A Royal Pain
Fansided

Kevin Huerter has turned into the Sacramento Kings' version of Nick Anderson

By Mat Issa

Nov 16, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerter (9) before the game against the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerter (9) before the game against the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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On Friday, against the Portland Trail Blazers, Kevin Huerter logged just under seven minutes while scoring only one point on 0-for-1 from the floor.

The minute total was a season-low for Huerter*, and it was representative of an overarching trend for the sharpshooter's career arc. Huerter has not been the same basketball player since his struggles against the Golden State Warriors in the 2023 Playoffs.

(*Sidenote: It is worth noting that Huerter left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury.)

After posting 15.2 PPG on 62.1% true shooting (both career-highs) in the 2022-23 regular season, Huerter and the Sacramento Kings played host to the Warriors in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs.

Unfortunately, Huerter dropped a huge dud in that series (averaging 9.1 PPG on 42.4% true shooting), and since then, he has ceased to be the same player he was in his inaugural season in Sacramento.

Kevin Huerter is becoming the Sacramento Kings' Nick Anderson

It all started last season, when Huerter regressed to averages of 10.2 PPG on 56.3% true shooting. To make matters worse, Huerter missed the final 15 games of the season with a left shoulder injury.

Now, it isn't uncommon for great shooters to have an off year from three. So, in isolation, that down year wasn't cause for immediate concern.

But when you compound that with his slow start to this year, you have a serious problem. So far, Huerter is averaging 8.9 PPG on 50.6% true shooting (both career lows, even counting his rookie year). With each game, it is becoming more and more likely that last year wasn't just a slump for Huerter. It seems that the Warriors may have broken the rising role player stud.

This isn't too different from what happened to former Orlando Magic wing Nick Anderson (who also spent some time with the Kings). For those who are unaware, Anderson had a traumatizing playoff experience against the Houston Rockets (in Game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals), and after that, he was never the same player.

Despite only being 27 during that 1994-95 season, Anderson never matched the PPG (15.8) and true shooting (59.3%) totals he posted in that year. It sucks to say because Huerter is such a hard worker who, by all accounts, loves playing for this team. Hopefully, he doesn't follow in Anderson's footsteps.

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