A Royal Pain
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Opinion: Sacramento Kings Biggest Roster Need

By Rafe Wong

Apr 9, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; General view of the Sleep Train Arena during the first quarter of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; General view of the Sleep Train Arena during the first quarter of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Although the Sacramento Kings seem to have made some solid hires so far in their offseason, there still comes the improving of the team’s roster. Something that the organization hasn’t had much success in previous years.

Whether it is having players that don’t fit or talent that has underperformed, the Kings haven’t had a playoff-caliber roster since their days way back in 2006.

It will be up to Vlade Divac and the Kings front office to find players that the Kings can rely on to fulfill certain roles that the team desperately needs if they want to finally turn the ship around and make a legitimate run to the postseason.

There are a lot of roles that the Kings need to fulfill. Some of these roles consist of a stretch-four, defensive-oriented players everywhere, and maybe even another point guard. But the biggest role that the Kings need to address this Summer is finding a perimeter athlete that is a prototype 3-and-D type player.

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These players are guys who come onto the court and can be relied on to perform high on the defensive end, but also be consistent shooters (especially at the perimeter) on offense as well.

For the Kings, there are players on this season’s roster that have the capability to fulfill this role, but so far they have either been unsuccessful or uncertain.

Starting two-guard Ben McLemore seems like the perfect candidate to be a 3-and-D player with his insane athleticism and silky-smooth shooting form, but he hasn’t yet been able to live up to his full potential.

Seth Curry is another player that has the makeup for the part, and even though he showcased a great campaign to end the season, there is still uncertainty whether he can fit the part for a whole regular season.

If the Kings do decide to go a different direction in finding a 3-and-D player, their options are either going into free agency or taking their chances with the NBA draft. There are good players out there that can fit the 3-and-D characteristics if the Kings do decide to go this path.

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Players in free agency that stand out, in my opinion, are Courtney Lee, Kent Bazemore, and Arron Afflalo. Players that stand out in the draft are Buddy Hield (Oklahoma), Kris Dunn (Providence), and Jaylen Brown (California).

Overall, the Kings will indeed need a legitimate 3-and-D player on their roster if they want to improve their team. The Kings were dead last in points allowed per game this year, and the main reason for that epic fail was because the perimeter defense of Sacramento was just horrid.

The Kings will also need more consistent shooters on their roster this time around too. They have a couple in Darren Collison and Omri Casspi, but more is definitely needed because if DeMarcus Cousins is double-teamed in the paint, which is inevitable, he can dish it out to players that have the ability to make their open shots at a persistent rate.

Next: Reviewing The Kings Offseason So Far

It looks like the Kings will be facing another busy offseason as they are in the middle of their quest to get back to relevancy. If they are successful in landing a defensive-oriented player that can make makeable jump shots it will be a huge gain for the franchise going forward.

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