The Sacramento Kings' tough early-season schedule continued last night with a loss to the Denver Nuggets, which wasn't a shock. What caught people off guard was Drew Eubanks putting on a clinic and being one of the best players on the court for Sacramento.
Eubanks was signed by the Kings over the summer to provide depth at their center position behind All-Star Domantas Sabonis. That was a smart move as the Kings traded Jonas Valanciunas for Dario Saric a few days later. They gave up the best backup center in the league for a benchwarmer.
Fortunately for the Kings, Eubanks has been doing pretty well. He was a little hot and cold off the start of the season, but has been getting more and more consistent as he finds his groove with his new team. After last night's performance against the Nuggets, it's safe to say he's getting there,
Drew Eubanks puts on a show
The Kings took on the Nuggets for the second of three meetings in November and lost 122 to 108. It wasn't a shock since Denver is getting back into championship form and Sacramento is 13th in the Western Conference while riding what is now a three-game losing skid.
Even in last night's loss, Eubanks played an impressive game. He finished up with 19 points while shooting eight of nine from the field. On top of that, he had seven rebounds and one assist, all in just over 22 minutes. The only thing missing was a block or two, which he's usually good for.
In comparison, Domantas Sabonis also scored 19 points but on eight of 12 shots from the field. He missed his traditional double-double by two rebounds, though he did pick up four assists. It's worth noting that he also fouled out of the game after 25+ minutes, which impacted those numbers.
The Kings need Eubanks to play like this
If Eubanks can keep stringing performances like this together, it would be huge for the Kings. They need strong backup for their resident double-double machine on the court for them to be even remotely competitive in the league.
Dario Saric rarely plays anymore and isn't usually too impactful when he does. Maxime Raynaud played really well in his last significant game, but has been pretty much riding the bench ever since. At this point, Eubanks is the only other center getting regular minutes after Sabonis.
While Eubanks has had a few great performances this season, he needs to string them together. The next step is consistency. If he can reach a point where his numbers are up there with Sabonis' each game, the Kings might get something decent going.