Rumors have surfaced regarding the Sacramento Kings potentially trading for Enes Kanter. What would the three benefits be if this acquisition were to happen?
The Sacramento Kings have been a feel-good story this regular season. After living in the basement of the Western Conference standings for over the last decade, the purple and white are finally a decent team as they stand at a record of 20-21 halfway through their campaign.
Even though the Kings look like a team on the rise, there are definitely still ways for them to improve their roster. With that being said, a recent rumor has risen in the NBA community pertaining to a possible trade the Kings might pull off.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, NBA Insider for ESPN, the Sacramento Kings are in talks with the New York Knicks about a potential deal that would involve Enes Kanter and Zach Randolph. Wojnarowski also mentioned that more players could be part of the deal, as well as a third-party team who could help make the salary caps work.
New York and Sacramento discussing an Enes Kanter-Zach Randolph trade of expiring contracts, but nothing close yet, league sources tell ESPN. Kings would want to send out more expirings in a deal. A third team could be helpful.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 9, 2019
Throughout his NBA career, Kanter has played with three different teams in seven-and-a-half seasons. During that span, the 26-year old is averaging around 12 points, eight rebounds, and one assist per contest while making around 54% of his shots from the floor and 78% of his shots from the free-throw line.
With the rumor out that the Kings could acquire Kanter before the trade deadline, would it be a good move by Vlade Divac and company if they were to pull the trigger?
That said, enjoy this slideshow that will showcase three benefits to how Kanter could help the Kings this season and going forward.
Benefit #1: Rebounding Ability
There is no surprise that rebounding has been a bane of the Kings’ season so far. According to the numbers, the Kings average just under 45 rebounds a game which is ranked 18th amongst the league. In terms of offensive rebounding, the Kings average under 11 a night which earns them the 13th spot in the league.
For the Kings to take that next level forward in their rebuild, they need to find more consistency when it comes to grabbing the boards. For Kantar, rebounding has been a specialty for him since entering the NBA.
Kanter averages almost eight boards a night throughout his career and is currently giving the Knicks 11 rebounds a game this season, about four of those rebounds are coming from the offensive end.
There is no doubt that Kanter can be a good asset for Sacramento in terms of rebounding. The Kings do have guys like Willie Cauley-Stein, Marvin Bagley III, and Kosta Koufos who can dominate the boards from time to time, but none of them are as reliable as Kanter has shown.
If Kanter were to be acquired by Sacramento, he would at the very least become a regular player in Dave Joerger’s rotation. His rebounding ability would give the Kings more defensive stops and scoring opportunities for their electric offense to put up points.
Benefit #2: Scoring In The Interior
In the last slide, it was mentioned that Enes Kanter has gained a reputation of being a reliable rebounder. Now it is time to talk about his other strength which is his efficiency to put points on the board.
When analyzing Kanter’s game, rebounding and scoring stand out the most. Throughout his career, Kanter has shown to be a dominant scorer in the interior, especially when running the pick-and-roll offense. In his last six seasons, he is averaging at least 12 points a contest while making at least 49% of his shots from the floor.
If the Kings were to trade for Kanter, he has the ability to help their offense. Even though the current group of Sacramento bigs have been solid in scoring this season, Kanter’s track record has shown he is more consistent and reliable in that aspect of the game.
Imagine De’Aaron Fox running the pick-and-roll offense with a guy like Kanter? Add that with the lethal perimeter shooting the Kings have and their offense has the potential to be even more electric than it already is.
Benefit #3: Free-Throw Shooting
Another deficiency for the Sacramento Kings has been their shooting from the free-throw line. Currently, they are ranked 27th in the league in the category as they make only a little over 70% of their shots from the area.
With the addition of Enes Kanter, he has the ability to help the Kings in their free-throw shooting. He is not automatic from the line, but he does record a career free-throw percentage of around 78% and is making over 81% of his shots this season. Not too bad for a guy at his position.
When comparing Kanter’s free-throw shooting to the Kings’ current bigs, he is definitely better. For the year, Willie Cauley-Stein is only making 52% of his shots from the charity stripe. For Kosta Koufos, he is making just 38% of his free-throws. As for Harry Giles, he has a success rate of 53%. And for Marvin Bagley III, he is making 68% of his shots.
Sacramento’s free-throw shooting has been subpar this year, and a big reason for it has been because of their big men. If the Kings were to add Kanter to their roster, he for sure will improve the team’s overall free-throw percentage.