Put it this way. Ben is also logging time with the Kings in practice and working individually with Kings coaches. He's also got a lot more actual NBA experience and is a relatively young player. From a coaching preparation standpoint, what makes Malachi then more prepared than Ben? As a parallel, WCS looked good last year too, but in this very thread you have people saying Karl was poison to him, suggesting that him looking ready then was not to the coach's credit. So what's the difference?
ben mclemore is on his fourth head coach in as many seasons. i think it's reasonable to assume that his failures are a byproduct of organizational instability
and his natural deficiencies. likewise, i think it's reasonable to assume that richardson's apparent readiness is due to a combination of greater organizational stability
and his natural talents.
again, very few players exist on an island unto themselves with respect to their development. lebron most assuredly would have become great under any coaching staff and on any team. but for everybody in the middle, it's not so easy, and i wouldn't gloss over the strategy that a franchise and a coaching staff employs to better prepare young players for the rigors of nba basketball. i see logic in the kings' rhythm of allowing the rookies to see major minutes in the d-league, then calling them up for practice time with the big league team. there has been a patience and a deliberateness at work that could very well pay off in the next couple of seasons. perhaps the kings coaching staff saw that willie cauley-stein's sense of urgency occasionally gets ahead of his feet, and they wanted him to understand that he needs to
earn playing time. WCS has been contrite since he saw his minutes slashed, and i think he's better understood what he needs to focus on if he wants to get on the court.
now, i'll happily grant that it's entirely possible malachi richardson would have impressed from day one, or that willie has just struggled to adjust to a new head coach and system, and a steady flow of minutes may have smoothed out those issues. but i appreciate that the kings aren't in a hurry to throw their young talents into the fire. there are countless instances across the nba of young players having their confidence crushed due to early failures on the court. and since rookies and sophomores are
long-term investments, perhaps it's best not to rush things so that the franchise can maximize those assets? why do you imagine that the san antonio spurs keep churning up gold amongst little known prospects? do they just see what everybody else is missing? is it black magic? sorcery? a deal they've struck with the devil? or does their coaching staff simply place a hefty emphasis on developing young talents to succeed in their system, specifically, in part by slowly working them into the rotation?