Now that Russell Westbrook has announced his retirement, the Sacramento Kings find themselves in a bit of a pickle. They were reportedly looking at re-signing him as a backup to and mentor for rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. Now that Brodie isn't an option, the Kings need to figure something out.
There's no doubt that Acuff has all the skill, talent, and potential in the world. He could easily be one of the greatest to ever play the game, not to mention a legit contender for Rookie of the Year. All of that depends on the Kings developing him properly, which is not their strong suit.
Sacramento has botched the development of multiple point guards over the past ten to 15 years, which is a habit they should be trying to break. Instead, their current strategy with Acuff is to feed him to the wolves. If he survives his first season, then he should be a decent point guard. Not a good plan.
The Kings don't have a backup point guard in place for Acuff, nor do they have a veteran mentor for him at that position. Westbrook would have been incredibly helpful in both capacities. Instead, he's chosen to spend more time with his family or on other projects. Actually, that sounds great.
Sacramento still needs to find support of Acuff
In addition to Westbrook, the Kings have also been looking at signing a returning Victor Oladipo to a veteran minimum. That could actually be helpful as Oladipo was one of the league's top defenders in his prime. Defense is the part of Acuff's overall game that needs a lot of work as soon as possible.
While he has ball handling skills that allow him to play point guard on specific lineups, Oladipo is not a true PG. He is more of a shooting guard, a position the Kings are already well stocked at. He wouldn't be much of a backup for Acuff at the one. As such, it would be tough for Oladipo to mentor him.
Westbrook's retirement leaves the Kings back where they started, lacking proper support for a rookie who is definitely going to need it. There's no doubt that Acuff needs more than hope and a prayer to get him up to NBA speed. He needs someone who can be part of this process with him.
There aren't really any active point guards left the Kings can afford to sign. As such, the best option is likely to look at undrafted rookie point guards and fine someone they can sign on a minimum or two-way contract to back Acuff up. They won't be much of a mentor, but they can at least share the load.
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