Fantasy Basketball Focus: Sacramento Kings Youth Movement
Fantasy Basketball Focus: Sacramento Kings Youth Movement
Looking at the fantasy basketball implications of the Sacramento Kings new youth movement.
Looking at the fantasy basketball implications of the Sacramento Kings new youth movement.
The words every Sacramento Kings fan not related to Zach Randolph wanted to hear, were finally said, yesterday, at the halfway mark of the season. The Kings are finally letting their kids play, and as somebody who's addicted to fantasy basketball, I can't be happier.
Does this mean the end of Joerger's rotating starting line-ups? I doubt it. We've already seen 15 different starting line-ups this season, and we'll be seeing more, with many including veteran players, but this means that most of them should be featuring 2 or more of their young core of De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Skal Labissière, and Willie Cauley-Stein. And that's a step in the right direction for a rebuilding team.
So what do we do with this news?
Depending on how shallow or deep your league is, it's time to start looking at Kings players to fill your streaming spots and to replace your low-upside players that tend to sit at the end of our rosters. By no means should you be dropping top-60 guys in the hope that one of these guys break out, but if you're still holding onto guys like Yogi Ferrell, Marcus Morris, and Jae Crowder, then go right ahead.
Let's look at the data
It's now time to look at the data by breaking down the averages of Sacramento's key young core based on their current average, the average from the games they've played this season with between 20-30 minutes, and 30-40 minutes of playing time, their rest of season fantasy basketball projections, and projections based on getting 32 minutes of playing time (a realistic best-case scenario).
Willie Cauley-Stein (PF/C)
One of the safest players to target is WCS. He has already started in 27 of their 40 games, and in the past month he has been putting up averages of 15.4 PTS, 7.9 REB, 2.3 AST, 1.5 STL, on 55% from the field. The downsides are his FT% (62.3% for the season), and lack of BLK for a big man (only 0.8 for the season).
| Breakdown |
GP |
MIN |
FG% |
FT% |
PTS |
3PM |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
| 2017/18 Projections |
|
26.5 |
0.52 |
0.64 |
12.1 |
0.0 |
6.6 |
2.1 |
1.0 |
0.9 |
1.4 |
| 2017/18 Season |
40 |
26.6 |
0.52 |
0.62 |
12.1 |
0.1 |
6.5 |
2.3 |
1.0 |
0.8 |
1.5 |
| Projections (PER/32) |
34 |
32.0 |
0.52 |
0.64 |
14.6 |
0.0 |
8.0 |
2.5 |
1.2 |
1.1 |
1.7 |
| 17/18 GP BW 20-30M |
24 |
25.8 |
0.50 |
0.60 |
10.8 |
0.0 |
6.1 |
2.1 |
1.1 |
0.9 |
1.4 |
| 17/18 GP BW 30-40M |
11 |
32.7 |
0.56 |
0.70 |
17.8 |
0.0 |
9.3 |
2.4 |
0.9 |
0.8 |
1.6 |
Buddy Hield (SG)
If Vivek had his way the Kings would be playing 4-on-5 defense and Buddy Hield would be playing 48 minutes, taking 100% of the Kings shots.
Thankfully, for Kings fans, this isn't the case.
Hield came to Sacramento with a fair amount of pressure, and it's fair to say that he's yet to live up to the hype. But very few young, streaky shooters do, and Hield is only useful if he can consistently hit his shot, so his position in the starting line-up is highly dependent on whether his shot is falling.
Hield has started in 11 games this season, with averages of 11.9 PTS, 1.8 3PM, and 0.8 STL in 25 minutes.
