With the 2018-2019 NBA season coming up, which players on the Sacramento Kings really need to have a breakout season? Here are my top three guys pertaining to the topic.
The 2018-2019 NBA regular season is getting closer by the day, which means the Sacramento Kings will be back in action soon! Most likely, the Kings will not be competing for a postseason spot, but that does not mean that the purple and white will not be an exciting team to watch.
Right now, the Kings are in the second year of their major rebuild, and the team currently has an abundance of young talent on their roster.
The group of youngsters is bottomless for Sacramento. It starts at the point guard spot with De’Aaron Fox who has the athleticism and potential to dominate any player that steps in front of him. Then there are the more finesse and skilled players in Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic that use their sharpshooting ability and relentless effort to become assets for their team.
Lastly, there are the big men on the roster. The whole bunch of them. Guys like Willie Cauley-Stein, Harry Giles, Skal Labissiere, and now Marvin Bagley III who all hold the potential to become part of Sacramento’s main core going forth.
Yes, the Kings have a lot of young talent on their team who the fans hope will develop into big-time players while repping purple. But with that said, which guys out of the group need to break out earlier than the others?
To me, three players stand out from the list, and I believe it is necessary for them to make a leap of improvement during their 2018-2019 campaign. Let us check these guys out.
De’Aaron Fox
De’Aaron Fox is definitely a top candidate on this list as he holds the potential to become one of the top point guards in the NBA. Due to his quickness and ability to blow by opponents at ease, he has the chance to become an offensive weapon. And on the defensive end, he has enough athleticism to be elite as well.
Right now it is nice to dream of Fox becoming a star for the Kings, but at the moment he still has a lot of work to do. In my opinion, the main part of Fox’s game that he needs to improve on is his ability to shoot the ball.
Fox has shown from time to time to have a nice jumper from the midrange area, but he needs to be more consistent with it. Not only that, but Fox needs to develop a perimeter shot as he was no threat to opponents from the area as he only made 30.7% of his shots.
Once Fox is able to develop a reliable jump shot is when his scoring will take off. Opponents know that Fox can drive to the basket, so when they face him they are ready to contain his speed. But if Fox is able to improve his jumper, then it makes him a two-way threat and a nightmare for opponents to prepare for. And on top of that, Fox’s versatility can also improve his playmaking ability as well.
Buddy Hield
Buddy Hield has been a pleasant surprise for Kings fans since he arrived from the DeMarcus Cousins trade. Many fans hoped Buddy would eventually mold into a solid spot-up shooter for their team, and after his first full season in Sacramento, he has already exceeded that expectation.
Now that there is the belief that Buddy can become a volume scorer, what is the best way for him to reach that goal? In my opinion, it has to begin with his ball-handling skills.
Although Buddy is great at shooting the basketball, he is a much better shooter when being set up by his teammates rather than creating his own shot. Last season, Buddy made 58.2% of his field goals when being assisted and only 41.8% of his shots when unassisted. He also made a whopping 77.3% of his three-pointers when receiving help and made just 22.7% of his threes without help.
In my opinion, the reason for those numbers is due to his lack of dribbling. Although Buddy is not terrible at handling the basketball, he definitely does not have the handles to create his own shot effectively.
I am not expecting Buddy to have the ball-handling skills of a Stephen Curry or Kyrie Irving, although I would not be against it. But instead, I would like to see Buddy make at least a gradual improvement in his dribbling skills. If he is able to become better at handling the ball, it will open up the opportunity for him to become the Kings’ leading scorer not just for this season, but going forward.
Based on Buddy’s offseason workouts, improving his dribbling looks to be the main priority for him.
Willie Cauley-Stein
Willie Cauley-Stein has been a question mark for the last few seasons. There are moments where he looks like the ideal big man for the Kings, and then there are times where he looks lost on the floor.
That leads me to what I believe Willie needs to improve on in order for him to have a breakout season. Consistency.
For Willie to prove to the Kings that he can be their big man of the future, he needs to show it on a nightly basis. This means he has to be a defensive anchor that protects the rim and rebounds efficiently. It also means he needs to be solid in the interior offensively as well. And most importantly, his motor has to be on every time he is on the court.
Many may think I am crazy, but I consider Willie to have one of the highest ceilings currently on the Kings. I mean, a lengthy seven-footer who jumps like he is on a trampoline and runs like a gazelle gives him all the tools to be a great two-way player in his future. To me, Willie can improve on both ends of the floor, but changing his defense is more of a priority.
In my opinion, I believe the best role suited for Willie is being that defensive weapon that the Kings desperately need. I have been adamant that in order for Sacramento’s defense to improve, they need that goalie in the interior that will deter opponents from driving to the rim. And Cauley-Stein definitely has the ability to be that guy for Sacramento persistently.
Kings fans. What are your thoughts on my list of players that need a breakout season for your team? To give us your opinions on the topic, feel free to comment on our website, Facebook page, or Twitter account.