Sacramento Kings Report Card: Ben McLemore
By Rafe Wong
This article is part of a series that A Royal Pain is writing where we grade each player on the Sacramento Kings individually.
For this article specifically, we will evaluate the performance of Ben McLemore. We will grade McLemore based on his offensive, defensive, and overall performances in the 2016-2017 season.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: For this series, the players on the Kings will be graded on a curve, meaning that the grades handed out to each player say more about their ranking on the team rather than their actual performance grade.
Offense: C
Inconsistency was the theme of McLemore’s offensive efficiency this season. He only averaged 8.1 points per game, which is underperforming for his standards. But on the other hand, McLemore did have solid shooting numbers for the year as he made 43% of his shots from the floor, 38.2% from the perimeter, and 75.3% from the charity stripe.
Although McLemore didn’t score much, he did show that he can be a volume scorer when receiving more playing time. Since the All-Star break concluded, McLemore’s minutes went up from 17.9 to 22.2 minutes per contest to finish off the season (per Basketball RealGM). During that span, the former Kansas Jayhawk’s average in points rose to 11.5 points per game while shooting 45.6% from the floor and 41% from the perimeter.
Although inconsistency continues to haunt McLemore’s NBA career, he did showcase more frequently this season (compared to his other seasons) that he can be a solid scorer in the NBA.
Defense: D
Despite McLemore having superb athleticism and effort on the floor, his talents didn’t translate to efficiency as a defender. As a result, McLemore finished the season with a subpar defensive rating of 114, which was ranked 12th among his teammates this year (per Basketball RealGM). Not only didn’t the defensive numbers favor McLemore, but his defensive woes were glaring throughout the season as opponents constantly were able to get by him on the drive and outpower him for rebounds.
Final Thoughts
Overall, McLemore continues to improve as a player but still remains to be inconsistent as well. Also, McLemore needs to be more than just a scorer on the hardwood if he wants to take his game to the next level. Based on his physical talents, McLemore should be a better rebounder and defender than what he displayed this season. But hey, the potential is there and the guy has a great work ethic. Clear skies seem to be coming for Flight 23 going forward, but for now, there is still lots of room for improvement for #23.