The Sacramento Kings have lined up two major wins in a row against the Rockets and the Lakers. Part of that success has been Zach LaVine, who hasn't been putting up record numbers, but his efficiency has been clutch. He's scoring while opening up opportunities for others to get in the mix.
LaVine missed a large chunk of December due to an injury, finally making his return January 4th. Earlier in the season, he was on a scoring tear where he was regularly scoring 30+ points a game. That didn't last, and he has declined, especially since his return from injury.
The problem for the Kings isn't really about quantity, though. It's about quality. One of the major issue the Kings keep running into is their veterans taking a lot of shots, many of them bad. That cuts down on opportunities for other players to score, leading to losses even when the vets are on a heater.
LaVine has been more efficient in victory
In last night's win over the Lakers, LaVine had 19 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one block. They aren't huge numbers. But he did shoot 54.5% from the field, 75.0% from three, and 100% from the free throw line. He didn't waste his attempts.
His numbers were similar to the night before against the Rockets. LaVine finished with 18 points, two rebounds, and one assist. He collected those points shooting 45.5% from the field, 50.0% from three, and 83.3% from the free throw. It wasn't as good as the Lakers, yet still an improvement.
Look, LaVine isn't breaking any records with these stats, but they are solid and reliable. More importantly, it's an improvement in efficiency that opens the door for other players to get in the game and make a difference. Because there's nothing worse than a ball hog taking bad shots.
Kings victories rely on strong defense and efficient offense
It's fun watching LaVine put up big numbers like he did when he dropped 42 points on Miami in early December. He did that well because he was also reasonably efficient with his shooting, particularly from the three-point arc and the free-throw line.
LaVine shot 12 for 24 from the field in the win over the Heat. In the Kings' more recent loss to Dallas, Zach shot eight for 19. When a player takes that many shots, that means other players aren't shooting. It's not a major revelation. Low efficiency from a top scorer doesn't win games.
The Kings won the last couple in part because LaVine is making better choices in his shot selection and following through. He doesn't need to drop a 40-piece for the Kings to win, though it doesn't hurt. Zach just needs to be reliable and efficient to be a major threat on the court.