Do the Kings Need Another Center?
By Rafe Wong
Since the absence of DeMarcus Cousins it seems the Kings need for a backup center has risen. Even when Cousins makes his return back with the team, there isn’t anyone on the current roster that has proven to be relied on as Cousins backup. If the Kings want to be competitive and have a chance to make the playoffs, the team needs to make a move to add better depth to the center position.
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So far this season, Michael Malone has primarily used Carl Landry and Reggie Evans as his backup centers, so far it’s been more bad than good. The main problem has been their size more than anything against opposing centers.
With Landry standing at 6-9 and Evans at 6-8, it gives them both great difficulty rebounding and defending at the center position. Opponents have been able to rebound effectively when Landry is on the court, and also be able to have their way with both Landry and Evans when posting up.
The Kings do have Ryan Hollins who is 7-0 and has started for the Kings at center in the absence of Cousins, but Hollins has only logged in a total of 71 minutes in his four starts (average 17.75 per game), showing that Coach Malone would rather have Evans or Landry at that position late in the games.
Overall, for the Kings to make that big step forward in making a playoff berth, a backup center needs to be established in the Kings depth chart. Right now there seems to be no candidates to fill that void, which means Pete D’Alessandro might be exploring the trade market to find one.
The ideal backup center for the Kings would be one that has size, one that can also rebound and defend the rim effectively to hold the fort when Cousins is on the bench resting. Both Landry and Evans have been effective this season in their rightful positions (Power Forward), but have been subpar playing center. If the Kings want to continue their surprising start, they need to find better depth in the center position.