This series examines the Sacramento Kings players’ most recent season giving them a performance grade. Today we will take a look at Georgios Papagiannis.
Our 2016-2017 Season Report Card of the Sacramento Kings series continues today as we take a look at Georgios Papagiannis. Big George was the 13 overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft and like many rookies did not see much action early in the season.
The DeMarcus Cousins trade was really the turning point in Papagiannis’ season. Before the trade, Georgios Papagiannis played in just four of 58 games and saw a total of 18 minutes on the court. There was just nothing to glean from that because we never saw him the on-court for more than a few minutes in a blowout game.
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After the trade went down, Papagiannis finally started receiving minutes. He closed the season averaging 18.8 minutes per game in March and 23.5 in April. Papagiannis always seemed to be the low man on the center totem pole, though. Not a great sign for his prospects going forward.
Georgios is still just 19 years old and has plenty of time and room to develop.
Let us examine his season a little closer and give him a grade for his 2016-2017 performance.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: For this series, the players on the Kings will be graded on a curve, meaning that the grades handed out to each player reflect more about their ranking on the team rather than their actual performance grade.
OFFENSE: Grade- C-
Georgios Papagiannis is a traditional big man with limited range to his offensive game. According to Basketball-Reference, he shot 98.0% of his shots from two-point territory. He only had 19.6% of his attempts as dunks, though, so this is not a player who can only shoot from the restricted area.
He shot 2 three-pointers all season and missed both attempts, but I could see him expanding that range. Check out the highlight video below from his 14 point outing in mid-March against the Oklahoma City Thunder to see the wide arrange of offensive skills possessed by Papagiannis.
Papagiannis played within himself this season. He shot 54.9% for the season from the field and 61.5% for the month of April. He knows his current limitations and plays to those strengths. That was a big factor in him earning the grade he did with the limited statistical production.
Will He Shoot Threes?
This is becoming an NBA where every player shoots threes, so it will be interesting to see if Papagiannis does try to expand his game in that way. Big George is young and if Brook Lopez can turn himself into a consistent three-point taker and maker after years of not attempting them, why can’t Papagiannis do it? This is something to monitor in the coming years.
Season Statistics
His season statistics were not eye-popping. He averaged 5.6 points, 0.9 assists, and 1.1 turnovers per game in his 22 games played this season. Remember, that was in just 16.1 minutes a game, so not a ton of playing time.
The advanced metric offensive win shares rated Papagiannis at positive 0.1 for the season. That means he was a net positive on offense and a good sign for a rookie who saw limited playing time. The tools appear to be there for Papagiannis now he has to put them all together to make himself into something great.
DEFENSE: Grade- C+
Georgios Papagiannis produced on the defensive end of the floor in his limited minutes. For the season, he grabbed 3.9 rebounds per game with 0.8 blocks and 2.0 personal fouls in his 22 games. Papagiannis showed flashes of being a quality rim protector.
The advanced metrics were sold on Papagiannis’ defense as a rookie. He earned a positive 0.8 defensive box score plus/minus. That dwarfed his negative 3.5 offensive box score plus/minus. He, also, earned positive 0.3 defensive win shares.
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Big George’s defensive is limited in the modern NBA at this time. He cannot guard stretch fives and that will probably always limit him against certain opponents.
Overall, Papagiannis showed positive signs on the defensive end and has room to grow into a solid NBA defender and rim protector.
Overall 2016-2017: Grade- C
For a 19-year-old rookie, I thought Papagiannis played well when he saw time on the court. He was behind Willie Cauley-Stein, Kosta Koufos, and Skal Labissiere all season in the big man pecking order, but clearly, the Kings wanted to see what they had in Papagiannis. They sat Koufos down the stretch to open up minutes for Papagiannis.
With the NBA experience under his belt, I am excited to see Papagiannis in the Summer League and next preseason. He could take a leap forward and push himself into the thick of the rotation come next season or he could stay stagnant and be just a role player who plays limited minutes again. The potential is there to be more than a 20 minute a night guy, but he needs to turn it into a reality.
Final Thoughts
The Sacramento Kings used a lottery pick on Georgios Papagiannis and clearly think he is a piece of their future. Papagiannis showed flashes this season and earned himself a C grade as a raw talented rookie. The question is will Papagiannis mold that raw talent into something more?
That is probably one of the things I am most looking forward to witnessing the next time the Sacramento Kings take the court. I know I have a while to wait, but that just gives Papagiannis extra time to work on his game. Stay tuned to see Big George’s improvements.
Next: Sacramento Kings Report Card: Ben McLemore
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