By the All-Star break, the Sacramento Kings needed a blowtorch to thaw Nik Stauskas. The rookie two-guard was scoring a measly 3.4 points per game on 32.8 percent shooting from the floor and 26.1 percent from behind the arc in 50 appearances. His defense was a liability, and whispers already swirled that the lottery pick was a bust.
Thankfully for Stauskas, the Kings hired head coach George Karl, who had his sights set on reenergizing the youngster’s career.
“We got to give Nik some minutes.” Karl told the media at his first practice. “I think he’s got to get on the court to get some confidence in his game, and give him some shots, try to find him a rhythm. He’s got this rookie mental block.”
At first, Karl shunned his own advice. Stauskas sat out four of the coach’s first five games, only logging 14 minutes in a blowout loss to the Clippers.
Staukas apparently needed to defrost, because he unexpectedly played 26 minutes against the Knicks and scored 15 points on 50 percent shooting. The very next night, Stauskas hit 3-of-6 field goals versus the Spurs.
In the Kings’ last nine games, Stauskas has made seven appearances averaging 7.4 points on 46.2 percent shooting and 43.8 percent from downtown. Featured exclusively as a set shooter for most of the season, the rookie has started to handle and drive the ball more, finding looks for himself and others.
“I just feel like ever since coach Karl came in, his style of play really fits my game a lot more,” Stauskas told Cowbell Kingdom on Tuesday. “It kind of fits more like the way I was playing in Michigan, and obviously I’m still learning a lot out there, but I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable. Just playing my game out there and I have a lot more freedom to do what I’m good at doing.”
On defense, work remains for Stauskas, but Karl can trust him enough to guard starters, albeit for short stretches. The 6-foot-6, 205-pounder has improved his footwork and shown a willingness to tussle in the paint. Since the Knicks game, Stauskas has held opponents to 1.4 percent below their season average when shooting outside 15 feet.
“Just watching film with the coaches and really listening to them,” Stauskas credited for his defensive improvement. “At this point, our offense a lot of times has been pretty good and our coaches keep stressing how important defense is going to be, to have a foundation of good defense for our team. I’m just trying to come in there and give him reasons to keep me on the floor, and if I’m playing good defense, I feel that’s a pretty good reason.”
As a rookie, Stauskas has had much to learn. From pregame workouts to the playbook, the 21-year-old has been forced to revamp his routines. One of which, we all should.
“(I) try to catch up on sleep, that’s the most important part,” Stauskas realized on the Kings’ last road trip. “Because a lot of times we’re getting into a city at three or four in the morning and there’s time changes and whatnot, so really catching up on rest is the thing that I learned, to make sure you’re maintaining your performance.”
With 16 games left on the schedule, Stauskas will have to balance finding time for rest and continuing his momentum. He is slowly coming out of his shell and showing glimpses of the player that made him the eighth overall pick last summer.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
