Midseason Report Cards for Every Sacramento Kings Player
Although many consider the All-Star break to be the difference between the first and second half of all NBA seasons, the true halfway point is after Game 41.
As of this writing, the Sacramento Kings already have 42 of their 82 scheduled games under their belt and a 16-26 record to show for it.
But rather than focus on what the team has or has not done to this point in the season, let's focus on each individual on the roster and assess his midterm grade, if you will.
In order to score highly, one must meet a few criteria.
On/off statistics, or net rating, will be heavily taken into account. Sure, traditional statistics can look pretty at first glance, but if those statistics don't have a positive impact on the team both offensively and defensively, then they mean little.
With that said, though, traditional statistics will still hold some merit; they just won't be the be-all, end-all when deciding what mark a player has earned.
Lastly, a player will be put through the old-fashioned eye test. Whether that means examining something he specifically does well or poorly or his overall effort level whenever he takes the floor, it doesn't matter.
What can these players lay claim to at the end of the day that will make a viewer think highly of them?
These are all things that have been considered when determining grades. You might expect some of these grades, while others will do better or worse than you may have anticipated going in.
You will also notice that Eric Moreland and Quincy Miller have been given a pass here. Moreland has only played in three games, while Miller is only signed to a 10-day contract. With such a small sample size, it would be hard to assess their performance accurately and fairly.
So, without further ado, read on to see how each Kings player made out.
Omri Casspi
1 of 13
2014-15 Stats: 29 GP, 7.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 0.9 TOPG, 16.3 PER
For Omri Casspi, the 2014-15 season has been riddled with injury.
A left knee contusion sidelined him for the entire first half of January, and after returning to the lineup for the first time this past Friday, he was forced out of Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers after suffering a right eye abrasion early in the first quarter.
When healthy, Casspi has been decent, at least when you take his traditional statistics at face value. His 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game rank sixth on the Kings, while his 52.4 percent conversion rate from the floor places third.
Unfortunately, despite his above-average player efficiency rating (16.3), Casspi has been a net negative for Sacramento in terms of on/off production, per Basketball-Reference.com. With him on the court, the Kings have scored 4.3 less points per 100 possessions while allowing 6.7 more points per 100 defensively. That equates to a minus-11.0 net rating for the sixth-year pro.
It also hasn't helped that Casspi has been horrendous from beyond the arc. Granted, he isn't known around the league as a sniper from long range, but prior to this year (17.6 percent in 2014-15) Casspi had never failed to shoot below 32 percent from downtown.
Casspi has the ability to be a solid role player in limited minutes off the bench. But that just simply hasn't been the case this year.
Grade: D+
Darren Collison
2 of 13
2014-15 Stats: 39 GP, 16.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 2.5 TOPG, 17.9 PER
Darren Collison is enjoying his best professional season as the starting point guard in Sacramento.
In 35.5 minutes per game, he is recording career highs in points (16.4), rebounds (3.2), assists (5.9), steals (1.6), blocks (0.3) and PER (17.9).
Given his reputation as a career backup, most notably for Chris Paul in both Los Angeles and New Orleans, some were skeptical about his ability to lead a team full time. But those concerns have seemingly been put to rest by both his productive stat line and kind words from one of his old head coaches, Doc Rivers.
About Collison, Rivers said, via Blake Ellington of SactownRoyalty.com:
"I love the guy, he's just a fantastic kid. Basketball-wise he's been great here [in Sacramento] too, but I'm just happy for him. He was a starter, almost an All-Star I think for one year in Indiana, and then all of a sudden he doesn't even play and he goes to Dallas, and he ends up with us, and you don't see a lot of resurrections in our league and he's resurrected his career. So we're very happy about it. I wish he was with us still, but he's not. But he's a great, great kid.
"
One might scoff at the 109 defensive rating he currently touts, but when you consider that the Kings are a whopping 19.1 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court, according to Basketball-Reference.com, that previous statistic becomes moot.
He may not be an All-Star in the increasingly tough Western Conference, but he's been a revelation for the Kings in 2014-15.
Grade: B+
DeMarcus Cousins
3 of 13
2014-15 Stats: 30 GP, 24.0 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.7 BPG, 4.2 TOPG, 25.8 PER
What can't you say about DeMarcus Cousins?
