A Royal Pain continues its series where we grade the seasonal performance of each player on the Sacramento Kings. This article’s player will be Garrett Temple who just finished his second year with the purple and white.
Offense
For the season, Temple was solid on offense. In the 65 games the eight-year vet appeared in, he averaged 8.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per contest while shooting 41.8% from the floor and 39.2% from the three-point line.
In my opinion, Temple was a versatile offensive player. There were times during the course of the year where he was asked to play different roles on the team. These roles were either being a spot-up shooter or playing point guard when the Kings were thin at the position. As a result, his 39% success rate from beyond the arc and consistent display of making smart plays proved to me that he fulfilled his roles well.
Defense
There is a good case that Temple was the best defender on the Kings. Although Temple was ranked ninth amongst his teammates in defensive rating (113.1), the film showed me he was much more than what the numbers displayed on the stat sheet.
Related Story: Will Temple return to Sacramento next season?
Throughout the year, Temple was the guy who usually had to guard the opponent’s best offensive threat, and as a result, it hindered his defensive efficiency. But with that being said, he was still an active defender who showed both energy AND effort.
Temple also had to defend multiple positions which gave Dave Joerger needed flexibility with his depth chart.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Temple was a solid asset on both ends of the court. But what made him a valuable player for the Kings were his intangibles. Throughout his career, Temple has developed a reputation of being a great veteran presence, and for a Kings squad that has a lot of unproven young talent, Temple’s leadership and guidance were greatly needed for this season.
Next: 10 greatest individual seasons by a King
It is unknown whether Temple will be repping the purple and white next season, due to Temple having a player option in his contract. But if he does, I expect him to make the same impact on the Kings like he did this campaign by being a player who can contribute on both sides while being an excellent role model for the young guys to look up to.