Lamar Patterson is not who you would refer to as a household name for a lot of NBA fans, but don’t let that fool you.
The Sacramento Kings claimed the former Pittsburgh Panther on waivers last week after showing some promise in his rookie campaign with the Atlanta Hawks last season. In his 35 games, he averaged 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in a supporting role of 11.3 minutes per contest.
After being originally selected 48th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, he was dealt to the Hawks but played overseas in Turkey during the 2014-15 campaign.
Patterson was signed by Atlanta prior to last season after an impressive showing at the 2015 Las Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 13.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.
Now, the 24-year-old begins a new chapter in his professional career by becoming a member of a Kings roster that is starting to look drastically different from last season.
The Pittsburgh product stands at 6-feet-5-inches tall, which allows him to float between the small forward and shooting guard positions. Patterson is a versatile offensive player who can create his own shot off of the dribble and also spot up for 3-pointers.
In these five possessions, we can clearly see that Patterson has a quick first step and a hesitation dribble that creates separation. But it doesn’t end there, many players can get by their man and take it to the cup, but Patterson finishes very well in traffic reminding me of a younger Tyreke Evans. You can’t teach that. You either have it, or you don’t.
While he has shown that he is capable of knocking down jumpers, Patterson did struggle in his rookie campaign to do so efficiently, shooting just 25 percent from mid-range and 24.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Another positive worth noting is Patterson’s passing ability and willingness to set up teammates, which reinforces his potential to thrive in many different kinds of offensive systems. This was something that was more prominently displayed in the NBA as his role diminished going from playing in the NBA D-League to playing with the Hawks.
“I like making that pass, I pride myself on being a playmaker,” said a confident Patterson.
While Patterson does not appear poised to be immediately in line to receive big minutes on the Kings, he does provide a solid amount of depth and youth at two different positions.
Looking at Sacramento’s current roster, however, there is some work for Patterson to do if he wants to climb his way up the depth chart to get ahead of more seasoned talent at his position.
Even if the 24-year-old from Lancaster, PA does not see the court much this season, he will certainly be an interesting player to watch develop as his upside is definitely apparent.
//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js
//
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
