Here are our player scouting reports and analysis for the Sacramento Kings.
Projected starters
Rajon Rondo
Position: Guard
Experience: 9 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Crafty pass-first point guard with elite length
+ Poor and reluctant shooter
+ Deactivated after Game 2 of Dallas' playoff series versus Houston
Analysis
This isn't your father's Rajon Rondo. Years of stubbornness and lack of development left the once elite point guard on career death's doorstep, as the Mavs took the extreme step of deactivating Rondo for the last three games of their playoff series. He was a huge gamble for Dallas, who gave up a first-round pick -- not to mention the league's best offense at the time -- with the hopes he could help boost their defensive profile.
Instead, he brought the worst of both worlds, dragging the offense down with his ball-dominant ways while bringing only a marginal improvement on the defensive end. Worse, he rubbed others the wrong way, including an on-court shouting match with head coach Rick Carlisle. He was not expected to command much of a market in free agency, which explains why the Kings were able to snag him with a one-year offer. The good news is he'll be playing for a former point guard in head coach George Karl, and Rondo has got a pretty good target in DeMarcus Cousins, but Rondo will have to prove he has learned a leader can't lead if nobody follows.
Ben McLemore
Position: Guard
Experience: 2 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Athletic wing shooter
+ Improving on-ball defender
+ Hasn't missed a game in career
Analysis
Coming out of Kansas, the book on McLemore was his physical gifts and skills far outpaced his grasp of the game. Two seasons in, that might still be the case, but he has made significant strides. McLemore shot the ball considerably better in his sophomore season from all areas of the floor and developed into quite the effective finisher around the rim. Better yet, he continued progressing on the defensive end, a transformation that began under former head coach Mike Malone. With a Sacramento roster that features no shortage of players who will demand the ball in their hands, McLemore's ability to operate off the ball makes him a natural complement within the Kings' offense.
Rudy Gay
Position: Forward
Experience: 9 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Verstaile wing athlete with elite size
+ Good shooter but has a tendency to increase degree of difficulty on shot selection
+ Missed 14 games with a variety of injuries
Analysis
The poster child for inefficiency actually turned in a good season efficiency-wise as Sacramento's main scorer on the wing in 2014-15. Gay posted the highest true-shooting percentage of his career and got to the free-throw line more frequently than ever. He signed a three-year, $40 million extension less than a month into the season, and given the rate of inflation going around the NBA, he probably wishes he had waited until the summer to cash in. On the other hand, Gay played extremely well after signing, so the peace of mind from contract security probably helped on the court.
Gay always has left people wanting more out of a 6-foot-9 frame, jump-out-the-gym athleticism and a silky-smooth jumper. But playing for George Karl will put Gay in a position to be successful, much like several other Karl-coached wings in the past (Carmelo Anthony, Danilo Gallinari, etc.) as he'll benefit from added pace, tempo and spacing. The hope is picking up the tempo will open more opportunities for Gay to get all the way to the rim more often as opposed to settling for the type of tough midrange shots he historically favors. Even though he shoots a decent clip on those attempts, that still pales in comparison to the efficiency of dunks and layups, particularly for a player with his size advantage. Also, there probably will be more time for Gay at the 4 spot in smallball lineups given the dearth of capable stretch bigs on the Kings' roster.
DeMarcus Cousins
Position: Center
Experience: 5 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Bruising big with touch and skill
+ Elite rebounder
+ Missed 23 games due to illness and various leg injuries
Analysis
Amid the usual turmoil in the Kings franchise, Cousins turned in a statistically dominant season and was recognized for his efforts with his first All-Star berth and All-NBA nod. What makes him so special is he combines size and brute force with an extraordinary deftness and skill level, being able to change directions with the dribble after pulverizing the defender with a body bump. While he's not an explosive athlete, he's particularly light on his feet and is able to attack the basket off the dribble as easily as he backs someone down. He has made great strides on the defensive end, posting one of the highest defensive RPM ratings in the league last year. If he can set aside his petty in-fighting with Karl, Cousins could be in line for an even more effective season with better spacing around him.
