landry's efficiency. He's posting a PER of 18.6 and a 61.1 percent true-shooting percentage, and his win shares per 48 minutes of .190 is the highest he's posted since his second season.
But the one stat that matters to Landry is the number of games played. He's appeared in all 11 games for the Kings so far, and he's definitely not taking that for granted.
"There’s times where I go home at night and feel blessed that I’ve had an opportunity to go back out on the court and be productive at the same time," said Landry. "I’m just blessed to have a second chance to be out there on the floor and be productive."
Benefiting the Kings
Landry isn't the only one who should feel blessed by his presence on the court. It's also a blessing for the Kings. The 31-year-old has been a big part of their success this season.
Landry has been the first one off the bench on most nights for the Kings, and his 232 total minutes and 21.1 per night are both team highs among backups. Yet despite being a reserve and logging less time on the court, the power forward's 9.7 points per game are more than that of two starters: Jason Thompson and Ben McLemore.
The spark Landry provides certainly isn't lost on the Kings either. Head coach Michael Malone was Landry's assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors during the 2012-13 season and knows what he's capable of. He feels fortunate to have the forward back healthy.
"It’s important to have him back," said Malone. "We missed him all of last year, only played 18 games. But to have him back is a tremendous bonus, a boost for us, because he’s a low-post scorer off the bench for us."
In general, the Kings have had one of the least productive benches in the NBA this season. When the starters go to the bench, the team's effectiveness often goes with them.
In fact, according to Hoop Stats, Sacramento's bench efficiency difference of minus-7.7 is 26th in the league. And while getting an average of 29.1 points a night from their reserve unit, the Kings allow their opponents' backups to tally 36.9 points.
However, that disparity lessens when Landry is in the game when compared to Sacramento's other backups. The Kings still have a negative net rating with him on the court, but it's much closer to even than it is with any other non-starter.
| Off. Rating | Def. Rating | Net Rating | ||
| Carl Landry | 101.9 | 105.8 | -3.8 | |
| Reggie Evans | 103.9 | 113.0 | -9.2 | |
| Omri Casspi | 99.1 | 112.5 | -13.4 | |
| Ray McCallum | 104.5 | 121.7 | -17.2 | |
| Ramon Sessions | 97.1 | 117.5 | -20.5 | |
| Nik Stauskas | 96.8 | 118.4 | -21.6 | |
| Derrick Williams | 83.9 | 125.7 | -41.8 | |
| Ryan Hollins | 84.6 | 153.0 | -68.4 |
As Omri Casspi, another reserve, pointed out, Landry is the focal point of the team when he's in the game with the second unit.
"Carl’s a beast coming off the bench," said Casspi. "He’s our target. We look for him. He seals down low, finishes well in the paint. He’s just playing great."
He's playing so great, in fact, that some may wonder why he isn't starting. But Landry isn't concerned with that. He's embracing his role off the bench.
"[Coming off the bench is] something I’ve done pretty much all of my career," said Landry. "Obviously, I started here the first time around, but it’s a role that I’ve accepted. Whatever it takes for me to be productive and help my team out, I’m all for it."
Given his production and presence on the court, the Kings are all for having him back and healthy.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com. All quotes obtained firsthand.
What are your thoughts on Landry so far? Let me know on Twitter @SimRisso
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