When the Sacramento Kings lost to the Philadelphia 76ers it seemed like the purple and white hit rock bottom. But ever since the calendar turned to 2016 the Kings have shown improvement, recording a 4-3 record so far in the new year.
A lot of the recent success that the Kings have had has been done by the actions of Sacramento’s top scorers, particularly Rudy Gay. For his standards, Gay has had a disappointing season. He is averaging 18 points and 6.9 rebound a game, as well as shooting 46.3% from the floor and 31.9% from the perimeter.
The numbers are not at all bad for the Kings starting forward. Sure, they are a little bit down compared to recent years, but the statistics are not the main concern for Gay. The main issue for Rudy this season has been the level of inconsistency he has displayed on a gamely basis.
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There are games where his offense has not been a positive factor for the Kings, and, as a result, it has usually been a cause to the Kings losing games.
However, since the new year has started Gay has put together a string of games where he has been very effective on the floor. In the seven games so far in the month of January Gay has averaged 20 points a game, while shooting 53.3% from the floor and 36.4% from the three-point line.
In essence, he has made a great impact on the court and has helped the Kings in their recent success, especially in the most recent game against the Utah Jazz where he hit the game-winning shot that sealed the victory for Sacramento.
Overall, Rudy Gay has had a great month so far in January, and obviously the Kings are a much better team when Rudy’s game is on point.
In wins this season Gay is averaging 20.6 points a game and shooting 54.3% from the floor, and in games where the Kings have lost Gay is averaging 16.3 points while making just 41.8% of his shots.
Hopefully, Gay’s dominance on the offensive end can continue to be something fans can expect on a game to game basis.
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For someone who is labeled a 2nd or 3rd option for his team, Gay needs to show more consistency in his play in order for the Kings to back up their talk in being a playoff team.
Based on recent history it tells us that Gay’s current terror is soon to sizzle out. But Kings fans know that since Gay has been a part of the Kings franchise that he can be a reliable asset for the Kings.
Whether it’s official that Gay is out of his current funk this season is uncertain, but one thing for sure is that the Kings will need Rudy Gay to be a legit 2nd scoring option if the Kings want to continue improving their record.