| Breakdown |
GP |
MIN |
FG% |
FT% |
PTS |
3PM |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
| 2017/18 Projections |
|
28.3 |
0.43 |
0.86 |
14.6 |
2.4 |
4.2 |
2.0 |
1.0 |
0.2 |
1.7 |
| 2017/18 Season |
41 |
24.0 |
0.44 |
0.89 |
12.4 |
2.0 |
3.5 |
1.7 |
0.9 |
0.1 |
1.5 |
| Projections (PER/32) |
38 |
32.0 |
0.43 |
0.86 |
16.5 |
2.7 |
4.7 |
2.3 |
1.1 |
0.2 |
1.9 |
| 17/18 GP BW 20-30M |
25 |
25.0 |
0.40 |
0.90 |
13.3 |
2.0 |
4.0 |
2.0 |
1.0 |
0.2 |
1.6 |
| 17/18 GP BW 30-40M |
6 |
32.4 |
0.45 |
0.75 |
17.3 |
3.0 |
5.0 |
2.7 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
1.3 |
Bogdan Bogdanovic (SG)
Bogdan is Vlade and Peja's boy, and they showed how much they believe in their fellow Serbian by offering him a 3 year, $36 million dollar contract before he even stepped on an NBA court.
He's also the other Kings player who's part of the youth movement that should see a big role moving forward, having already started 15 games this season, and playing 26.3 minutes a game. He had peak Nic Batum upside (except Bogdan can be more accurate from the field), and while he may not reach it this season, he's worth a stash in dynasty leagues.
| Breakdown |
GP |
MIN |
FG% |
FT% |
PTS |
3PM |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
| 2017/18 Projections |
|
30.0 |
0.47 |
0.80 |
12.9 |
1.6 |
3.3 |
3.4 |
1.1 |
0.3 |
1.9 |
| 2017/18 Season |
40 |
26.3 |
0.48 |
0.82 |
11.1 |
1.4 |
2.6 |
2.9 |
1.0 |
0.3 |
1.6 |
| Projections (PER/32) |
34 |
32.0 |
0.47 |
0.80 |
13.8 |
1.7 |
3.5 |
3.6 |
1.2 |
0.3 |
2.0 |
| 17/18 GP BW 20-30M |
25 |
25.1 |
0.50 |
0.80 |
10.4 |
1.0 |
2.3 |
2.5 |
1.0 |
0.3 |
1.6 |
| 17/18 GP BW 30-40M |
11 |
31.8 |
0.50 |
0.81 |
14.7 |
1.0 |
3.6 |
3.8 |
0.9 |
0.2 |
1.4 |
Skal Labissiere (PF/C)
Skal is the most vulnerable of the bunch, having spent some time this season in the G-League, starting, coming off the bench with limited playing time, and getting DNP-CD’s. This is reflected by his season average of only 17.3 minutes a game even though he had started in 16 games. But the upside is there, and I've personally taken a flyer on him in my 14 team league, as well as in my main dynasty league. This isn't to say that you should rush out to get him, though.
| Breakdown |
GP |
MIN |
FG% |
FT% |
PTS |
3PM |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
| 2017/18 Projections |
|
17.6 |
0.47 |
0.75 |
8.3 |
0.2 |
4.6 |
0.8 |
0.4 |
0.6 |
1.1 |
| 2017/18 Season |
38 |
17.3 |
0.46 |
0.75 |
7.7 |
0.2 |
4.3 |
0.7 |
0.4 |
0.6 |
1.0 |
| Projections (PER/32) |
31 |
32.0 |
0.47 |
0.75 |
15.1 |
0.4 |
8.4 |
1.5 |
0.7 |
1.1 |
2.0 |
| 17/18 GP BW 20-30M |
13 |
24.6 |
0.50 |
0.70 |
11.5 |
0.0 |
6.1 |
0.8 |
0.8 |
0.4 |
1.2 |
| 17/18 GP BW 30-40M |
1 |
32.8 |
0.56 |
1.00 |
12.0 |
0.0 |
10.0 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
5.0 |
De'Aaron Fox (PG)
I was ready to board the Fox hype train at the start of the season, but the Kings did one of the most Kings moves you can think of by signing George Hill (a win-now seasoned veteran), rather than letting Fox run the show. And while I can see why the Kings brought in a veteran PG, surely they could have signed one that didn't cost them $57 million over 3 years. But enough ranting, and on to the stats.
