2014-15 NBA Season Preview: Sacramento Kings
Welcome to theScore's preview of the 2014-15 Sacramento Kings. Visit our preseason hub for previews of all 30 NBA teams.
Sacramento Kings
2013-14
| Record | Division | West | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28-54 | 4th | 13th | DNQ |
The 2013-14 Sacramento Kings season was - as has become the norm - a strange and disappointing series of games. They finished with the exact same number of wins as the year before, continuing a streak of seven straight seasons without a winning record.
A December trade with the Toronto Raptors brought them Quincy Acy, Aaron Gray and Rudy Gay, and a February deal moved Marcus Thornton to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Reggie Evans and Jason Terry. The moving pieces never quite fit into place, and the Kings finished well outside the playoff picture once again.
The season had its positives. DeMarcus Cousins continued to develop the way the Kings hoped he would, averaging career-highs in points (22.7), rebounds (11.7), assists (2.9), minutes played (32.4), and field goal percentage (49.6).
Despite Cousins's emergence, a team that saw 23 different players rotate in and out of the lineup never came close to finding any cohesion.
Offseason Roundup
The most confusing part of the Kings' offseason plan revolved around the point guard position.
24-year-old incumbent starter Isaiah Thomas enjoyed a breakout season, averaging 20.3 points and 6.5 assists while enjoying 34.7 minutes per game. The Kings opened their offseason by trading Thomas to Phoenix and signing Darren Collison to take his place. The 27-year-old joins his fifth team in six seasons.
Forward Rudy Gay opted in to his hefty $19.3-million player option for the upcoming season, and the team added guard Ramon Sessions for depth behind Collison in the backcourt.
They also dumped big men Acy and Travis Outlaw to the New York Knicks in exchange for Wayne Ellington and Jeremy Tyler, before waiving both players.
Additions
SF Omri Casspi (1/$976K)
PG Darren Collison (3/$15M)
C Ryan Hollins (undisclosed)
PF Eric Moreland (undisclosed)
PG Ramon Sessions (2/$4.2M)
Departures
PF Quincy Acy (trade)
SG Jared Cunningham (free agency)
C Aaron Gray (free agency)
SF Travis Outlaw (trade)
SG Jason Terry (trade)
PG Isaiah Thomas (trade)
2014 Draft
G Nik Stauskas (1st round, 8th overall)
After outsourcing their draft scouting to the internet, the Kings used their eighth overall selection on Canadian shooting sensation Nik Stauskas. The 6-foot-6 Stauskas can flat-out shoot, hitting 46.7 percent of his 3-pointers over two years with the Michigan Wolverines.
He looks to fit into the rotation as the second-unit shooter behind Ben McLemore, and should get plenty of the touches Jimmer Fredette couldn't find to get buckets when the Kings go to the bench.
theScore's own Blake Murphy had positive things to say about the move on draft night.
Drafting Stauskas gives the Kings something they've sorely lacked - perimeter shooting. Although it's somewhat surprising to see Stauskas drafted so high, it fits the Kings' backcourt perfectly. His dead-eye 3-point shooting will help carve out room for center DeMarcus Cousins to operate in the paint.
Starting 5
- PG Darren Collison
- SG Ben McLemore
- SF Rudy Gay
- PF Jason Thompson
- C DeMarcus Cousins
Breakout Player: Ben McLemore
The deck chairs have shuffled around the Kings' rotation and the biggest beneficiary appears to be second-year shooting guard Ben McLemore.
McLemore took over as the guaranteed starter after Marcus Thornton was traded and remained a part of the starting five for 55 games. In his 26.7 minutes per game he averaged 8.8, a low number resulting from his unacceptable 37.6 percent shooting from the field.
If McLemore can solve spacing issues around iso-pros like Cousins and Gay, he'll have an opportunity to improve across the board in his second season. He's proven he can rattle the rim with the best of them, now it's time to show he can round out his game and mature as a player.
Season Expectations
The Kings may believe they can shock the world this season, but any realist would admit this core is far from a bottom-end contender.
It took 49 wins to grab the eighth seed in the Western Conference last season, and none of the teams that grabbed slots appear to have dropped off in any significant way. The Kings might be a little bit better, but to expect more than a 20-win improvement is fairly far-fetched.
A strong FIBA tournament from Cousins showed he belongs in the discussion among the top big men in the league, and Gay can get buckets with the best of them, but the bench leaves a lot to be desired. Carl Landry, Derrick Williams, Reggie Evans, Omri Casspi, Sessions and Ryan Hollins aren't scaring anybody when the Kings' big pieces hit the bench.
1 to Follow of Social Media: DeMarcus Cousins
Following DeMarcus Cousins is an exercise in experiencing the pure joy of a young man living his dream.
Lauded as temperamental on the court, Cousins oozes with likability, charisma and a strong sense of humor outside the lines.
We're talking about a guy who teased a fake R&B album last year, after all.