The Sacramento Kings are forging ahead at an alarming pace. After a rough couple of weeks, Vlade Divac and his team have rejuvenated the Kings fan base with a series of shrewd moves that will hopefully improve the team’s win total. The message is clear, this train is moving forward, so you either get on board or get run over.
If the NBA world is shocked by what has happened, just think what the players must think. For veterans, they have seen change like this in the past. But for a young player like Ben McLemore, this all has to be a bit overwhelming.
As a rookie, McLemore was fighting for minutes against Marcus Thornton until the veteran was sent East in a February deal. As a second-year player, McLemore had to deal with the Kings drafting another young shooting guard for him to compete with, and there was the whole three-head coach thing.
Karl is the Kings coach moving forward and Nik Stauskas will don a Philadelphia 76ers uniform next. It appears that McLemore would have the opportunity to add to his consecutive games started streak, but there are no guarantees for any of the Kings players.
There are also no short cuts in the NBA. You must put in the work if you hope to succeed and that is exactly what the 22-year-old shooting guard has done. When the curtain lifted at Tuesday’s summer league mini-camp, it was a surprise to some that McLemore was on the floor working with a group of NBA hopefuls, but that is what he needs to do to get ahead.
According to a source with knowledge of the situation, McLemore has been working with the Kings coaching staff throughout the summer. After a lackluster rookie season, McLemore took advantage of the Kings coaching staff last year and the results were impressive. The former Kansas star finished the year averaging 12.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 82 starts, a huge improvement over his rookie season.
But McLemore’s improvement didn’t stop the Kings from chasing Monta Ellis and Wesley Matthews in free agency. And it didn’t stop them from inking Marco Belinelli to a three-year deal either.
The Kings are deeper than they have been in the past. McLemore isn’t guaranteed a starting job come late October, but working with the staff and showing a commitment to improvement may go a long way. He will compete with Belinelli and possibly even Darren Collison at the two guard position. There will be a dogfight for minutes.
McLemore has all the tools to succeed. If he can build off his sophomore season, he should be just fine. While Belinelli is a knockdown shooter and Collison brings playmaking ability, McLemore has the size and athleticism to be the best two-way player of the lot.
The competition is going to be fierce this season in Sacramento. If McLemore can master the art of defending and hit open 3-pointers, he should have no problem fending off the charging veterans for his starting position.
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