Kosta Koufos
Position: Center
Experience: 7 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Mobile, dependable, defensive big
+ Good rebounder, shot-blocker
+ Signed from Memphis during offseason
Analysis
Koufos is reunited with Karl, who coached him for three seasons in Denver. Koufos really flourished in the backup center role in Memphis where he was able to zero in on his strengths: crash the boards, set screens and defend. His ability to run the floor will assist the Kings in speeding up the tempo, as he changes ends well and will force opposing bigs to either keep pace or give up numbers in transition. Defensively, he does a good job of reading the offense and rotating into help position, and will contest shots at the point of release. His presence should boost a Sacramento defense that was one of the five worst in the league last season.
Reserves
Darren Collison
Position: Guard
Experience: 6 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Speedy, attacking, scoring guard
+ Bad individual and team defender
+ Missed 37 games mostly due to right hip injury
Analysis
Collison came as advertised -- pick-and-roll point guard, good spot-up shooter and change-of-pace player -- but still fit the profile as more of a backup than a starting-caliber point guard. His defense can be atrocious, and while he's efficient out of the pick and roll, he can develop a certain amount of tunnel vision. It will be interesting to see how he handles the demotion back to the bench after he signed last summer with the Kings to be a starter after backing up Chris Paul a year earlier. Collison will likely have opportunities to play alongside Rondo in small lineups, as he's one of the better shooters on the roster and can push tempo, but there are severe defensive side effects for Sacramento.
Omri Casspi
Position: Forward
Experience: 6 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Lean, agile wing who likes to get out in transition
+ Good spacer and 3-point shooter; excellent finisher at the rim
+ Can play some power forward in smallball lineups
Analysis
Casspi gives the Kings a bunch of versatility in lineups, and as one of the better shooters on the roster, he gives them much-needed spacing around Cousins. At 6-foot-9, he's capable of playing smallball four and excels at changing ends in transition and beating his man down the floor. He rebounds defensively well for a wing, and playing alongside an elite rebounder such as Cousins allows Casspi to hold his own at the 4. Casspi is an efficient scorer, with almost 60 percent of his attempts coming at the rim or beyond the arc, and he gets to the free-throw line frequently (almost seven attempts per 100 possessions).
Willie Cauley-Stein
Position: Center
Experience: Rookie
2015 draft profile
Scouting report
+ Elite defensive big
+ Tremendous rebounder on the offensive end
+ Limited offensively
Analysis
Cauley-Stein was quite possibly the premier defensive player coming out in the draft as a legit 7-footer who can move his feet on the perimeter and defend smaller players as well as protect the rim. His defensive rebound numbers are deflated, likely as a result of playing alongside rebounders in Karl-Anthony Towns and Nerlens Noel in two of the the past three seasons. Offensively, Cauley-Stein is extremely raw with most of his ability limited to crashing the offensive glass and scoring off dunks, putbacks and layups. But for a Kings team with enough scoring producers, Cauley-Stein fits a need. The biggest question is whether he play alongside Cousins, given neither of them are ideal spacing options.
Marco Belinelli
Position: Guard
Experience: 8 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Excellent shooter who can put the ball on the floor and create
+ Solid team-concept defender
+ Missed 20 games due to left groin injury
Analysis
Belinelli comes to Sacramento after a successful stint in San Antonio, where he played a key role in the Spurs' success over the past few seasons. He brings a steady veteran presence as a player who knows his role, an excellent spot-up shooter who can come off screens and put the ball on the floor against hard closeouts and create off the dribble. In the Spurs' offense, there were ample opportunities for secondary pick-and-roll action on the weak side, and Belinelli performed well in those scenarios. In Sacramento, these traits will come in extremely handy for a team that is starved for spacing and selfless play. Defensively, Belinelli has come a long way since his early years in Golden State and New Orleans and really turned the corner during his time in Chicago as far as attention to detail to team defensive schemes and execution.
Caron Butler
Position: Forward
Experience: 13 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Almost exclusively spot-up player at this stage
+ Veteran presence and culture setter
+ In the twilight of his career
Analysis
Long in the tooth, Butler basically arrives to Sacramento as a veteran presence for the locker room. He almost exclusively played along the perimeter with more than 80 percent of his field goals coming outside of 16 feet and over 47 percent of his offense coming from spot-up opportunities, according to statistics from Synergy. Defensively, Butler's mind is willing, but his body often fails him, as he has lost a lot of lateral movement and gets by on guile. Most of his value for the Kings will come as someone who can help repair the locker room culture and provide veteran guidance.
