Opinion: Is Seth Curry Due For More Playing Time?
By Rafe Wong
Right now the Sacramento Kings have won 3 of their last 4 games, but that doesn’t mean that during this current span that holes haven’t been shown on the team.
One of the biggest deficiencies that the Kings have shown recently, and all season long, is their lack of production from the two-guard position, especially on the defensive end.
Head coach George Karl also has noticed this and didn’t hesitate after last night’s victory against the Los Angeles Lakers to express his frustration towards the on-guard defense.
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When asked about it in the post-game comments, he emphasized that he will play players that are willing and motivated to cover the ball on the defensive end (tweet here), and also added that Seth Curry was in his opinion the best on ball defender the Kings have on their roster (tweet here).
Because of these quotes, it looks like Curry will be rewarded more playing time in the near future, and that is how it should be. Right now out of all the Kings two guards Curry has displayed the most effort and determination on the defensive end, and, as a result, has made him the best defender on the team at his position.
Although the Kings two guards are more known as offensive players, the Kings don’t necessarily need much scoring from that position for the offense to be effective. Currently, the team is ranked # in the league in points scored per game, so it’s not that the Kings lack scorers on their team is that they lack defenders.
If Karl truly believes that Seth Curry is the best on-ball defender on his squad there should be no excuse why Curry should not deserve more minutes on the court.
Overall, Karl’s comments on the Kings struggling perimeter defense and praise for Curry indicates that Curry will receive more playing time in future games. Not only does this benefit Curry, but possibly Ben McLemore as well, the two guard that will probably lose playing time due to Curry’s possible promotion.
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McLemore was benched earlier this year from underperforming and benefitted from it with solid play coming off the bench. He later made his way back to the starting lineup.
McLemore no doubt has the most potential out of all the two guards on the team, but is currently in a funk right now and maybe a wake-up call is what he needs to get back on track.
If assigned limited playing time going forward, it could possibly give the former Jayhawk a sense urgency and motivation to play harder going forward. But right now Curry is best defensive shooting guard the Kings have, and because of that plus Karl’s comments, increasing his playing time looks to be inevitable.