Sacramento Kings: Rudy Gay has a lot to play for against his former team
By Tyler Watts
Rudy Gay has a plethora of reasons to look forward to the April 9 game against the Sacramento Kings. This article details why.
The Sacramento Kings traded for combo forward Rudy Gay in December of 2013. The Kings moved four players in exchange for Gay and two others. It was a fantastic trade for the team. They traded four role players and turned it into a number two scorer, plus a bench big in Quincy Acy.
Gay played for Sacramento for three full seasons after the deal. In his time with the Kings, he averaged 19.3 points per game and was an across the board contributor. You likely know how the story ended. Gay tore his Achilles in January 2017 and departed in free agency after the season.
On to San Antonio
Rudy Gay signed a two-year contract with the Spurs last offseason. He has mostly played off the bench and limited minutes as he still recovers from that devastating injury. Gay can still score and be a handful on both ends of the floor, though.
Important night
As fate would have it, Monday’s clash became that much important to Rudy Gay. The Spurs can clinch a playoff berth with a victory. That means not only is he facing his former squad but has his chance to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Check out the Tweet below from Jabari Young featuring an interview with Rudy Gay talking about the importance of the game.
Rudy on his play in the 4th, Manu’s play also asked about game vs #Kings Monday... #Spurs win, they’re in. “Me getting to the playoffs and beating the Kings all in the same day...” pic.twitter.com/ZZwsANv5P6
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) April 8, 2018
Gay is still cracking jokes and having fun. He is ready to face his former team, and that should add a wrinkle to watch during tonight’s game.
Final thoughts
Rudy Gay gets to face the Sacramento Kings with both the playoffs and revenge on his mind. Please tune in and enjoy the game on April 9. Expect Gay and the Spurs to come out firing, and it will be interesting to see how the young Kings handle that adversity.
Next: 10 greatest individual seasons in Kings history
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