Grading Every Sacramento Kings Player Heading into 2015 NBA All-Star Break

The All-Star break is here for the Sacramento Kings, which provides a demarcation between the season's first and second half. 

Oh, and what an eventful first half it's been. The team has fired one coach already, and most likely a second is to follow if the Kings hire George Karl to man the bench. There have also been plenty of ups and downs from the team's players.

But now that the first half is in the books, it's the perfect time to sit back and analyze it. We'll grade each of the team's players.

As in school, the grades are based on criteria and whether the players met those benchmarks. For these assessments, we'll consider a player's performance during the season, as well as his expectations. In other words, a player with higher standards could perform better than one with lower standards and still receive an inferior grade. 

No. 15 Through No. 11

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Eric Moreland

Eric Moreland gets an incomplete for his midseason grade. The rookie has logged three total minutes and hasn't appeared in a game since Dec. 13, due to an a shoulder injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the season.

Grade: Incomplete 

Ramon Sessions

Ramon Sessions has had an underwhelming season no matter how you look at it. 

He's only making 35.6 percent of his field goals and 22.2 percent of his three-pointers. Additionally, his player efficiency rating of 8.8 is substantially below the league average of 15.0.

Making it worse is that Sessions has a solid track record. This is his eighth season, and it's only the second time he's been a below-average player—he had a 12.9 PER in 2009-10. He's posting career lows in field-goal percentage, PER, points per game, assists per game and three-point percentage.

Sessions has even struggled facilitating the offense. The ball movement ceases when he gets on the court. The team has an offensive rating of 97.7 when he's in the game but jumps to 102.9 when he's on the bench, per NBA.com.

Grade: D

Nik Stauskas

As we've seen with Ben McLemore, you have to take a rookie season with a grain of salt. That said, Nik Stauskas' initial campaign has been underwhelming. 

Given the presence of McLemore, Sessions, Darren Collison and Ray McCallum in the backcourt, it's easy to see why Stauskas isn't putting up huge numbers. He doesn't have many opportunities for extended playing time.

What's more difficult to understand is Stauskas' struggles as a shooter. He was a marksman in college, knocking down 44.1 percent of his three-pointers at the University of Michigan. Matching that total in the NBA is a difficult proposition considering the lengthier three-point line and increase in competition, but Stauskas is struggling everywhere on the floor.

He's only making 26.4 percent of his threes. The rookie isn't faring much better on mid-range jumpers, as only 33.3 percent of his looks from 16 feet to the three-point line are going in.

What's most concerning is that even when Stauskas gets open looks, he sometimes fails to fire. And even when he does get a catch-and-shoot opportunity, he's only making 29.6 percent of them (28.6 from three-point range).

His hesitance and struggles are likely related to a lack of confidence. And that makes sense. Going from college to the NBA is a big jump. But even factoring that in, Stauskas' inability to adjust and improve throughout the season wasn't expected.

Grade: D

Derrick Williams

There hasn't been much noteworthy about Derrick Williams' season. Of course, how you assess him depends on what you expected. 

If you envisioned the type of performance that often comes along with a player selected No. 2 overall in a draft, you're disappointed. But if you considered what we've seen from Williams in the past, he's pretty much matched that.

He's setting career lows in points (6.5) and rebounds (2.6) per game, but he's also playing fewer minutes (17.4) than he ever has. In some respects, his career-high field-goal percentage (.442) is also encouraging. 

However, the problem with Williams is he doesn't utilize his talent like he should. There's a reason why he was drafted where he was—he's a great athlete, has size (6'8", 241 lbs) and isn't a one-trick pony. But Williams shoots too many jumpers for a player of his talents.

Not only do the jump shots prevent him from getting to his more enticing skills, but they also don't go in nearly enough. Only 25.9 percent of them are falling, including 27.4 percent from three-point range. 

Compare that with his percentage around the rim (69.4 percent), and it's clear Williams is emphasizing the wrong things. 

Grade: D+

Jason Thompson

Jason Thompson's numbers are down this year, but there's a reason for that.

He is being utilized on fewer possessions (11.9 percent) than ever before. That explains his downturn in offensive production, as he is averaging a career-low 5.6 points per game. 

But Thompson is just as effective as he's ever been at rebounding, defense and efficiency. His total rebound percentage (14.5), block percentage (1.9) and field-goal percentage (.463) are all close to his career averages. 

If there's one concern with Thompson, it's that he's turning the ball over at a higher rate. It may not seem like it since he's rarely asked to tote the rock, but 15.3 percent of his touches are resulting in turnovers. 

