The Sacramento Kings have brought in a couple of new faces for this upcoming season, but where does each player rank within their position?
For the last couple of days, A Royal Pain has written a five-part series predicting the depth chart for the purple and white this season.
With that being said, please enjoy this slideshow where each slide represents where we ranked each player in their pure position and our reasoning for it.
Next: Point Guards
Point Guards
The Kings currently hold four facilitators on their roster: Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, Jordan Farmar, and Isaiah Cousins.
Darren Collison has proven in his last two seasons with the Kings that he deserves to be the starting point guard going forward. The problem, however, is that the Bustling Bruin will most likely receive a suspension from the NBA because of his recent conviction of domestic violence.
This means that the starting point guard role is vacant at the moment, but when it is all said and done, we think Ty Lawson gets the job.
Despite Lawson’s struggles last season, he’s still young and has the means to be a positive impact. He also has developed a sudden motivation to rejuvenate his career, which is similar to the Rajon Rondo situation. Hopefully, Ty is able to be as successful as Rondo was.
Next, in line, we have Jordan Farmar as the #3 point guard, #2 when Collison is out. Farmar is a 9-year veteran that brings a good level of experience and knowledge to the team.
Farmar should be able to earn the backup role when the season starts because he brings more to the table compared to rookie Isaiah Cousins, who hasn’t had the opportunity to play in the NBA yet.
Last, we have Isaiah Cousins. The former Oklahoma Sooner still needs to flourish as a player, which means we foresee a limited role this season for the rookie. Expect Cousins to play some garbage minutes this season and also to get some time in the D-League with the Reno Bighorns as well.
To see the full analysis on the Kings’ point guards, click here for the full article.
Next: Shooting Guards
Shootings Guards
The Kings’ shooting guard squad consists of Arron Afflalo, Ben McLemore, Garrett Temple, Lamar Patterson, and Malachi Richardson. Out of these five players, Afflalo seems destined to grab the starting role for the Kings.
Afflalo has shown throughout his 9-year career that he can be a starting two-guard for a competitive team. Unless an injury or suspension comes towards the former UCLA Bruin’s way (knock on wood), Afflalo should be in the starting lineup for Sacramento in their season opener.
Next, we have Garrett Temple who signed with the Kings this summer. Temple brings leadership and perimeter defense to a Kings team that lacked both those attributes last season. Because Temple brings a skillset that the Kings need is why he is a safe choice to be the backup two.
Third on the list is Ben McLemore. McLemore has the potential to be a starting two, but he has only shown flashes of his true potential so far in his career. Right now, the Kings should have McLemore be the #3 two-guard on the depth chart. If he starts to show improvement, he might have a chance to take some playing time away from Temple and Afflalo.
The next two players are Malachi Richardson and Lamar Patterson. Both players are young and raw, which is why we wouldn’t be surprised if both were sent down to play for the Bighorns sometime this season. Right now, because of his higher potential, we have Malachi at #4 and Patterson at #5 for our rankings.
To see the full explanation for our evalution of shooting guards, click here.
Next: Small Forwards
Small Forwards
The Kings hold three small forwards on their roster: Rudy Gay, Matt Barnes, and Omri Casspi.
We have Gay as the starter for the Kings by default. Rudy has been the starting three for the purple and white since he was traded to the franchise in 2013, and we believe that starting spot will be waiting for him when the season starts.
Second, we have Matt Barnes as Rudy’s backup. We chose Barnes because of his ability to defend but also to make the three point shot as well.
Lastly, we have Omri Casspi as the third small forward on the depth chart. What Omri brings to the table is that he is a spark plug off the bench with his capability to drive to the basket and shoot the perimeter shot.
Although Omri is ranked lower than Barnes, we expect both players to average the same amount of minutes per game.
To see the full explanation for our small forward rankings, click here.
Next: Power Forwards
Power Forwards
The Kings have three power forwards on their team: Willie Cauley-Stein, Anthony Tolliver, and Skal Labissiere.
Cauley-Stein showed last season that he could eventually play a huge role for the Kings going forward, which is why he deserves the starting power forward spot to start the season.
To backup Cauley-Stein, we have the veteran Anthony Tolliver. Tolliver has had 8 years of NBA experience and can fit the role of being a stretch-four, a type of player that the Kings need. Because Tolliver is a veteran that fits a specific role for the Kings is why we think he will be granted the #2 power forward spot.
Lastly, we have Skal Labissiere at third. Labissiere showed a lot of promise in his summer league campaign, but is still a very raw talent.
It would be foolish for the Kings to put the Labissiere into the fire right away. Instead, have him develop more as a player and gain muscle weight as well. Then, when Skal is ready to be called upon he can start his career on the right foot.
To see more of our analysis on the Kings’ power forwards, click here.
Next: Centers
Centers
For centers, the Kings have DeMarcus Cousins, Kosta Koufos, and Georgios Papagiannis.
The obvious option for the starting center role is DeMarcus Cousins. In his last two seasons, Boogie has been a two-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA 2nd Team member, and an Olympic gold medalist. He is hands down the best player on the Sacramento Kings.
Next, we have Kosta Koufos backing up Cousins. A defensive big is a vital need for a team like the Kings, and hopefully, Kosta can fulfill that role this season.
Lastly, we have the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft, Georgios Papagiannis. The seven-plus footer is still young and a project in the making. It doesn’t make sense to throw Papagiannis into the fire, especially since the Kings have 2 veteran bigs on the roster already.
Let Papagiannis continue to make strides in his game, whether that is from practicing with the team or playing in the D-League. And then when he is ready, he can start his NBA career by being an asset.
To see our full article on the Kings’ centers, click here.