Rounding Out Sacramento’s Big Three
By Zack Zolmer
Feb 3, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore (23) goes up for a dunk against Golden State Warriors forward David Lee (10) and center Festus Ezeli (31) during the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings 121-96. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Ben McLemore?
If Ben McLemore is going to challenge for the title of third-best in his third year he’s going to have to step it up, though he’s already a valuable member of this Kings team.
Last season, as Sacramento’s starting shooting guard in all 82 regular season games, McLemore’s improvement stretched across almost every column of the box score, especially his shooting: the 22-year-old made 45 more threes, raised his two-point percentage from .419 to .507, upped his overall field goal percentage 61 points (.376 to .437), and his effective field goal percentage was to .521, up from the .446 mark he set as a rookie, per Basketball-Reference.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
And Ben is already one of the team’s best three-point shooters—likely to better last season’s .358 three-point percentage.
McLemore’s production is as promising as it is frustrating. He’s teased us with flashes of a dynamic offensive game, but consistency remains his cardinal issue. His on-ball defense — early last season, in particular — was energetic and inspiring, but lulls in focus and concentration ultimately clouded his effectiveness on that end.
Still, Ben’s 0.8 VORP (Value Over Replacement Player) translates to 2.16 wins over replacement, per Basketball-Reference, good for fourth on the team behind Cousins, Gay and Darren Collison.
More than any other player on Sacramento’s roster (with the exception of Willie Cauley-Stein), McLemore’s potential standing as a member of the Kings’ big three relies largely on just that: his potential.
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