Skal Labissiere’s struggle to become an impact player has forced some to question whether or not he will be a part of the Sacramento Kings’ future. After a tumultuous season that saw his name circled in multiple trade rumors, shuttled between the starters and bench, and an offseason that saw the Kings adding another power forward via the draft, it begs the question. Are Skal’s days in a Kings uniform numbered?
If I said in the year 2015 that Skal Labissiere would not be a productive NBA player two seasons into his career, most would say I was crazy and did not understand basketball. And for good reason too.
Heading into the 2016 college basketball season, the “who goes #1 overall?” question revolved around two players: Skal Labissiere and Ben Simmons.
Now, as we head into the 2018-19 regular season, Ben Simmons is in the NBA MVP conversation, per Bovada. In the case of Labissiere? There are still questions about whether he will even see time on the floor this season, let alone be winning any awards.
Skal’s fall from grace has been fairly well documented, given the Haitian star played at a high-profile program at the University of Kentucky. His strengths and weaknesses were, and continue to be, picked apart and he is facing an uncertain future with the Sacramento franchise. But why? And perhaps more importantly, how can he redeem himself? To answer that question, you have got to go back to the beginning of his fall.
Let us jump into that beginning.
Why his draft stock fell
Skal’s fall can be summarized in just a few words: physicality and decision making. His issues with rebounding and reaction time surfaced pretty quickly while at Kentucky. At times, he looked a step slow. It was almost as if things were moving at a different pace for his opponents and teammates than for him. He struggled to get rebounds as a result of both slow reaction times and a general inability to get himself into a good position to grab those boards.
He also struggled with foul issues, though that is usually not a big red flag for young big men. What is a big red flag, however, is a big who cannot react to the ball effectively. It is also compounded when a player just looks wholly unfit to be an NBA-level contributor coming out of college (granted he was only there for one season). Physical strength (for obvious reasons) is hugely important for big men in the NBA. That is something Labissiere just did not have. That does not mean I would challenge him to a bench press competition, especially not when he is looking like he has added a lot of weight (more on that later). But compared to other NBA bigs, the physicality just was not there.
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It is especially troublesome because many of the issues that plagued him in college are still present two years later. Of course with that, many of the things that made him a potential top pick remain too.
Skal still has the high shot release, he is still incredibly tall and long, and most notably, he is still a very capable shot blocker. For example, Labissiere’s block percentage, sitting at a solid 42.2%, is just slightly lower than that of Karl Anthony-Towns and higher than that of Kawhi Leonard and DeMarcus Cousins (note: both Leonard and Cousins were injured this season so it is a small sample size). His blocks per game were just under one per game (0.8) which was good enough to be tied 58th in the league last season.
Now that some background is out of the way…
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.
Does Labissiere still have a future with the Kings?
Honestly, it is hard to say. Skal was rumored nearly all season as a potential trade fodder, and the Kings drafted Marvin Bagley III at second overall over the offseason. Add those together and it seems his future is murky at best. He still has loads of potential, but potential does not always metabolize and it is worth wondering at what point do you pull the plug on the Skal Labissiere experiment?
With that said, it is incredibly likely he finishes this season with the Kings barring a catastrophic season by him on all levels. He could still be traded, but it remains to be seen if the Kings are truly willing to move him. Another potential factor is Willie Cauley-Stein’s impending free agency. Should Cauley-Stein walk (by his own accord or the Kings’), it would behoove Sacramento to keep Skal on the roster as a potential backup to Harry Giles and Marvin Bagley, or even to have him take over as the starter if he has a breakout season.
This season is huge for both the Kings and Labissiere. The Kings need to know what they have in Skal, and he needs to prove he is worth further investment from the franchise. Will it happen this season? Only time will tell, but if Labissiere wants to be with Sacramento long term, this might be his last shot.