The guy has been a force to be reckoned with all season, and anything short of an All-Star berth this February would be a failure on the part of the coaches who select the reserves.
Well, according to James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom, at least Clippers forward Blake Griffin believes so:
"'Absolutely,' forward Blake Griffin told Cowbell Kingdom when asked if Cousins is an All-Star. 'The way he’s played is incredible and you can’t deny his production, his numbers. You saw what happened when he wasn’t playing, but I say this every year – there are guys that deserve to play in the All-Star game that unfortunately don’t get to play in the All-Star game.'
"
Cousins currently ranks tied for fourth in the league in scoring (24.0), third in rebounding (12.7), ninth in blocks (1.7) and fifth in PER (25.8). He has displayed his dominance on both ends of the floor, where he owns a solid 106 offensive rating and a stout 101 defensive rating.
Unfortunately, Griffin is right. Despite the Kings being 19.5 points better per 100 possessions with Cousins on the floor, according to Basketball-Reference.com, there is no guarantee he'll be playing in Madison Square Garden come mid-February.
It's getting hard to ignore how valuable he is to Sacramento, though. At 16-26, the Kings are sitting firmly in 12th place in the Western Conference, which isn't spectacular by any means. But they have only managed a 2-10 record in the 12 games Cousins has missed this year.
His ability to handle the ball and make plays for both himself and others off the dribble is second to none when it comes to guys around the league who are similar in stature. One minute he's backing you down and dunking on you, and the next he's blocking your shot, grabbing the ball and comfortably leading the fast break.
Not many 6'11", 270-pound centers can do that.
Whether he gets the nod as an All-Star this year or not, in the opinion of this scribe and other noteworthy people around the NBA, Boogie is rapidly emerging as the league's best center at the tender age of 24.
"I think he's the best low-post player in the league, and he's doing it every night," Clippers head man Doc Rivers told Ham. "He's doing more than just scoring, he's doing everything. So I'm just very proud of him."
It's hard to argue with that.
Grade: A
Reggie Evans
4 of 13
2014-15 Stats: 27 GP, 4.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 1.0 TOPG, 11.3 PER
If Reggie Evans really excels at anything on a basketball court, it's cleaning the glass.
The 12-year veteran is averaging 6.8 rebounds in just 17.9 minutes per game so far this season, ranking second on the Kings in that particular category. When Evans is on the bench, Sacramento allows the opposition to grab six more boards than it would if he were on the floor.
This isn't new for Evans. Despite his diminutive size (6'8"), Evans is consistently one of the top rebounders throughout the league per 36 minutes, and the 2014-15 season has been no exception. He's active on both ends of the floor and uses his body and a great ability to time his jump when the ball comes off the rim to secure more than his fair share of caroms.
Evans doesn't offer much of anything else in the way of legitimate production, though. His touch around the rim isn't exactly what one would call soft, and he's too small to bother some of the best power forwards in the West.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, the Kings are almost 12 points worse with him on the floor, but that's to be expected for a one-trick pony like Evans.
Nevertheless, Sacramento should be happy to have him on the roster. He's seen a lot in his days in the league and has plenty of veteran savvy to share with the young guys on the roster.
Grade: D+
Rudy Gay
5 of 13
2014-15 Stats: 39 GP, 20.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 2.7 TOPG, 19.9 PER
Often mocked for his volume scoring, Rudy Gay has continued to improve his overall efficiency in his second year in California's capital.
Through 39 games he's averaged a career-high 20.7 points on 45.2 percent shooting from the floor (slightly below last year's mark of 48.2) and a scorching 38.2 percent from beyond the arc (the second-best mark in his nine pro seasons).
Gay's out-of-nowhere and seemingly unexplainable increase in shooting efficiency has many people wondering where this type of production was in his previous stops in Memphis and Toronto.
Grantland's Kirk Goldsberry points to Dean Oliver's book, Basketball on Paper, in which Oliver makes sense of Gay's transformation: "It is pretty dramatic how much more efficient Gay has been in years where he hasn’t used a lot of possessions. Twice in Memphis and now in Sacramento, he uses fewer possessions and his efficiency goes from below-average or average to above."
Gay's usage percentage this year is right in line with where it was in 2013-14—26.6 percent. As a result, not only are his shooting clips hovering around career-best rates, his on/off production is sky high, too (plus-17.3, per Basketball-Reference.com).
