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Sacramento Kings: 3 Goals For Iman Shumpert

By Rafe Wong

SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 24: Iman Shumpert #9 of the Sacramento Kings poses for a portrait on February 26, 2018 at the 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 License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 24: Iman Shumpert #9 of the Sacramento Kings poses for a portrait on February 26, 2018 at the 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 License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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After recovering from an injury-plagued season, what should the three goals be for Sacramento Kings’ Iman Shumpert in his comeback campaign?

As the calendar now turns to September, it means the Sacramento Kings are just a month away from their first preseason game. With Kings basketball just around the corner, let us analyze some of the guys in purple and white and list some expectations for them for the upcoming year.

This article will mainly feature Iman Shumpert who the Kings acquired from a three-team trade last season. Although Shumpert was a part of the Kings’ 2017-2018 season, he did not make an appearance on the court due to recovering from multiple injuries he suffered.

But now that Iman is healthy, what should the Kings and their fans expect from the seven-year veteran? To me, there are three goals Shumpert should keep in mind.

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Goal #1: Rejuvenate the defense

The Sacramento Kings have been a poor defensive team for the longest time. If one had to go back to when Sacramento was a stout defensive squad, it would be when Rick Adelman was still their head coach.

For the Kings’ rebuild to continue making strides, they must be more stubborn on the defensive end. And in my opinion, Shumpert is a guy that can help turn the team’s defensive woes around.

Throughout his seven-year career, Shumpert has developed a defensive reputation across the league. His length, athleticism, and aggressiveness are going to be greatly needed when facing his opponent’s guards and wings.

Not only could Shumpert’s defense improve the team defensively, but it can also motivate the rest of his teammates to try to better their defense as well.

Goal #2: Contribute with the long ball

No surprise, but the Kings also sucked on offense as they scored only 98.8 points per game last season (ranked last in the league). For the Kings’ offense to make strides this year, they need to become a better three-point shooting team. Although Sacramento’s three-point percentage was solid last season, they did not attempt many shots from the area.

This time around, the Kings must make the perimeter shot a staple of their offense. Although Shumpert is not a sharpshooter, he has shown to be working on his shot this summer and can definitely be a guy that can record a solid clip from beyond the arc.

If Iman can give the Kings a couple of threes per game while shooting over 36% from the area, he will definitely become another offensive asset for Sacramento.

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Goal #3: A mentor for the youth

There is a good argument that the Kings improved their roster this summer, but it came with a price as two of their main veterans Garrett Temple and Vince Carter are now members with different teams.

With the Kings having an immense amount of young talent on their roster, a good veteran presence is key for them to be led in the right direction. For the Kings, it would be huge if Shumpert embraced that veteran role. In terms of team accolades, Shumpert is definitely one of the more accomplished guys on the team and can pass on some valuable knowledge to the youngsters.

If Shumpert can make a similar impact towards the young guys like Temple and Carter made last year, I believe it will help those youngsters a lot in year #2 of the team’s rebuild.

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