Justise Winslow

[bajaden]

Nik isn't ready to be a backup SG, let alone backup PG.
Winslow will still be a rookie, his shot is a big question mark, and he's actually not that great laterally at SG - more of a defensive playmaker, than stopper. And a lot of those plays come at the expense of controlling his own man - with more spacing and shooting ability at SG across the league, he will be burnt a lot, before he learns, what plays he should avoid. Point is he's not that ready to step in - tools are excellent, but Justise has a lot to figure out/make some adjustments.

If were going to be honest about NIk, he really didn't get much of chance this past season. He seldom touched the ball on offense at times. There were games when he went 4 minutes on the floor without even touching the ball. He averaged 15 minutes a game, while a player like Payton averaged 30 minutes a game. Nik averaged 4 shots a game, while Payton averaged almost 9 shots a game. Extend Nik's numbers out to per 30 mpg, and he almost puts up similar numbers to Payton. Only when Karl decided to give Nik more minutes, and actually put the ball in his hands on occasion, did he start to look like the player he was at Michigan. I think Nik will surprise people next season, if he's still with the team. He now knows what to expect and how to prepare for the NBA.

Is he ready to be a solid backup off the bench? Not having a crystal ball, I can't answer that. Maybe, maybe not. My gut tells me that he'll be greatly improved, and will push McLemore for the starting job. Which if true, is a good thing. Competition brings out the best in a player. And the worse as well. Serves you better when making a decision on the long range plans for a player. As for Nik being a PG. I see him fitting more into the role that Karl described as wanting on the team. Another player in the backcourt that can handle the ball, and run the offense. Help take the pressure off the PG. Similar to how Harden played at Arizona St. and Russell played at Ohio St.

 

[Gilles]

Outside of starting to knock down open shots from outside he wasn't exactly impressive: same struggles to finish inside the arc (Michigan's Stauskas was getting all the way to the rim occasionally, NBA version hasn't figured that out), assists and FTs went up (under 30% per minute improvement), but so did TOs (52% more per minute) as well. This still keeps Nik in pure potential area: you give him the ball, and he's inefficient; make him spot up, he helps your spacing, but he's still a really bad defender. Sauce is definitely not ready to be relied upon as a backup SG next season - there's a chance, he can improve, but if Kings can get an effective vet, I would rather bet on him.

Ben was slower to adjust to new regime, but even taking his stats in bulk pre-ASG vs post-ASG per minute rates:
FTs - up 57%
assists - up 53%, while TOs only upped by 13%
steals - up 77%

 

[bajaden]

Outside of starting to knock down open shots from outside he wasn't exactly impressive: same struggles to finish inside the arc (Michigan's Stauskas was getting all the way to the rim occasionally, NBA version hasn't figured that out), assists and FTs went up (under 30% per minute improvement), but so did TOs (52% more per minute) as well. This still keeps Nik in pure potential area: you give him the ball, and he's inefficient; make him spot up, he helps your spacing, but he's still a really bad defender. Sauce is definitely not ready to be relied upon as a backup SG next season - there's a chance, he can improve, but if Kings can get an effective vet, I would rather bet on him.

Ben was slower to adjust to new regime, but even taking his stats in bulk pre-ASG vs post-ASG per minute rates:
FTs - up 57%
assists - up 53%, while TOs only upped by 13%
steals - up 77%

Look, we've had these discussions before. I'm not that interested in stat comparisons. You say you give him the ball and he's inefficient. Really! Preytell, how often did he actually possess the ball. When he was on the floor, what was his time of possession? In one of his last games where he got maybe the most minutes in a game, and was a part of the offense, he had 5 assists, and by my count, if some people had made some easy baskets, he would have at least 8 assists. My point is, for most of the year, he was asked to stand in the corner and wait for the ball. That was it!!!!!! There was no way he was going to demand the ball. He's a rookie, and he's on the floor with Gay, or Cousins etc. He misses his first couple of shots, and he's back on the bench. If Gay or Cousins, or just about any veteran player misses his first couple of shots, its no big deal because they know more shots are coming.

So yeah, his shooting percentage wasn't what anyone wanted it to be. No, he didn't drive to the basket very much, and had mixed success when he did. He needs to get stronger, and he needs to not have a conscious. I'm not saying he'll be ready to be a solid backup next season, but I'am saying don't count him out. If the Kings go out and get a veteran SG, then I hope he's a starter and not a backup. And if they do, then one of either Stauskas or McLemore needs to be traded. I don't care which one. Both have some qualities that I like, so it's a toss up to me.

 

[Gilles]

Stauskas will be fine eventually. Maybe he will figure it out as quickly as Klay, who was a capable defender in his 3rd season already, maybe it will take longer like Redick. Best case at this point is likely selling some team on Nik's upside, but if Kings can acquire starters at SG and PF without using Sauce as a trade asset, they should keep and slowly develop him.