A Royal Pain
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Is Skal Labissiere Still A Part Of The Sacramento Kings’ Future?

By Jonathan Roberts

SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 31: Skal Labissiere #7 of the Sacramento Kings looks on during the game against the Golden State Warriors on March 31, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 31: Skal Labissiere #7 of the Sacramento Kings looks on during the game against the Golden State Warriors on March 31, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Sacramento Kings’ Skal Labissiere (7) travels as he’s defended by the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin (32) in the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. (Hector Amezcua/Sacramento Bee/TNS via Getty Images)
The Sacramento Kings’ Skal Labissiere (7) travels as he’s defended by the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin (32) in the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. (Hector Amezcua/Sacramento Bee/TNS via Getty Images) /

Can his issues be “fixed”?

The short answer is: of course. As noted earlier, Labissiere looks like he has added some muscle in the offseason. That alone could be game-changing for Skal. Adding muscle could go a long way to fixing his issues with rebounding and defense. Granted, if he and the coaching staff cannot figure out how to make the game slow down for him then it is not going to help how much muscle he adds.

There is a precedent for a Kings big to turn it around after adding muscle and receiving good coaching. In 2010, the Kings drafted a center out of Marshall University in the second round of the draft. After two seasons with the Kings organization, he was waived and did not return to the NBA until the Miami Heat signed him in 2014. Spoiler alert: it was Hassan Whiteside. While he has turned himself into a sort of lightning rod between the Heat’s front office and fan base, it is hard to deny he has become a completely different player since leaving Sacramento.

The same thing could be in Skal’s future, except maybe he does not have to leave California’s capital to turn his career around. Labissiere’s issues can absolutely be fixed, and they can be fixed by the Kings’ coaching staff. Unfortunately, that does not mean the continuation of his career with the Kings is a certainty.

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