Will Eric Moreland Return To The Kings?

So it turns out Eric Moreland might not be off of the Sacramento Kings roster for too long. When Vlade Divac went on the Grant Napear show Wednesday afternoon, one of many things he discussed (the growing relationship between DeMarcus Cousins and George Karl  was another interesting bit) was his interest in bringing back the young forward.

When asked by Napear if he planned on using the roster spot opened by Moreland’s departure, Vlade replied that he actually would like Moreland himself to occupy that spot:

"“I would like to see Eric back, we were just forced to make the decision because he had a contract August 1st, as a decision for us to guarantee or not guarantee the contract…if it’s a possibility to bring him back I’d love to, but we’ll see.”"

After that Vlade also noted that he’d like a stretch four that can shoot to take that spot if Moreland does not return, but also that head coach George Karl is happy with the team as it currently is and that he’s in no rush to fill that spot. That’s a smart attitude for the Kings to have–they can afford to wait and pick up someone they actually want instead of Hedo Turkoglu.

Moreland is a guy that can definitely log time at the power forward position, but he might not be a shooting power forward. His main talent right now seems to be rebounding, although he’s an efficient if not overpowering scorer. He barely played in the NBA his rookie season, so let’s check out the numbers from his time with the Reno Bighorns.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/7/2015.

Moreland didn’t get a ton of minutes in Reno either, but he at least started six games and played a fair amount per game. His 13.7 points is decent enough, but like I mentioned earlier it’s his rebounding that sticks out. Averaging 12.7 rebounds in just 28.7 minutes per game is really good–Moreland can eat up that glass.

There’s some definite holes in his game too, like most young players. Moreland is a terrible free throw shooter, converting just 37.5 percent of his 32 attempts in Reno. He also fouls a lot and fumbles the ball too much, considering he averages more fouls or turnovers per game than he does assists, steals or blocks.

That means aside from his two quality areas–scoring and rebounding–Moreland has a negative affect on his team. Luckily for him, those are two of the most important stats in basketball, and being able to effectively score and rebound at the NBA level can erase a lot of problem areas–see DeAndre Jordan‘s free throw percentage for an example of that.

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But right now Moreland isn’t on Jordan’s level, and he probably isn’t the shooting stretch four Vlade mentioned looking for. He has never taken a three-point shot in the D-League or the NBA, although he did convert a solid 33 percent of his three’s taken over his four years at Oregon State–although he never even attempted 20 threes in a single season.

The biggest factor in Moreland’s return to Sacramento will be if he’s willing to come back to play with the Bighorns for another season or take a non-guaranteed deal to go through training camp with the Kings. He successfully passed through waivers, so no other teams leaped at the prospect of adding Moreland to their teams either.

Letting him go through waivers was a gamble on Vlade’s end if he really did plan on keeping him, but getting Moreland back without spending any of Sacramento’s salary cap would be a worthwhile result and show that Vlade made the right call on him. He may have potential, but he isn’t worth guaranteed money to any NBA teams yet in his career.

Now let’s see if Moreland himself realizes he needs to establish himself as an NBA level talent, and returns to Sacramento to prove himself. It’s clear Vlade would welcome him back with the right kind of deal, and if Moreland cannot find a deal anywhere else expect to see him back in the fold before training camp begins.

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