The Kings Have the Potential for a Big 3
Home-grown talent — truly the best recipe for success that the Sacramento organization can count on. Being a small-market team situated in the farm to fork capital of America isn’t the ideal location for big-name free agents. One could say that the signing of Rajon Rondo in 2015 was one of the biggest free-agent signings the Kings ever had and definitely the last one they’ve had up to now.
With this ideology of building through the draft and trades, Sacramento has had its fair share of woes. One wrong draft pick can set the organization back several years and boy, do the Kings love to make terrible draft picks. In recent memory, they have Jimmer Fredette, Nik Stauskas, Thomas Robinson, Ben McLemore, it depresses me that the list can keep going on.
Even with a glimmer of hope in drafting DeMarcus Cousins, the big man did not fit the formula to win in this small farming town.
The King’s luck has begun to change recently. The front office decided it was time for a remodel and shipped Cousins off to New Orleans for Buddy Hield, some role players and a couple of draft picks. That same calendar year, the Kings added De’Aaron Fox and Harry Giles from the draft, while Bogdan Bogdanovic was on his way to the capital of California from overseas.
The following year, the Kings struck gold and received the number two pick in the draft in which they turned into Marvin Bagley, the high energy center out of Duke.
Just like that, the Kings had a plethora of young, talented players whom Sacramento could finally start sculpting a winning team from.
The three that stand out from the bunch are Buddy Hield, De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley, all who have All-Star potential. In their first year together, they put up some impressive stat lines which helped lead the Kings to their highest number of wins since 2006.
MP FG% 3P% FT% TRB AST PTS Fox 31.4 .458 .371 .727 3.8 7.3
17.3
MP
FG%
3P% FT% TRB AST PTS Hield 31.9 .458 .427 .886 5.0 2.5
20.7
MP FG% 3P% FT% TRB AST PTS Bagley 25.3 .504 .313 .691 7.6 1.0
14.9
When reviewing the stats above and considering that Hield will enter his fourth season, Fox his third, and Bagley his second, it isn’t unreasonable to believe the Kings have a Big Three in the making.
Fox holds down the role of the ball handler and distributor who can score when needed. Hield is the pure scorer who can knock down shots from anywhere on the floor. While Bagley plays the big man with a powerful motor who, with a little more work, can develop a pretty jumper while continuing to dominate in the post and on the boards.
The Kings need to put out the money to allow them to keep this trio together for years to come. Not only are they all talented players with high potential, but they melded together well last season and bring different aspects of the game to the floor.
This upcoming season will be another building block as Hield, Fox, and Bagley continue to learn to play together, although that does not mean playoffs aren’t on their minds. The Kings have the talent and bench support to make a push for their first postseason since 2006 while being led by their emerging stars.
If the Kings play well enough, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Hield, Fox or both, make a spot on the All-Star roster as they possess the ability to be considered as some of the best players in the league.
Hield, Fox and Bagley have the capability of bringing this mediocre organization out of the gutter and into bright lights. If the Kings can keep this trio and let them continue to play and grow together, they will be given the chance to accomplish great feats.
The post The Kings Have the Potential for a Big 3 appeared first on Cap City Crown.