This article examines the Sacramento Kings from a fantasy basketball perspective to give you all the relevant information you need to know heading into your draft.
I know most of you are pure NBA or Sacramento Kings fans and probably do not play fantasy basketball. That is fine, but I will say that playing fantasy basketball is a great way to get a better grasp of the NBA and gives you a reason to watch games you would normally not have a rooting interest in.
I recommend giving a fantasy league a try if you have never played before. That can seem like a daunting task especially if you have never played, but come out and enjoy the fun.
I recommend starting with a head to head league with 10 or 12 owners including you. Most people play in either eight or nine categories leagues. Eight category leagues feature field goal percentage, free throw percent, three-pointers made, total rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and points. The nine categories leagues add in turnovers. If you need any help setting up a league or have questions feel free to ask me on twitter @wattsy4444. I’d be glad to help you out no matter your experience level.
Let us now examine the Kings roster from a fantasy perspective to see which players you should grab. If you are a Kings fan, I recommend grabbing a Kings player or two. That way when you are watching the games you have both the Kings and a player or two on your fantasy team to root for.
Standard League Options
Below are the Kings’ players that are worthy of being selected in every league no matter how shallow. These are targets in even an eight-teams league, but standard leagues usually cover ten and twelve team leagues as well. The must own Kings are:
DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins leads the Kings in fantasy value as well heading into this season. Cousins is worthy of a first round pick in almost every draft. I have no problem targeting DeMarcus Cousins starting at pick 5 overall. I would ideally grab him at pick 10 to 12, but remember fantasy is supposed to be fun, so if you have pick 5 and Cousins is your favorite player on your favorite team then, by all means, grab him and enjoy the ride.
As far as fantasy production goes I expect Cousins to improve his assists numbers this season only adding to his already great value. Expect a line that reads like this by season’s end, a field goal percentage of 46%, 73% connection from the foul line, 11.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.4 blocks, 0.7 threes, and 26 points per game. That is a monster line and will produce you first round value for your fantasy league.
Rudy Gay
Rudy Gay is often an underrated player in fantasy. Since he is coming off a down season and recently made headlines about wanting out of Sacramento that is not changing this season. I do not mind grabbing Gay in the sixth round, but I am hoping to hold off till the seventh or later for some extra value on the pick.
Gay does have some risk that he gets traded mid-season and ends up in a much worse situation for himself. I, personally, think the Kings are going to keep him and try to convince him to re-sign in the offseason. That risk is baked into his fantasy price, so if he reaches the top of your draft board do not hesitate to select Rudy Gay.
Rudy Gay should improve on his numbers from last season. I think Rajon Rondo took the ball out of his hands a lot and depressed his counting stats. I am expecting Gay to shoot 45.5% from the field and 80% from the line. The counting stats should read something like 1.2 threes, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 18.5 points per game. That stat line would place him inside the top sixty overall in fantasy, so do not be afraid to snag him.
Darren Collison
We know Darren Collison is going to miss the first eight games of the regular season, so if you select Collison as a starter in your fantasy league, you will need to replace him for those games with another player.
Between the suspension and the Kings lack of enthusiasm with making Collison the starting point guard the last few seasons, Collison is another player who often slips in drafts. If you are worried about Collison losing minutes to Ty Lawson, please read an article I wrote about the two sharing the court here. Collison has a history of playing with another point guard and I think Collison is a lock for thirty minutes a game.
I am expecting Collison to produce when he is on the court. I expect Collison to shoot 47% from the field and 85% from the free throw line. The counting stats should read like this by season’s end 1.2 threes, 2.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 14.5 points per game. That puts Collison around the top 100 overall and I would not hesitate to select him in round nine or later.
