Sacramento Kings: Game 58 Preview vs Denver Nuggets
By Tyler Watts
What to Watch for Tonight
The New Look Kings
When DeMarcus Cousins departed for New Orleans his 35.8% usage rate went with him. That frees up a boat load of possessions on the Kings roster.
It will be interesting to see what the offense looks like as the team was running the ball out of Cousins’ hands frequently and they have no readymade replacement in the role. I think they will go to more traditional sets and run the offense through Darren Collison.
It is almost like a new season for the Kings as this will be a first data point of the rotation and shot distribution under this group of players.
Buddy Love in Sacramento
The key return for DeMarcus Cousins was Buddy Hield, a rookie shooting guard from the University of Oklahoma. Hield has not produced a great deal statistically for the Pelicans, so it will be interesting to see if he moves into the Kings starting shooting guard role and plays 30 plus minutes tonight.
MUST READ: Sacramento Kings Trade DeMarcus Cousins
I expect Sacramento to take a long look at what Hield can do the rest of this season. They need to know if he is the man piece to build around or just an ancillary piece in the Kings next contending team.
Playing the Kids?
It will be interesting to see if the Kings go in full tank mode and prioritize playing the likes of Skal Labissiere and Georgios Papagiannis over players like Kosta Koufos. The Kings look to have taken themselves out of playoff contention so why not play the kids and see what you have to build around for the future. Stay tuned to see what Coach Joerger does tonight.