"I think I've changed for the better," Gay told Bleacher Report's Howard Beck about a month ago.
As long as he continues to pick and choose his spots, Gay should remain a perfect sidekick for Cousins.
Grade: B
Ryan Hollins
6 of 13
2014-15 Stats: 26 GP, 2.7 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 0.4 TOPG, 12.0 PER
In each of his previous six NBA stops, Ryan Hollins has never had a prominent role in a team's rotation, and since joining the Kings this past September, not much has changed.
Appearing in just 26 of Sacramento's 42 games, Hollins has spelled guys like Cousins, Evans, Carl Landry and Jason Thompson whenever they are dealing with injury or foul trouble.
Unfortunately, the former UCLA Bruin hasn't taken advantage of his eight starts in 2014-15. In those games, Hollins has put up 5.6 points and a meager 3.5 rebounds per game. That would put him on pace to grab around seven boards per 36 minutes as a starter—a number that is hard to justify for a 7-footer.
At this stage in his career, nobody is expecting Hollins to supply the Kings with offense coming off the pine. But where he has been relatively effective is on the defensive end as a shot-blocker. Even that part of his game has trailed off, though, as his 1.2 blocks per 36 minutes are tied for the second lowest rate in his career.
Hollins obviously isn't useless. But as Akis Yerocostas of SactownRoyalty.com pointed out in September, a lot of the positive things he does come with a caveat:
"Over his career Ryan Hollins has been a solid, if not spectacular shotblocker. His career block rate of 3.4% is above average, but hardly elite. That number isn't super reflective of his overall impact however, as last year his block rate was a very good 4.9%. For comparison, DeMarcus Cousins had a block rate of 3.2% last year.
Hollins length allows him to be a very good rim protector. According to NBA.com, opponent FG% at the rim against Hollins was a paltry 36.6% last year, the best of any player to play at least 60 games and average 0.5 blocks a game. Mind you, that came in only 8 minutes a game, likely against opposing backups, but it's still a fantastic number.
"
Sacramento had to be hoping for just a little bit more out of Hollins when it signed him. Instead, the Kings are 15 points worse per 100 possessions whenever he's on the court, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
Grade: D-
Carl Landry
7 of 13
2014-15 Stats: 38 GP, 8.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 1.0 TOPG, 16.0 PER
Carl Landry might as well be the polar opposite of Hollins.
The seven-year pro has been solid no matter where he has played, and this, his second stint in Sacramento, has been right on par with expectations.
After dealing with injuries much of last year, Landry has been, for the most part, healthy during the 2014-15 campaign. He's played in all but four of the Kings' contests, and in just less than 19 minutes per game, he's put up solid averages of 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds while recording an above-average PER of 16.0.
Admittedly, Landry hasn't been a plus on the offensive end to this point in the season. According to Basketball-Reference.com, the Kings are 9.6 points worse per 100 offensive possessions whenever he's been on the court, but a solid impact on defense has Sacramento allowing two less points per 100 with him surveying the paint. A minus-7.5 net rating isn't anything to write home about, but it could be worse, as we've seen so far throughout these slides.
Landry is a better offensive player than his on/off numbers might show, though, as evidenced by his offensive rating (117) that currently ranks 18th in the entire NBA. You can chock that up to his ability to create from various spots on the floor whenever he has the ball in his hands.
"Well, we need him to score for us off the bench especially," Kings head coach Tyrone Corbin told Kings.com in early December. "He's one guy you can go through on the post. Last night, he was able to step out and hit some jump shots on the perimeter, he was able to drive from the elbow and get a basket, so he's a versatile guy in that second group for us."
The Kings should be happy with what they've gotten from Landry so far. And if his health continues to improve, allowing him to get more burn, then this grade should improve by season's end.
Grade: C+
Ray McCallum
8 of 13
2014-15 Stats: 29 GP, 4.1 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 0.8 TOPG, 9.2 PER
With all the time that Ramon Sessions has missed due to injury, Ray McCallum has been forced to produce for the Kings as the first point guard off the bench.
So far, McCallum has struggled. With him on the floor, Sacramento is nearly 16 points worse per 100 possessions, via Basketball-Reference.com, than it is when he's viewing the action from the sidelines.
