Sacramento Kings Still Searching for the Real Ben McLemore

We're nearly two years into Ben McLemore's tenure with the Sacramento Kings, and we still don't know what to expect from the shooting guard. 

Entering the 2013 draft, McLemore was touted for his physical tools and silky-smooth jumper. We've seen evidence of both during his time with the Kings. 

But despite those skills, he was also incredibly raw. That was evident at times last season, as McLemore struggled to adapt to the NBA, had issues with ball-handling and lacked consistency on his long-range shot. 

He's been much better in his second season. He's improved on defense, he's more confident in his abilities and his numbers have improved across the board. Yet he still disappears for stretches. 

So where is the real McLemore? 

A High Ceiling

One thing that's undeniably true is McLemore's talent. If he puts it all together, the second-year player has the potential to be one of the league's top shooting guards.

While his draft class was one of the weaker ones in recent memory, he stood out.

ESPN's Jay Bilas spoke about McLemore's talent when summing up the draft to Scott Gleeson of USA Today: "Ben McLemore is the most gifted player and probably has the highest ceiling from a talent standpoint down the road."

Indeed, we saw flashes of that throughout his rookie year. His leaping ability is unquestioned and was on display.

At 6'5", 195 pounds, McLemore's the prototypical size for a shooting guard. He also possesses length, with a 6'7.75" wingspan, and has enough lateral quickness to be a solid defender. 

His jump shot, while inconsistent at times, is mechanically sound. Of course, an aesthetically pleasing jumper is less important than the results. Kings fans know this because Peja Stojakovic, one of the game's all-time-great sharpshooters, had an unorthodox shot. But form like McLemore's is easier to repeat with practice and is starting to translate into more consistency. 

It doesn't hurt that NBADraft.net's Aran Smith compared McLemore to future Hall of Famer Ray Allen, writing, "Has been compared to Ray Allen due to his picture-perfect shooting stroke and similar attributes. He lacks Ray Allen's all-around feel for the game and mid-range game at the same age, but shows more explosiveness than 20-year-old Ray Allen."

Improving but Still Inconsistent

But even with all his physical tools, McLemore has been wildly inconsistent. 

It's putting it mildly to say his rookie year was underwhelming. Sure, McLemore started off all right, winning the Western Conference Rookie of the Month in November, and finished on a high note by posting a career-high 31 points against the Phoenix Suns during a 104-99 loss in the last game of the season.

Pretty much everything in between was bad.

His 37.6 field-goal percentage and 32.0 three-point percentage didn't befit somebody with a jumper like McLemore's. 

	FG%	2PT%	3PT%	FT%
2013-14	.376	.419	.320	.804
2014-15	.430	.503	.354	.825

While his ability to jump through the roof was apparent, so was his inability to consistently drive to the hoop. More often than not, he opted for catch-and-shoot opportunities. If he did put the ball on the floor, it was only for a dribble or two.

As a case in point: Of McLemore's field-goal attempts, 61.7 percent came with zero dribbles, and he still only made 36.5 percent of those. So even when teammates found him open enough to catch and shoot without having to move, he still struggled to make the shot. 

	0 dribbles	1 dribble	2 dribbles	3-6 dribbles
2013-14	.617	.158	.103	.09
2014-15	.592	.146	.115	.102

McLemore was a sieve on defense. While his opponents shot an average of 44.1 percent overall, that number increased to 48.9 percent when McLemore was on them. The difference was even bigger when solely looking at two-pointers, as the opposition went from 48.2 percent to 54 percent. 

His struggles were so acute that the Kings drafted another shooting guard, Nik Stauskas, only a season after taking McLemore with the No. 7 pick. 

To be fair, McLemore has improved significantly in his second season. 

He's increased his field-goal and three-point percentage to 43 and 35.4, respectively. His scoring average has gone from 8.8 points to a more acceptable 11.9.

Yet his hesitation to put the ball on the floor is still there. He's still shooting 59.2 percent of his shots without dribbling, although he's knocking them down 43.6 percent of the time. And he's only dribbling three or more times before shooting on 10.2 percent of his attempts.

This style of play has made it so McLemore is only attempting 2.1 free throws per 36 minutes. That's saying something considering his rookie-year average of 2.4 was an area he needed to improve upon.

He also disappears for stretches of time. Of course, a lot of that has to do with McLemore's reliance on his jump shot and inability to get to the charity stripe. When his jumper isn't falling, he isn't scoring. That was the case when he went through a rough patch earlier in the season, only shooting 37.2 percent from the field and 31 percent from downtown over a 19-game sample.

But one area that's improved and stayed consistent is his defense. 

“Last year it was rookie defense, but I’m learning different places to be and how to play defense, and it’s been helping a lot,” McLemore told Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. “Just me watching film, little things like that, it helps a lot.”

Greg Wissinger of Sactown Royalty does a nice job summing up McLemore's defensive improvement between his rookie and sophomore seasons:

"

Last season McLemore was better known for getting lost on D and leaving shooters like Kyle Korver and Steve Novak open for three. This season, McLemore is not just improved, he's a huge net positive on the defensive end. Watching the games, his head is on a swivel. He knows his assignments, knows his role in the system, and is playing lockdown defense.

"

It's something that's shown up in the stats as well. Opponents are shooting 44.4 percent overall but only 42.8 percent when McLemore guards them. But it's really apparent defending on the perimeter, where he tended to lose focus last season, allowing the opposition to move without the ball and get open looks.

Now, players who are normally shooting 36.8 percent from downtown are only making 30.8 percent of their three-pointers.

But even in light of the improvements he's made, McLemore is still a below-average player. His 9.8 player efficiency rating is well below the league average of 15.0, while his .039 win shares per 48 minutes pales in comparison to the league-average score of roughly .100.

Who Is McLemore, and What Should the Kings Expect from Him?

The leap McLemore made from last year to this year was unforeseen. It's hard to write off a player after only one year, but if I'm being honest, I wasn't too optimistic about his prospects coming into the season.

At the very least, I didn't expect him to improve as much as he has. That's saying something about how bad he was considering he still has a long way to go.

And I'm not the only one who had some doubts.

That causes reluctance to make the same mistake twice. McLemore's ceiling is undeniable, and the progression he's made shows he has the work ethic to keep improving. So the two elements for him to ascend are in place.

But just because he can and will improve doesn't mean the Kings should bank on it happening immediately. If they can upgrade the position through a trade or free agency, then they should do it. 

Coming off the bench wouldn't be the worst thing for McLemore's development. Plus, at 22 years old, he still has time to continue his ascent. And even if Sacramento adds someone else to supplant him in the starting lineup, it's hard to envision a scenario where his playing time will plummet. He'll still get more than enough run to keep progressing.

What the Kings shouldn't do is draft another shooting guard in the first round. Ideally, a team should draft the best player available—especially if it's picking in the top 10, which the Kings would be since they lose their pick if it falls outside the top 10. 

But it's hard to envision the Kings finding a 2-guard with a higher upside than McLemore. And that's not to mention that Sacramento already has Stauskas in the fold, who looks like he's still got a long road in front of him. Bringing in another inexperienced shooting guard doesn't help in the present and probably hurts them in the long term by taking minutes away from the young players already there.

Ultimately, the Kings could be in position to compete for the playoffs next season if they play their cards right. Part of that strategy should include minimizing risk, and if they're serious about contending, expecting McLemore to go from a below-average starter to an above-average one between now and the start of 2015-16 is a risk. 

Unless noted otherwise, all stats are current through games played on March 11 and are from Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.

Follow @SimRisso