Take his game against the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 21 as an example. Thompson only committed two turnovers in 22 minutes, which doesn't seem bad. However, the Kings only used him on four possessions, two of which ended with him coughing the ball up to the opposition. 

Grade: C-

Carl Landry

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When he gets playing time, Carl Landry is his consistent self. The problem is that he's seen his playing time dwindle in recent weeks. 

Landry missed five consecutive games from Jan. 16 to Jan. 23. Since he's come back, he's only averaging 4.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 15.5 minutes. Yet his overall body of work is pretty much what we've come to expect from Landry.

Despite his lack of playing time, he is still the most effective reserve the Kings have. He's one of the few guys off the bench who can be a go-to option with the second unit or a complementary player when paired with the starters. 

As such, the Kings are minus-8.9 points per 100 possessions with him on the court, which is second among the team's reserves (not including Quincy Miller or Eric Moreland, who have such a small sample size). While that sounds like an indoctrination on Landry, it's more of an issue with the overall lack of depth on the team.

Grade: C-

Quincy Miller

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The Kings signed Quincy Miller to two separate 10-day contracts. The 22-year-old had been playing in the D-League with the Reno BigHorns, where he was named to the circuit's All-Star Game.

With Sacramento, Miller hasn't received much playing time. He's logged 61 minutes over six games and had some decent results. 

His best game by far was a contest against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 23. Miller logged 34 minutes, scored 13 points, grabbed six rebounds and blocked two shots. He also showed the ability to get to the charity stripe, attempting seven free throws.

Since Miller hasn't had much playing time, grading him is a difficult prospect, especially since he didn't have much playing time prior to this season. Still, considering he came up from the D-League and had a decent showing during the one game in which he received extensive playing time, it could be worse.

Of course, it's also worth noting that Miller's second 10-day contract just expired and the Kings have yet to sign him for the remainder of the season, according to Jason Ham of Cowbell Kingdom.

Grade: C 

Reggie Evans

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You pretty much know what to expect from Reggie Evans after 12 years in the NBA. He's a limited offensive player, but there aren't many rebounders who are better or are willing to do the dirty work like he is.

In those regards, Evans hasn't disappointed. 

He leads the team in total rebound percentage, at 21.7 percent. Plus, his overall production of .077 win shares per 48 minutes is right in line with his career average of 0.84. 

Evans has received sporadic playing time since Tyrone Corbin took over as head coach. But on the occasions when he gets run, like Dec. 26 against the Phoenix Suns, he can still go out and grab 16 rebounds (nine of them on the offensive end) and chip in 11 points. 

Grade: C

Ryan Hollins

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When you're backing up DeMarcus Cousins like Ryan Hollins is, you aren't going to have many opportunities for playing time. While that's been the case, Hollins has performed up to expectations when on the court.

His skill set is limited offensively, but Hollins doesn't try to force the issue. He only attempts shots he can make, which aren't many. That explains his 6.3 field-goal attempts per 36 minutes; it's also the reason for his .633 field-goal percentage.

The center is a decent rebounder when he's in the game, pulling down 8.9 boards per 36 minutes and corralling 14.1 percent of all opportunities. 

While none of those skills particularly stand out, they don't need to. Hollins has been passable on the court, which is all the Kings could have hoped for.

Grade: C

Ray McCallum

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It's been difficult for Ray McCallum to get into a rhythm, largely due to a lack of playing time. The second-year player is actually logging fewer minutes than he did as a rookie.

Still, he has done some nice things when he gets a chance. 

Former head coach Michael Malone valued McCallum for his defense and his work ethic.

"Ray McCallum is one of our best perimeter defenders," Malone said. "I feel very comfortable and confident when he has the ball in his hands, so all-day Ray, he stays ready. All the guys on the team really respect how hard he works, he never gets down and he takes advantage of all his opportunities."

And McCallum is opportunistic. 

With Darren Collison out due to injury against the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 10, McCallum logged 26 minutes. He scored 11 points, dished out four assists and grabbed three rebounds. 

Grade: C+

Omri Casspi

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Omri Casspi is one of the few bench players who have had a decent showing for the Kings. 

What's stood out most is his energy and relentlessness around the hoop. He's seemingly always attacking the basket and moving without the ball, which are both areas he wasn't so great at during his first stint with the Kings.

Casspi is making a career-high 51.7 percent of his field goals. Part of that is due to the proximity of his attempts, as 40.1 percent are within three feet of the hoop and 82.5 percent are inside of 10 feet. 

