Sacramento Kings: Shooting Production Coming From The Unexpected

The Sacramento Kings shooting guards this season have been a disappointment, but still the Kings shooting as a group have been pretty solid this season.

By the numbers, the Kings are not a bad team shooting from the perimeter. They are currently tied for 8th in the league in 3P% (35.7%) and ranked 18th in three-point shots made per game (8.0).

The Kings were expected to improve their shooting woes from recent seasons with the expected improvement from third-year player Ben McLemore and to the Kings acquiring players in Marco Belinelli and Seth Curry last offseason.

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Based on their supposed strengths these players are known for their shooting strokes and going off their past numbers and potential were supposed to be a group of marksmen for the Kings this season.

Unfortunately for the Kings, it hasn’t happened yet. For this season, the two guards for Sacramento have struggled based on their numbers. For Belinelli, he is ranked 2nd in average three-point shots made per game (1.4) but is ranked 9th in 3P% (31.2%). (per ESPN Stats)

For McLemore, he is ranked 6th in average three-point shots made per game (0.9) and 5th in 3P% (35.8%). And Curry is ranked 8th in average three-point shots made per game (0.6) and 2nd in 3P% (40.4%). (per ESPN Stats)

Feb 24, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore (23) scores a basket against San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) with center DeMarcus Cousins (15) during the first quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

To be fair, McLemore and Curry’s numbers have not been bad percentage wise, but their volume of shots aren’t high enough to make any significant impacts for their team.

With the two guards struggling in making a big contribution in the team’s shooting aspect of the game the Kings are relying on most of their production from players like Omri Casspi, DeMarcus Cousins, and Darren Collison. The big C’s if you will.

For the season, the big C’s have definitely been the top contributors to the production that Sacramento has been getting from beyond the arc.

For Casspi, he is first on the team in 3P% (40.7%) and average three-point shots made per game (1.7). For Cousins, he is ranked third on the team in average three-point shots made per game (1.2) off of 34.6% shooting. And last but not least Collison he is ranked 4th in average three-point shots made per game (1.1) off 38.3% shooting. (per ESPN Stats)

Although it is great to see players that fans wouldn’t expect to be so productive shooting from beyond the arc, it doesn’t justify that the two guards have been underperforming in their roles.

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Imagine if the team did have two guards that the Kings could rely on to make buckets for them on a gamely basis. The Kings could arguably be a top-five shooting team if that fortunate reality were to happen, but right now it’s just a fantasy.

Overall the Kings have improved their shooting woes from previous seasons, but they are getting production from unexpected sources.

Props to Casspi, Collison, and Cousins for carrying the shooting load for Sacramento this season, but they shouldn’t be the top shooters that the Kings have to rely on going forward.

If the two guards for the Kings cannot become more reliable in making shots in the future it should be a must that the front office should consider different options at the shooting guard position.

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Sacramento Kings Notes: Shooting Production Coming From The Unexpected

By Rafe Wong | Mar 18, 2016

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