Nik Stauskas looked every bit the role of a rookie. An elite scorer and playmaker at the University of Michigan, the eighth overall pick in the draft failed to live up to expectations in his first NBA season.
Barely anything went right for Stauskas. In 15.4 minutes a game over 73 appearances, the 21-year-old shooting guard reached double-digit points only nine times, and never consecutively. Opponents attacked Stauskas’ defense with regularity, and at times he looked completely overwhelmed on both ends of the court.
The Canadian and longtime NBA fan kept his composure throughout the year, but it was clear he was disappointed in his own performance. Luckily for the Kings, head coach George Karl’s addition at the All-Star break helped Stauskas build some momentum heading into the offseason.
Stauskas is under contract next season for $2.9 million, and the Kings hold the option to own his rookie scale contract for another two seasons at $3 million and $3.8 million.
Strengths
Stauskas’ highly touted jumper came to life in the second half. Converting only 28.8 percent of his jump shots before the All-Star break, the gunner played his last 30 games with a 40.4 percent success rate.
His bounce-back could be attributed to an improvement in knocking down open looks. Over half of Stauskas’ field goals attempts qualified as open looks this season, and while the rookie connected on roughly 38 percent through mid-February, he made about 52 percent the rest of the way.
Fortunately, Stauskas’ inconsistency from the floor didn’t affect his aim at the stripe. He made 85.9 percent of his free throws this year, besting his 83.2 percent rate in college.
Stauskas didn’t come close to matching his 44.1 percent 3-point aim at Michigan, but his reputation kept opposing defenses somewhat honest. When they didn’t, DeMarcus Cousins found his teammates. Cousins led all Kings with 12 assists to Stauskas.
When Karl turned him loose, Stauskas displayed some of the driving and dishing skills which made him so lethal in the past. The rookie limited his turnovers to 1.3 per 36 minutes, showing uncanny responsibility for a youngster.
In what was perhaps the biggest surprise, Stauskas held opponents to 1.7 percent below their normal average at 3-pointers this season. His defense inside the arc was another story.
Weaknesses
What was supposed to be a strength could hardly pull its weight. Stauskas’ worst slump of his life lasted from preseason to the All-Star break, when he shot 32.8 percent from the floor and 26.1 percent from downtown in 50 appearances.
To be fair, the Kings and ex-coaches Michael Malone and Tyrone Corbin used Stauskas strictly as a spot-up shooter, a role he was never accustomed to before turning pro. Camping behind the arc and praying for kick-outs made it harder for Stauskas to develop a rhythm as opposed to handling the ball.
When the two-guard did dribble, results were underwhelming. Stauskas looked to attack the paint, but over the season 26.3 percent of his layup attempts were blocked. Standing 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds, he had four total dunks. Stauskas was prone to taking poor shots off-balance as well, which dragged down his field goal accuracy.
Despite his size, the wing produced a 4.4 rebounding percentage, a worse number than the oft-criticized Ben McLemore’s. Stauskas’ reputation as a playmaker couldn’t change the fact he recorded 2.1 assists per 36 minutes on the season, only 0.2 better than McLemore’s.
Defense, which was never Stauskas’ forte, limited his opportunities to face his opponents starting shooting guards. He struggled fighting through screens and was left for dead by faster slashers. Opponents shot 10.9 percent better within 10 feet of the hoop when Stauskas was assigned to guard them.
2015-16 Projection
Stauskas made a poor first impression, but the Kings will likely grant him a second interview barring a trade. He admitted at season’s end that his main priorities for the summer were adding muscle and regaining confidence, so the blueprint is clear. By dedicating himself to the weight room and cleansing his soul, Stauskas should enter next year significantly more prepared. Another ugly start to the season and Sacramento will consider cutting its losses on their lottery gamble.
Shooting guard is arguably the Kings’ biggest positional weakness, so the team likely brings in veteran competition next season. Whether or not reinforcements show, McLemore’s effectiveness as the starting two will play a hand in Stauskas’ minutes. Nonetheless, Stauskas’ ultimately controls his destiny with his ability to shoot from the perimeter on a club desperate for floor spreaders.
Cowbell Kingdom would like your opinion. How do you grade Nik Stauskas’ season?
[poll id=”73″]This is part five of our continuing “Season in Review” series. Below are links to the first four articles.
Statistical data complied from NBA.com and Basketball-reference.com.
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