Worth A Flier in a Standard League
These are players you can select in the last two picks in your standard league draft but become starters in fourteen and sixteen team leagues. You only select these guys in your standard league if you really believe in them or are expecting something the “fantasy experts” are not. The players worth a flier in standard leagues are:
Matt Barnes
Taking a flier on Matt Barnes in a standard league has been a decent proposition the last 5 years or so. Barnes is consistent and produces well in the steal and block categories which are often hard to come by. The problem with taking a shot on Barnes this season is the minutes will get crunched in the small and power forward positions for the Kings. There are a number of players for the limited minutes at those two positions. Barnes does not need a huge dose of minutes, but he probably needs 28 minutes a night to be standard league worthy.
Barnes has low upside, which is why I would probably steer clear in ten and twelve team leagues. With my last pick in those leagues, I am shooting for someone who may break out and be something unexpected. At 36 years old that label probably does not fit Matt Barnes. He is a great stabilizing option in deep leagues as a bench player who you start from time to time.
Expect solid threes, steals, and block production from Matt Barnes. He will be slightly lacking in field goal percentage and points. His rebounds and assists, and free throw percentage will be fine, but neither helpful or nor hurtful. Expect solid and expected production from Matt Barnes when he gets the minutes. Given his familiarity with Coach Joerger, I am expecting around 26 minutes a night.
Willie Cauley-Stein
Willie Cauley-Stein is probably my top standard league flier on the Sacramento Kings roster. He is young and his production in the second half of last season showed some promise. He could take a step forward and produce you some value.
The fact that he has been coming off the bench this preseason and that Coach Joerger has stated he wants to play small this season against second units does not help Cauley-Stein’s case. If that holds it will cap him around 25 minutes a game. WCS could prove he is worthy of more minutes and he could force Coach Joerger’s hand with good production.
Cauley-Stein is going provide value if he is given the minutes. Cauley-Stein helps your fantasy squad in field goal percentage, steals, and blocks. He shoots no threes, provides so-so rebounds, and is not much help in points or assists. If your team is in need of upside or just some defensive stats you could do worse than Willie Cauley-Stein on your squad.
Ty Lawson
If you are going to take a flier on a Kings’ player then Lawson is a great target. Lawson is going to start the first eight games with Darren Collison suspended. In that time you will know if Lawson has returned to form and is worth holding and using this season or if he can be cut.
Lawson has always produced strong assists production and that is often a difficult category to improve late in drafts. He will probably shoot a poor field goal percentage and not be positive contributor in free throw percentage. The potential is there for points, assists, and steals contributions, though. I am hopeful from the action that I have seen so far. Let us see how he comes out in those eight games and the minutes he receives after that to decide if we want to hold him all season long.
Deep League Options: Part One
These are players who should be selected in leagues larger than twelve teams. These are leagues for experienced players who are familiar with just about every player on each NBA roster. The deep league options on the Sacramento Kings roster are:
Omri Casspi
Omri Casspi is a player who can hit you a fantasy home run from time to time. He had a 36 point game last season, had three games where he hit 4 or more three points, and had seven games where he grabbed double-digit rebounds. That makes him a streaming option in any league for late in the week and you need a big game from an unowned player.
Casspi should provide you with a good source of threes and field goal percentage. His 5 rebounds and 0.8 steals a game won’t hurt either in a deep league. His points could drop below 10 a game, the 0.2 blocks won’t help and the 67.7% from the free throw line is not a positive value. Select Casspi in a deep league if you believe he will beat out Barnes and Tolliver for minutes and you need value in the categories he produces.
Arron Afflalo
Arron Afflalo is a trick for the fantasy novice player. People know that he scores and hits threes, so they value him in fantasy, but he produces almost no defensive stats whatsoever. If you are in need of points or threes late in your draft then, by all means, select Afflalo, but he is not a great fantasy option.
This stat line is a bit hard for me to project as well. I think he plays around 30 minutes a night, but his shooting percentages from the field have been all over the map the last few years. I am betting he settles in around 43-44% from the field and 84% from the line. The counting numbers should read similar to this 1.3 threes, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.1 blocks, and 13 points per game. If that is the statistical profile you need then take a stab at Afflalo.
