The Sacramento Kings didn’t necessarily show a major improvement in terms of their record when it comes to wins and losses, but anybody that has followed the team has been able to see the improvement made on the floor since George Karl took over as the team’s head coach.
Karl has done an excellent job pushing his team’s pace at both ends of the floor and the change in the team’s playing style combined with the work he has done with individual players has resulted in improved numbers across the board. While some coaches are bad for a player’s fantasy value because of their defensive-minded strategies, Karl is the opposite. He gives everyone’s fantasy value a boost (even Omri Casspi!).
With that in mind, here is a look at which three players have benefited the most in Sacramento since Karl arrived to take over.
Rudy Gay
No player has benefited more from Karl’s arrival than Gay, who has exploded for a ridiculous 24.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game with a 58.4% TS% since the Kings made the coaching change. The main reason for Gay’s increase in production has been the speed at which Sacramento has played the game as their quicker pace and style has really increased the number of open looks that Gay has enjoyed. That has resulted in an increase in his overall shooting percentages. Gay’s three-point percentage has gone from 34% before the All-Star break to 41% under Karl.
Meanwhile, his field goal percentage is up from 44% to 48%. Gay has long been a player that has sparked debate about his role as a primary star because of his consistently high shooting attempts and need to have the ball in his hands, but the Kings are confident in his abilities as an elite scorer and he has certainly thrived under Karl’s coaching since the change was made. Gay’s season was cut a little short because of a concussion but the way he finished the year will provide plenty of optimism in terms of his fantasy value looking forward to next season.
Ben McLemore
The former first-round pick has really struggled with consistency at the NBA level but he showed flashes of improvement under Karl. His numbers were the proof in the pudding as he had a strong finish to the season. McLemore averaged 17.6 points over his last five games of the year and he registered 7.0 assists in two of Sacramento’s final three games. Through the month of April, McLemore chipped in 16.2 points per game, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 1.5 assists, 1.9 threes and 2.3 free throws. That’s pretty good.
Karl will need McLemore to pay more attention to detail and really focus on his consistency moving forward. As the Kings starting shooting guard in an offense designed to push the pace and play at a really high tempo, McLemore needs to buy-in a little bit more but if he does, he could be a quality sleeper going into next season.
Derrick Williams
The increased playing time because of injuries combined with the changes made under Karl sparked a major improvement in Williams’ statistical numbers down the stretch as he averaged 17.3 points and 4.8 rebounds over the course of his final six regular season games. Those numbers are more than double his season averages, which sit at a final count of 8.3 points per game, 2.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.7 threes and 0.5 steals. Karl has gotten the most out of Williams as a versatile, big body that is capable of contributing at a high level at both ends of the floor. At 23-years-old, there is a good chance that Williams still hasn’t reached his peak potential. The Minnesota Timberwolves were quick to quit on him but if Karl can bring him along, the ceiling should still be high on Williams. With Gay, DeMarcus Cousins and even McLemore around to should the load, Williams should be able to develop pressure-free into a quality contributor.