That's probably to be expected, though, as the sophomore got minimal experience last year and didn't play at a top-flight school in college. That being the case, McCallum has been sort of thrown into a situation where he has to learn a lot on the fly. But according to Rui Thomas of Cowbell Kingdom, the 23-year-old is embracing the process:
"'When I’m sitting there (on the bench), I’m constantly watching the game and just learning,' McCallum told Cowbell Kingdom on Monday. “Learning from my teammates, and from the players on the other team. Just seeing what I can and can’t do when I’m out there, seeing the mistakes that anyone makes, and seeing all the things that guys on the court do right. I think that’s (going to) strengthen my game.'
"
Despite his positive attitude, his recently increased role has taken a toll on his shooting percentages, especially from beyond the arc (27.3 percent, down 10 percent from last year) and at the charity stripe (64.3, down 10.1 percent).
McCallum has showed promise, though, most importantly as a facilitator (he's closing in on a 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio). Now that Sessions appears to be back from injury, the Detroit product should be able to go back to developing behind the scenes at a slower pace while also making a more efficient impact on the floor.
Until then, his grade will remain unimpressive.
Grade: D+
Ben McLemore
9 of 13
2014-15 Stats: 42 GP, 11.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 1.8 TOPG, 9.7 PER
Ben McLemore has made such a significant improvement from Year 1 to 2 that the Kings reportedly feel Nik Stauskas—their 2014 lottery selection—could be expendable, per CBS Sports' Ken Berger.
As the only member of the Kings to appear in all 42 games, McLemore has been the team’s iron man of sorts, as well as one of its biggest surprises.
The former Kansas Jayhawk has improved in essentially every major statistical category, and his three-point increase in his points-per-game average and steadier stroke from the outside have both been welcomed signs.
But perhaps the most impressive leap he’s taken is on the defensive end of the floor, where the Kings are currently allowing 10 points less per 100 possessions with their starting 2-guard on the court, according to Basketball-Reference.com. For comparison's sake, Sacramento was a little more than three points worse whenever McLemore got into the action during last year’s campaign.
A 13-point turnaround is nothing to sneeze at, and his increased ability to guard on the ball—thanks to his effortless athleticism and enhanced basketball IQ—has contributed to that.
According to NBA.com, McLemore is holding shooters to 5.9 percentage points lower than their season average from 15 feet and out, as well as 5.2 percentage points lower than their season average from behind the three-point line.
These improvements can’t be understated. And as long as he continues to play stout defense, his offense will continue to improve right along with it.
Grade: B
Ramon Sessions
10 of 13
2014-15 Stats: 26 GP, 5.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.6 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.0 BPG, 1.5 TOPG, 9.2 PER
After missing 13 straight games due to a lower back strain, Ramon Sessions finally returned to the court Wednesday night against the Brooklyn Nets.
He put together a lackluster night in 21 minutes of play, tallying just two points, four rebounds and four assists on 25 percent shooting from the floor.
Of course, any player making his return after missing that many games is expected to struggle. But it’s also not as if Sessions was lighting the world on fire in his role as the Kings’ sixth man.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, Sacramento has been 12 points per 100 possessions worse off with the veteran guard on the floor, with the biggest hit coming somewhat surprisingly on the offensive end.
Sessions has long been known as a solid scorer and one of the better players when it comes to getting to and finishing at the rim. This year, he is averaging his lowest scoring total per 36 minutes (12.4) since his rookie year back in 2007-08 (11.0). He’s also shied away from attacking the paint, attempting only 21 percent of his field goals from 0-3 feet.
What’s more, those attempts have fallen at his lowest rate in two years, and coincidentally, it’s exactly the same as the conversion rate he achieved in his inaugural season (.533).
This is a development the Kings should be at least a little concerned about. Sessions is in the prime of his career at 28 years old, which makes his lessened willingness to take advantage of arguably his strongest skill odd.
Sessions was supposed to be a good signing for the Kings, but so far, he’s left a lot to be desired.
Grade: C-
Nik Stauskas
11 of 13
2014-15 Stats: 40 GP, 3.6 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 0.4 TOPG, 5.5 PER
As mentioned earlier, the Kings aren’t exactly sure what to do with rookie guard Nik Stauskas and have made it known that they’re willing to deal him if the situation is right.
