It’s late Saturday night and the Kings just got done beating the Pacers for the second time this season. Pleased but fatigued, I head to bed and open Bleacher Report so it can serenade me to sleep.
On a typical evening, I scroll through the various articles, rarely stopping to actually open any. This night however, something catches my eye. Perhaps it’s just click-bait, but its trade season, and this fish is hungry. I bite.
The article is done by Zach Buckley, and it’s called “Most Coveted NBA Players on Trade Block.” As the title suggests, it ranks the top ten players who could potentially be traded this season.
Rudy Gay makes a predictable appearance at number seven, but what really caught my attention was when I got into the top five. In this order, it lists Greg Monroe, Thaddeus Young, Dwight Howard, Hassan Whiteside, and Nerlens Noel.
Recognize a pattern? Four of the five are centers. In fact, there is only one guard (Brandon Jennings) and one wing player (Gay) on the list of ten. It is inundated with big men, and primarily centers.
Small ball has had a major effect on how the NBA front offices operate. The advantages of it are the first thing that comes to mind. However, it also puts into question the value of the center position in today’s NBA.
For many centers around the league, it’s dwindling. Even for the centers that are playing well, their teams are struggling to keep them on the court. The aforementioned Whiteside and Monroe are third and fourth respectably in player efficiency ratings amongst centers (ESPN.com).
The Cavaliers posses a two and a half game lead atop the Eastern Conference. However, they just fired their coach and reports have them wanting to move on from incumbent center, Tomofey Mosgov.
The Spurs operate with two bigs, but both Tim Duncan and LaMarcus Aldridge are more power forwards than centers.
As for the NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors, they’re the ones that started this whole movement. They have Andrew Bogut at center, but he only plays 20 minutes per game. For Bogut, it’s a minute reduction of almost four minutes from last season. For centers around the league, it’s a rapid role reduction.
There is however, one team that seems to be finding success going against the grain: the Sacramento Kings.
DeMarcus Cousins is undoubtedly having an MVP-caliber season. His 26.7 points per game is third highest in the league. His player efficiency rating is ninth amongst all players and first amongst centers. Finally, his 11.4 rebounds are fourth highest in the league.
Cousins has carried this Kings team to what is now in a playoff position. He has simply been unstoppable down low. His 48 points against the Pacers on Saturday night was a career-high for him.
When looking at his usage rate, the weight that Cousins bares is astounding. At 33.1 percent, only the Thunder’s Russell Westbrook has a higher rate in the league. It is here however, that the delineation between the Kings and the rest of the league occurs.
For centers who average 20 minutes or more, the next highest center in usage rate is Brook Lopez at 25.2 percent. The Nets however, have the third worst record in the NBA. Next highest on the list is Philadelphia’s Jahlil Okafor. The 76ers are worse off than even the Nets though as they’re currently the worst team in the NBA at 6-38.
The narrative is different in Sacramento, and it doesn’t just end with Cousins. The Kings surprised many this past summer when they passed on point guard, Emmanuel Mudiay in favor of yet another center – Willie Cauley-Stein.
After dislocating his finger on December 3rd against the Celtics in Mexico City, Cauley-Stein missed the following 12 games. He would then play in just two games before injuring his finger again. After sitting out another two games, he returned for good on January 9th against the Warriors.
Since his return, the Kings have gone 5-2. Through those games, the rookie big man has averaged 7.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and put together two double-doubles. His presence however, is being most felt on the defensive end.
“I give credit to Willie, he’s came in and as a rookie has changed the whole identity of our team,” Cousins said about Cauley-Stein. “That’s huge, especially for a rookie. It just shows his impact on this team. He does so many things for us that doesn’t show up on paper.”
The Kings this season have been tumultuous on the defensive end. Since Cauley-Stein’s return however, the Kings have held their opponents to 102.7 points per game, whereas their season average is a league-worst 107.2. If they were to keep up that 102.7 points allowed, it would put them just behind the Golden State Warriors who give up 102.6 per contest (ESPN.com).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-s255z9YLM&feature=youtu.be
(Video Credit: NBA.com)
Cauley-Stein is doing more than just putting up big numbers — he is putting them up in an efficient way that is helping the team as a whole.
Through his first seven games back from injury, he averages a +7 +/- rating. Through his rookie season, which so far is only 29 games, he is posting a 15.95 player efficiency rating in 19 minutes of game time.
Remember the Kings’ interest in Mudiay? He has a player efficiency rating of just 7.36 and commits a league-worst 6.1 turnovers per 48 minutes for players who average more than 19 minutes per game. It’s safe to say that both Sacramento and Cauley-Stein like the way things shook out.
When most NBA teams and front offices seem to be buying into the small-ball philosophy, the Kings are finding success going against the grain. With both of their centers being 25 years old or younger, the near and distant future is looking bright — and big in Sacramento.
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