Kosta Koufos
Kosta Koufos likely would not have made this category, but he has started each preseason game. I still do not believe it turns into more than 20 minutes a game on the court, but the potential is there. If you view his per minute production, he would be a positive contributor in field goal percentage, rebounds, and blocks. The minutes are very much up in the air, but in a deep league where you need big man stats late in the draft, there are worse picks than Kosta Koufos.
Deep League Options: Part Two
Ben McLemore
I wrote an in-depth piece on Ben McLemore a few weeks back here. I know he is a bit of a hot bottom issue for Kings fans, but he still has the potential to be a valuable NBA player. In fantasy, I am not thrilled to pick Ben McLemore this season. He is lacking in many statistical categories and will probably be capped at 25 minutes a night barring injury or trade. Minutes are often the most important stat in fantasy and 25 is just not enough for a standard league.
If you need threes in a deep league with your last pick McLemore should provide value in that category. He shoots well from the free throw line but takes limited attempts devaluing the impact. Other than that, he will not produce a ton for fantasy, but I am hopeful he can take a step forward this season and be a positive contributor to the Kings and for fantasy as well. I do not think I am taking the gamble until I see it, though. If I see it, I may snatch him off the waiver wire midseason, but until then it is hands off for me.
Garrett Temple
I wanted to mention Garrett Temple here because this is the rare case where even if he gets minutes the fantasy value is nonexistent. He will produce a steal and a three a game, but literally nothing else. There is nothing to see here for fantasy despite being a positive real basketball contributor.
Anthony Tolliver
If there was nothing to see with Temple, Tolliver only provides positive contributions in one category. He can stroke the three, but he will give you literally nothing else. In a thirty team league, I may select him with my last pick if I need threes, but even I am not crazy enough to play in leagues that deep.
Dynasty League Targets
A dynasty league is a league where owners can keep a player from year to year. It is made to similar to an NBA franchise. Usually, the penalty for keeping the player increases each year. That is an attempt to keep it as close to real life as possible. Here are the Kings’ players you can target late in those drafts.
Skal Labissiere
This is the Kings rookie I am most excited about for fantasy. I expect him to stay on the Kings roster this season and the minutes will be limited. That will produce next to no value for your team this year. In the future, I could see him developing into a stretch four that provides positive contributions in threes, points, rebounds, and blocks. That is probably three years away at least. If you are a rebuilding team in a dynasty league and can afford to wait then Skal Labissiere is the Sacramento Kings’ rookie to own.
Georgios Papagiannis
The Kings’ lottery pick is another player you can target in your dynasty league. I am not sure what to expect going forward from Papagiannis. This season, I expect him to spend most of his time in the D-League. That means no fantasy value whatsoever. He looks like a traditional center to my eyes. I expect future production in rebounds, field goal percentage, and blocks if he receives the minutes. That is at least three years away if not more, so if you are searching for a lottery ticket in your dynasty league Georgios Papagiannis is an option.
Below is a video of General Manager Vlade Divac chatting about Georgios Papagiannis potential to give you an idea of what he thinks is possible.
Malachi Richardson
Malachi Richardson projects as a positive contributor in threes, steals, and rebounds for a guard if you translate his college statistics. The minutes and production are again years away, so this is nothing more than a dynasty league flier. If you are looking for a future wing player that may be fantasy useful down the line, I would bet Richardson can be had on the cheap.
Summary
A dive into the fantasy value of each Sacramento King this season is complete. I hope you found this enjoyable. If you do not play fantasy basketball, this is the year you give it a try. It is very enjoyable and a fantastic way to get you into watching more NBA games. If nothing else it gives you and your friends something to chat about while hanging out.
Next: Vivek Ranadive Attempts to Rewrite History–Whom Do You Believe?
Thank you to Basketball-Reference, ESPN, and Daily Fantasy Basketball Podcast for the stats and predictive help. If you have questions about fantasy or anything Sacramento Kings feel free to contact me on twitter. Thank you for reading.