Stauskas has had plenty of opportunities to show the front office what he can become in this league, and in some instances he has. But in 40 games, the former Michigan Wolverine is only averaging 3.6 points on 33.3 percent shooting from the field and 27.2 percent from long range.
Some may argue that the Kings shouldn’t give up on the rookie, and that’s fair. But you can see why the team’s brass has some concerns.
His three-point shooting has largely disappointed, and the ability to make plays as a facilitator that he flashed in college has yet to present itself in the pros.
Stauskas has really struggled defensively, too. Per Basketball-Reference.com, the Kings are nine points worse per 100 defensive possessions with him on the floor, and his average athleticism doesn’t do him any favors when guarding out on the wing.
Coach Tyrone Corbin knows that Stauskas' development is going to take time and said as much when talking to MLive.com’s Brendan Savage in early January:
"It's been a process for him, understanding how much better these guys are overall, how fast they are at both ends of the floor, how strong they are, how he can shoot the ball and how he can get himself open.
It's a process for him. He's going to continue to work and he's going to have a lot of work to do to figure his way out in this league.
"
Stauskas will get better—that much is for sure. But to this point in the season he's failed to live up to the hype of being the No. 8 overall pick in the NBA draft.
Grade: D
Jason Thompson
12 of 13
2014-15 Stats: 41 GP, 5.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 1.1 TOPG, 8.8 PER
This type of production, or lack thereof, probably isn’t what the Kings bargained for when they signed Jason Thompson to a five-year, $30 million extension back in 2012.
For a guy who is supposed to be in the prime of his career, it’s a little concerning that Jason Thompson is achieving career lows in points (5.7), blocks (0.6) and field goal percentage (.468).
Part of the reason for his struggles could simply be due to Cousins’ ascent as a star in this league.
Thompson presents an awkward fit next to Boogie since he doesn’t have the ability to stretch the floor or a good enough touch in the post to warrant more touches (.566 from 0-3 feet this year, also a career low).
Because of that, Thompson has never really been a focal point in Sacramento's offense, even when circumstances might call for it, according to James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom: "When teams go small on the Kings, Thompson has held his own on the defensive end, but instead of taking advantage of his size advantage on the offensive end, the Kings have gone to different options."
Thompson, despite his large frame, also hasn’t been much of a force on the defensive end. The Kings are only slightly better defensively with him on the floor (plus-three, via Basketball-Reference.com), and according to NBA.com, he currently allows opposing players to convert 57.6 percent of their attempts at the rim.
Usually that’s not too bad of a number, but for a guy who's 6’11", 250 pounds, it isn’t exactly stellar.
Thompson did really well standing in for Cousins this past Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers. At this juncture of his career, though, a 22-point, 23-rebound game has become more of the exception than the rule as Thompson had never recorded a 20/20 game in his career prior to that instance.
Grade: C-
Derrick Williams
13 of 13
2014-15 Stats: 37 GP, 6.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 0.6 TOPG, 12.1 PER
The second overall pick in the 2011 draft, Derrick Williams continues to disappoint in his fourth NBA season.
Offensively, he's a tweener. At 6'8" and 240 pounds, Williams isn't large enough to back opponents down in the post, but he's also not a good enough shooter (28.6 percent from beyond the arc this year) to earn consistent playing time on the wing.
His impact on the other end of the floor has arguably been worse, though. With Williams on the court, Sacramento hemorrhages points to its opponents, allowing nearly 10 more points per 100 possessions, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
What's most frustrating about Williams' game is that he occasionally shows flashes of what Minnesota saw in him when they decided to take him in the first place.
USA Today's Sam Amick said it best in early December:
"Good luck deciding which part of Derrick Williams' night to be most shocked by. 16 points...in 8 minutes...on 9 shots...w/ 7 made.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) December 3, 2014"
He's an enigma, plain and simple. Unfortunately, Williams might not be around long enough for Sacramento, or any other team, to crack his code.
Rui Thomas of Cowbell Kingdom elaborates: "It’s no secret that Williams’ time is coming to an end in Sacramento. He is regarded around the league as a reclamation project at best, and at worst, a bust. The Kings can sell him to other clubs as an expiring deal or let him walk when free agency begins."
Thomas is right. After three years in which he's made minimal progress, Williams' time to prove his worth may be running out. The remaining 40 games on this season's schedule might make or break his career.
Grade: D
All stats, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
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