The Sacramento Kings are going to start playing their young players more by sitting at least two veterans each game. We examine which players are affected and why it is the correct move.
The Sacramento Kings sit in the cellar of the Western Conference on Dec. 15. Their 13 wins are the third fewest in the NBA. The defeat against Oklahoma City on Monday marked five straight losses. The Kings have just two wins in their last 12 contests. The season is trending in the wrong direction so Sacramento made the right decision on Monday. Below is a Tweet from Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee that outlines the plan moving forward.
Joerger says postgame going forward at least two of the vets will sit each game. Could be 3 some nights. Randolph and Carter were held out tonight
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) January 16, 2018
What the news means
The Kings will now start resting at least two of their five veterans players in every game for the rest of the season (barring them being traded away before the deadline). Those five players are George Hill, Zach Randolph, Kosta Koufos, Garrett Temple, and Vince Carter. Each player has at least seven seasons in the NBA.
It also means the core young talent should all see 30 plus minutes a night and have time to develop on the court. They also will have more time playing together and getting comfortable with each other.
Why it is the move to make
Those five players each have a ton of NBA experience and a lot to offer the young members of the team, but playing them significant minutes is taking away opportunities for those 25 and under men to see the court and learn on the job. Playing Z-Bo 30 minutes and letting him shoot mid-range jumpers and bail out the offense may help you win a game in January, but the young players need to learn to move the ball and get themselves out of shot clock trouble. That is just one example of why this is the move to make, but let us look at the prime example.
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More Hill less Fox
George Hill has played point guard in the NBA for ten seasons and has started 409 games in his career. That goes without mentioning him starting in 72 playoff games and playing in 83 over that decade in the league. Hill is an exceptional talent and even earned recognition as the 63rd best player in the SI’s NBA Top 100 before the season.
Hill playing point guard and running the show means De’Aaron Fox cannot, though. The rookie fifth overall pick figures to be the point guard of the next Kings playoff team especially because Hill turns 32 in May and is likely traded away in the next month. Sitting Hill opens up the opportunity for Fox to be the one and do his thing. Fox looked great much better when Hill was out recently for the birth of his daughter. Let the youngster have his run and find Hill an opportunity on a contender if possible.
Those are just two examples, but it should be apparent that the Kings are undoubtedly making the right move for the future of their franchise here.
What to expect from the young players
First, plan on more minutes and likely more mistakes. Basketball in Sacramento is not always going to be beautiful in the second half of this season. Players with limited experience usually make plenty of errors in this league. The Kings will be running out at least six players 25 years old or younger every night. The most NBA experience by any of those players is Willie Cauley-Stein with two full seasons under his belt.
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Along with mistakes, I expect to see plenty of flashes of what is to come. Yes, that means excitement Kings fans. Whether it is Fox attacking the basket hard with his blazing speed or WCS throwing down a monster dunk and showing off his trademark athleticism, it will be a joy to watch. Do not forget about Buddy Hield’s 3-point shooting ability, he is trending toward a top-ten finish in 3-point percentage (currently sits sixth). Bogdan Bogdanovic has shown a plethora of skills that have me jazzed about his NBA future too. I would be remiss without mentioning Skal Labissiere who I believe can be the stretch four every NBA team covets if he just gets time on the court to develop. I expect the second half of this season to feature plenty of flashes of the Kings bright future. Stay tuned.
Final thoughts
The Sacramento Kings have decided to take the long-term view for the remainder of this season. They will start resting at least two of their five veteran players each game to open up more minutes for young talent. Coach Joerger and the organization are 100 percent making the correct move here. The future in Sacramento is bright if they can develop the young talent already in-house and that is precisely what they should be trying to do.
Sitting veteran players that increase your chances of winning the game directly in front of you has a knock on effect as well. If the Kings lose more games the rest of the way by playing inferior players, they increase their chances of having the number one overall pick in what is shaping up to be a historic draft class. Imagine adding a Luka Doncic or Marvin Bagley III to their already exciting young core.
Keeping tuning in and monitor the progress of the young players. They are the future and hopefully, the backbone of the next playoff-bound squad in the California capital.
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