Sacramento Kings: 5 Reasons They Will Be the Next Up and Coming Team

The Sacramento Kings may have finished last season with a 24-58 record, but their roster is loaded with young talent, which shows promise for the future.

Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins and J.J. Hickson all have the talent to be great players in the NBA, and I think that transition into stardom for the three of them will be coming sooner rather than later.

The surrounding talent of Jimmer Fredette, Jason Thompson, Donte Greene, John Salmons and Tyler Honeycutt also shows that they have a solid group to build around for the future.

With such a dynamic young roster, the Kings days as cellar dwellers will be coming to an end very quickly.

5. Donte Greene and Tyler Honeycutt Will Fill the Small Forward Spot Admirably

Although the Kings made a savvy move by acquiring veteran John Salmons, I'm still a firm believer in Donte Greene and his scoring ability, and think he deserves the starting job.

At 6'11", he has tremendous length to play the small forward position and proved during his second season with the Kings, that when he is given minutes, he has the ability to make a big impact.

Scooping up Tyler Honeycutt in the 2011 NBA draft was also a wise move as he has the potential to become a very solid defender.

The comparisons to Tayshaun Prince, although are unavoidable due to his lanky frame, are a little over the top when he has yet to play one game in the NBA.

If he puts in the work, he definitely has the capability to have that kind of impact on the defensive end. With so much scoring punch in the Kings lineup, it is unlikely that he will have to contribute much on the offensive end.

4. Marcus Thornton Will Continue His Explosive Scoring Production

The Kings caught the New Orleans Hornets sleeping when they snatched up Marcus Thornton in a trade for the extremely efficient power forward Carl Landry.

Thornton was simply an offensive weapon for the Kings, scoring 21.3 points per game in 27 appearances for them.

He will be a free agent whenever negotiations resume, so the Kings would be wise to re-sign him if his price tag isn't too high.

The Kings do have a backup plan though in the young gunner Jimmer Fredette who they took in the 2011 NBA draft.

Although Brandon Knight was still available and certainly seems to make more sense for them, Fredette should be able to give the Kings some scoring punch.

Whether it is as a sixth man or in a starting role will likely depend upon whether or they Kings are able to retain the underrated scoring services of Thornton.

3. The J.J. Hickson Acquisition Will Pay Big Dividends

Acquiring J.J. Hickson for Omri Casspi was an absolute steal.

While Casspi showed some promise with the Kings, it is hard to imagine him having a bigger impact that Hickson will.

Hickson has tantalizing potential, and the prospect of adding such a dynamic athletic forward like him becomes even more enticing when realizing that he will be playing alongside DeMarcus Cousins.

Hickson averaged 13.8 PPG and 8.7 RPG last season for a depleted Cleveland Cavaliers team in only 28 minutes per game.

With more help on the offensive end than he received in Cleveland, the numbers mentioned above should increase significantly.

The trio of Hickson, Cousins and Jason Thompson could become one of the best front courts in the NBA.

Like Cousins, Hickson has had some question his work ethic and his attitude, but the Kings will soon find out that the risk is well worth the reward.

2. DeMarcus Cousins Will Grow as a Player

Although Tyreke Evans is the leader of the Kings team, the development of Cousins as a player will dictate how successful they are in the future.

Cousins value is even higher in today's game, since quality big men are such a rarity.

His average of 14.1 PPG and 8.6 RPG are comparable to Hickson's, but make no mistake, he is definitely the more talented big man.

Last season was only Cousins' first season, so his production fluctuated due to his immaturity and poor decision making.

While many mark him as a headcase or a distraction, I see a player who's honest to his detriment.

Sure, he could use some polish when dealing with the media and the referees, but his passion and fire should be admired, not attacked.

As John Thompson stated before the NBA draft, "It's easier to calm a fool, rather than resurrect a corpse."

I believe that he will avoid the "Sophomore Slump" and thrive in his second year as a player, especially now that he'll have Hickson to take some pressure off of him on the offensive end.

1. Tyreke Evans Will Develop into a Leader and Franchise Player

Although Tyreke Evans was out of commission for a good portion of last season, his rookie season averages of 20.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 5.6 APG are proof that he is a special talent.

I expect the chemistry between Evans and Cousins to get better in their second season together and believe that they can become one of the top duos in the NBA.

Evans will use his strength to force his way into the paint and pulverize his opponents.

A starting lineup comprised of Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton, Donte Greene, J.J. Hickson and DeMarcus Cousins has a tremendous amount of potential to be great.

With potential comes immaturity and mistakes though, so it may take them awhile to develop chemistry with the new players on the team, but it's hard to imagine a team with so much talent not turning into something special sometime soon.