Ranking the Sacramento Kings' Biggest Needs in the 2015 NBA Draft
With the 2015 NBA draft right around the corner, now is the time for the Sacramento Kings to assess their roster and determine the best way to make it better.
Barring a trade, the Kings will only have one opportunity to do this, as they don't own a second-round pick. Sacramento's only selection will come somewhere within the top nine picks, although the final determination won't be known until the draft lottery on May 20.
Based on the team's 29-53 record, which was the sixth worst, there's a 74 percent chance the Kings end up with the No. 6 or No. 7 pick. Of course, Sacramento could get lucky and land a top-three selection, with a 21.5 percent chance of that happening.
Since the Kings' ultimate goal is to make the postseason in 2015-16, they should enter the draft with their eyes on adding talent that can help immediately. They can do this by selecting a player who fits well or by trading the pick for someone who's already established. But no matter how it goes about doing it, Sacramento needs to shore up its weaknesses.
5. 3-Point Shooting
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The Kings need to add a player who can effectively shoot three-pointers.
Sacramento only made 34.1 percent of its three-point attempts in 2015-16, ranking 21st out of the 30 teams.
Not only were the Kings ineffective when they did shoot from long range, but they also didn't utilize it as much as they should have. Sacramento only averaged 5.6 made three-pointers per game. Only the Memphis Grizzlies (5.2) and Minnesota Timberwolves (5.0) averaged fewer.
Adding an effective shooter would improve this weakness. However, it would also space the floor, which would allow DeMarcus Cousins more room to work in the paint and provide more breadth when penetrating to the hoop.
A few players are projected to go in Sacramento's range who could help in this regard, namely D'Angelo Russell (41.1 percent from three), Kristaps Porzingis (36.9) and Justise Winslow (41.8).
4. A Long-Term Solution at Power Forward
2 of 5The Kings can't go into the draft limiting themselves to only one position. But if there's one spot on the floor that could use a long-term option, it's power forward.
With DeMarcus Cousins at center, Rudy Gay at small forward, Ben McLemore or Nik Stauskas at shooting guard and Darren Collison at point guard, the Kings are set at four of the five positions. However, having Jason Thompson or Carl Landry at power forward leaves something to be desired.
Thompson gets a lot of flak from Kings fans, much of which is undeserved. His seven-year tenure in Sacramento has coincided with the team's downturn, but he's not responsible for things going south. Yet while Thompson isn't the problem, he isn't the solution either.
He'll be 29 years old next season and only has one more guaranteed year on his contract with the team. That's not even to mention that Thompson has been a below-average starter for the last three seasons. It's seemingly only getting worse too, as his win shares per 48 minutes (.057) and player efficiency rating (10.2) are in decline.
Landry had a bit of a bounce-back season after coming off an injury. But even prior to coming to Sacramento, the former Purdue Boilermaker was best-suited coming off the bench.
Landry's player efficiency rating (14.9) and win shares per 48 minutes (.112) indicate he's an average player. He's a good piece to have, especially in a reserve role. But the Kings should look to add a player who has a higher upside.
The best option in the draft the Kings could select at power forward is Kristaps Porzingis. The 19-year-old has size at 6'11", 220 pounds and can stretch the floor. It's the perfect upside play for what head coach George Karl wants.
Other players who could fit would be UCLA's Kevon Looney and Texas' Myles Turner. Both are projected to go in the top 10 by ESPN.com's Chad Ford. However, they're more traditional power forwards without the ability to shoot from long range.
3. High Basketball IQ
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An area the Kings struggled in was basketball IQ. The team made too many mistakes that were avoidable with a little more attention to detail.
This manifested itself in turnovers, as the Kings coughed up the rock on 16.4 percent of their possessions. Only the Utah Jazz (16.5), Houston Rockets (16.7), Milwaukee Bucks (17.2) and Philadelphia 76ers (17.9) were more careless with the ball. It also led to 18.6 points off turnovers per game.
Their lack of awareness also played out on the defensive end. It showed up on rotations, when the Kings were caught out of place too often and allowed an uncontested three-pointer. Naturally, their opponents averaged 8.8 treys per game, more than only the Dallas Mavericks (9.0).
It was also a factor in the Kings not getting back on defense and allowing too many easy buckets at the other end. As a result, opponents averaged a league-high 16.8 fast-break points.
Addressing this issue with a rookie probably isn't the best solution. That doesn't mean the Kings shouldn't target a high-IQ player, but it's asking a lot of a youngster to avoid mistakes while making a jump up in competition.
2. An Interior Presence on Defense
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Center DeMarcus Cousins made major strides on defense in 2014-15. He went from being a below-average defender to an above-average one in the span of a year.
Cousins held opponents to 47 percent shooting at the rim. Among players who faced at least six such attempts per game, the Kings center was 19th out of 59 qualifiers. Opponents also shot 8 percent below their average within six feet of the hoop when Cousins was guarding them.
The problem is that outside of Cousins, the Kings don't have anybody else who's a deterrent near the rim. Opponents shot 3.3 percent above their average within six feet of the hoop when playing Sacramento. Only the Timberwolves had a greater differential.
Adding another player who can affect or block shots should be a goal in the draft. The best option is Willie Cauley-Stein. The former Kentucky Wildcat averaged 2.1 blocks in only 23.8 minutes per game. Another Kentucky product, Karl-Anthony Towns, is also a solid interior defender. However, Towns is projected to go in the top two picks, so it will require some luck in the lottery for the big man to end up in Sacramento.
1. Perimeter Defense
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Noticing a theme here?
The Kings need to add players who are versatile defenders.
Ben McLemore made strides as a defender in his second season, but he still has a ways to go to become a quality stopper.
During his nine-year career, Rudy Gay has never been anything more than an average defender. In 2014-15, he was slightly below-average, according to Basketball-Reference.com's defensive box plus/minus (minus-0.7). Not to mention Gay figures to play more power forward next season, which will make adding another wing stopper a necessity.
If the Kings don't end up trading the pick, their best bet in the draft is probably Winslow. The former Duke Blue Devil proved to be a versatile defender throughout the season. That skill set helped him post 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks in 29.1 minutes.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford compared him to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Kawhi Leonard. Leonard, of course, won Defensive Player of the Year. Kidd-Gilchrist, while still struggling to find his groove on offense, was an above-average defender in defensive box plus/minus (1.3).
Unless noted otherwise, all stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
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