The forward has dealt with injuries, missing the first six games of the new year. But he has still provided more production than the Kings could have expected.

Grade: B-

Rudy Gay

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Rudy Gay is contributing in ways we haven't seen from him. Namely, he's become a better facilitator.

Gay is averaging a career-high 3.9 assists. That's a substantial increase from last season (2.9), which was a previous career best. This was really evident in the stretch of games where DeMarcus Cousins was out with viral meningitis. 

From Nov. 28 to Dec. 16, with Cousins out, Gay averaged 5.7 assists. 

On top of his facilitating, he is still scoring plenty of points. He's averaging 20 points per game, and he's doing so efficiently. The small forward is knocking down 34.3 percent of his three-pointers and is posting a career-best PER of 18.9. 

He's also doing it largely by creating for himself, as only 30.6 percent of his two-pointers are assisted. Sometimes, this is an indication of Gay trying to do too much with the ball, which can lead to frustration from his teammates.

A perfect example of this was a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 2. Gay gets the ball on the wing and tries to force a drive to the hoop despite the T-Wolves bringing the double-team. While this is going on, Cousins stands there with his hands on his knees and doesn't move.  

That type of play is odd when juxtaposed with Gay's increased assists. While he isn't perfect, he is consistent.

Grade: B

Darren Collison

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Darren Collison has been one of the bright spots in a season that hasn't been filled with many of them. The point guard has done a good job of facilitating the offense and finding scoring opportunities for himself.

He's setting career highs in points (16.1) and rebounds (3.2) per game while having his second-best season in assists (5.6). 

But individual numbers aside, Collison's ability to keep the offense on track has been his biggest strength. He's been the team's best facilitator by far, and everything runs smoother when he's on the court. 

Not surprisingly, Sacramento's 105.5 offensive rating with him on the court is the best on the team (with the exception of Moreland, who's logged two minutes all year). So while the team may have its best overall net rating with DeMarcus Cousins on the court, the offense is at its peak performance when Collison is running the show.

Grade: B+

Ben McLemore

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Perhaps no player on the Kings has outperformed expectations more than Ben McLemore. While the second-year guard is far from a finished product, he's improved drastically from an ominous rookie season. 

While McLemore's 12.6 points per 36 minutes aren't much better than the 11.9 he posted last year, the way he's scoring is encouraging. He went from making 37.6 percent of his field goals as a rookie to 44.5 percent as a sophomore, along with increasing his three-point percentage from 32 percent to 35.8. 

And that's on top of a recent slump McLemore is going through. Since Jan. 4, he's only shooting 37.9 percent from the field and 29 percent from downtown. Such are the growing pains of a young player who relies primarily on a jump shot.

Of course, he's still showing flashes even in the middle of that stretch. McLemore had one of his best performances of the season on Feb. 3 against the Golden State Warriors, scoring 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including knocking down four of five three-pointers.

McLemore can use the remainder of the season to become even more consistent. But even if his campaign plateaus where he's at right now, it'll be a huge improvement on his rookie year.

Grade: B+

DeMarcus Cousins

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DeMarcus Cousins is Sacramento's best player. It's not even close, and that's considering the expectations for the center entering the season.

After the campaign we saw from DMC in 2013-14, it was fair to expect consistent production on the offensive end. Cousins hasn't disappointed in this regard. 

He has increased his scoring average to 23.6 points per game. He's also posting a PER of 24.1. Both figures come in seventh in the NBA. The center is also doing a better job of finding teammates when double-teams arrive, having a career-high 3.3 assists per game. And given that Cousins is double-teamed often, that's a good wrinkle to add to the mix.

A good example was a game on Feb. 10 against the Chicago Bulls. Cousins struggled to get his shooting going, only making five of 15 field-goal attempts. But he was able to contribute by finding teammates, racking up eight assists. 

But what's most encouraging about Cousins' season is the work he's done on defense, mainly because it's not something we've seen from him in the past. He's blocking shots with more frequency, tallying career highs in blocks per game (1.6) and block percentage (3.8). 

Even when he can't deflect shots, he's doing a good job of altering them. That's led to a decrease in opponent field-goal percentage. 

Within 10 feet of the hoop, opponents who are averaging a 55.1 field-goal percentage see that number drop to 51.3. Within six feet, the difference is even greater, with the average percentage dropping from 59.9 to 54.1. 

This has made Cousins a true two-way player, which is something we couldn't have said prior to this season. 

Grade: A

Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.

What are your thoughts on the grades? Agree or disagree? Let me know on Twitter @SimRisso.