Quincy Acy
Position: Forward
Experience: 3 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Energetic
+ High-level athlete
+ OK shooter from about 15 feet
Analysis
This is Acy's second stint with the Kings, having spent the second half of the 2013-14 season with Sacramento. Last season, he enjoyed more playing time than ever in New York and was able to stretch his development as a player. He rebounded on the defensive end better than he ever did in the NBA or college and expanded his shooting to 3-point range, where he landed right on the Kendall Gill Line (30 percent from deep). That might have been a stretch (no pun intended) for his current abilities, as he was a lot more comfortable in the short midrange, but it did show a facet of his game that looks as if it could improve given some opportunity. The combination of his over-the-top athleticism and energy, positive vibes and shooting ability could win him some minutes at the four spot in Karl's rotation.
Seth Curry
Position: Guard
Experience: 2 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ High-caliber shooter with deep range
+ Not a strong ballhandler, an OK passer
+ Decent team-scheme defender
Analysis
After two seasons of toiling in the D-League, scrapping for isolated 10-day contacts, the younger Curry finally caught a break with a guaranteed deal with the Kings after impressing in summer league. It goes without saying he's not the player his brother Steph is, but Curry brings another spot shooter to the Kings, and his ballhandling and creativity are sufficient enough to be effective in secondary pick-and-rolls. Defensively, he's going to be challenged and exploited by opponents, but he's a solid team defender who will execute the game plan and send toward help defense. Like Collison, expect some insertion for Curry at the off-guard slot to provide better spacing in smallball lineups.
David Stockton
Position: Guard
Experience: 1 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Pure point guard; "insurance policy"
+ Undersized for position
Analysis
Another player with a familiar surname, Stockton is what you would expect from the son of one of the greatest point guards of all time in John Stockton. A high-IQ player with solid fundamentals, David Stockton had a strong rookie season in the D-League playing for Sacramento's affiliate, Reno, placing among the top three in the league in assists. A late-season callup to Sacramento, he played sparingly with most of his minutes coming in the last game of the season. Stockton is a known commodity as far as being a good practice player and insurance policy as a third- or fourth-string point guard, but if he's playing in a game, there's a good chance the outcome is either decided or meaningless. His contract is non-guaranteed until the January guarantee date.
Duje Dukan
Position: Forward
Experience: Rookie
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Poor rebounding stretch big
+ Four-year player at Wisconsin
Analysis
Dukan signed a two-year, partially guaranteed deal with his first-year salary fully guaranteed (and $200,000 for the second year), which gives us an indication Sacramento intends to keep him on the roster for the entire season. Having said that, expect him to spend some time down in Reno, as he's an extremely raw prospect, having played fewer than 1,000 minutes in his entire collegiate career. He has got good size and a decent shooting touch, but as it is, he's not ready to contribute on the NBA level, and there's a good chance he'll be receiving a membership card to the "stretch bigs who don't actually shoot all that well" club (32 percent from college 3-point range, 25 percent on 2-point jumpers last season).
James Anderson
Position: Guard
Experience: 4 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Athletic wing player who likes to attack the basket
+ Streaky shooter out to 3-point range
+ Former first-round pick with San Antonio Spurs; spent last season with Euroleague's BC Zalgiris
Analysis
Anderson returns to the NBA after a one-year hiatus overseas where he put up solid numbers in the Euroleague. A slashing, athletic player, he's a good finisher at the basket and a decent, if streaky, perimeter shooter. His last NBA stint came with the 76ers in 2013-14, when he was able to take a high volume of shots in a low-expectation environment, and was forced to emphasize on efficient shot selection with almost 80 percent of his FGAs coming at the rim or beyond the arc. Despite his attacking game, Anderson historically doesn't get to the free-throw line often and doesn't give the team much else outside of scoring.
Eric Moreland
Position: Forward
Experience: 1 year
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Voracious rebounder
+ High-level shot-blocker
Analysis
Moreland will likely fight for the final roster spot with Stockton. Working in Moreland's favor is a $200,000 guarantee and the fact he spent the entirety of last season with the Kings, accompanied by a couple of short stints in Reno. Working against him is the wealth of bigs Sacramento has ahead of him and the fact he doesn't bring a spacing element to his game. He's an excellent rebounder and shot-blocker but is extremely raw, foul prone and is still a work in progress.