| Breakdown |
GP |
MIN |
FG% |
FT% |
PTS |
3PM |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
| 2017/18 Projections |
|
30.0 |
0.41 |
0.69 |
11.9 |
0.5 |
3.2 |
4.8 |
1.1 |
0.2 |
2.6 |
| 2017/18 Season |
36 |
26.4 |
0.41 |
0.69 |
10.3 |
0.5 |
2.7 |
4.3 |
1.0 |
0.2 |
2.4 |
| Projections (PER/32) |
34 |
32.0 |
0.41 |
0.69 |
12.7 |
0.5 |
3.4 |
5.1 |
1.2 |
0.2 |
2.8 |
| 17/18 GP BW 20-30M |
25 |
25.9 |
0.40 |
0.70 |
9.7 |
0.0 |
2.9 |
4.0 |
0.8 |
0.3 |
2.4 |
| 17/18 GP BW 30-40M |
8 |
33.1 |
0.42 |
0.77 |
15.4 |
1.0 |
2.6 |
5.9 |
1.8 |
0.1 |
2.9 |
The words every Sacramento Kings fan not related to Zach Randolph wanted to hear, were finally said, yesterday, at the halfway mark of the season. The Kings are finally letting their kids play, and as somebody who's addicted to fantasy basketball, I can't be happier.
Does this mean the end of Joerger's rotating starting line-ups? I doubt it. We've already seen 15 different starting line-ups this season, and we'll be seeing more, with many including veteran players, but this means that most of them should be featuring 2 or more of their young core of De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Skal Labissière, and Willie Cauley-Stein. And that's a step in the right direction for a rebuilding team.
So what do we do with this news?
Depending on how shallow or deep your league is, it's time to start looking at Kings players to fill your streaming spots and to replace your low-upside players that tend to sit at the end of our rosters. By no means should you be dropping top-60 guys in the hope that one of these guys break out, but if you're still holding onto guys like Yogi Ferrell, Marcus Morris, and Jae Crowder, then go right ahead.
Let's look at the data
It's now time to look at the data by breaking down the averages of Sacramento's key young core based on their current average, the average from the games they've played this season with between 20-30 minutes, and 30-40 minutes of playing time, their rest of season fantasy basketball projections, and projections based on getting 32 minutes of playing time (a realistic best-case scenario).
Willie Cauley-Stein (PF/C)
One of the safest players to target is WCS. He has already started in 27 of their 40 games, and in the past month he has been putting up averages of 15.4 PTS, 7.9 REB, 2.3 AST, 1.5 STL, on 55% from the field. The downsides are his FT% (62.3% for the season), and lack of BLK for a big man (only 0.8 for the season).
| Breakdown |
GP |
MIN |
FG% |
FT% |
PTS |
3PM |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
| 2017/18 Projections |
|
26.5 |
0.52 |
0.64 |
12.1 |
0.0 |
6.6 |
2.1 |
1.0 |
0.9 |
1.4 |
| 2017/18 Season |
40 |
26.6 |
0.52 |
0.62 |
12.1 |
0.1 |
6.5 |
2.3 |
1.0 |
0.8 |
1.5 |
| Projections (PER/32) |
34 |
32.0 |
0.52 |
0.64 |
14.6 |
0.0 |
8.0 |
2.5 |
1.2 |
1.1 |
1.7 |
| 17/18 GP BW 20-30M |
24 |
25.8 |
0.50 |
0.60 |
10.8 |
0.0 |
6.1 |
2.1 |
1.1 |
0.9 |
1.4 |
| 17/18 GP BW 30-40M |
11 |
32.7 |
0.56 |
0.70 |
17.8 |
0.0 |
9.3 |
2.4 |
0.9 |
0.8 |
1.6 |
Buddy Hield (SG)
If Vivek had his way the Kings would be playing 4-on-5 defense and Buddy Hield would be playing 48 minutes, taking 100% of the Kings shots.
Thankfully, for Kings fans, this isn't the case.
Hield came to Sacramento with a fair amount of pressure, and it's fair to say that he's yet to live up to the hype. But very few young, streaky shooters do, and Hield is only useful if he can consistently hit his shot, so his position in the starting line-up is highly dependent on whether his shot is falling.
Hield has started in 11 games this season, with averages of 11.9 PTS, 1.8 3PM, and 0.8 STL in 25 minutes.
| Breakdown |
GP |
MIN |
FG% |
FT% |
PTS |
3PM |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
| 2017/18 Projections |
|
28.3 |
0.43 |
0.86 |
14.6 |
2.4 |
4.2 |
2.0 |
1.0 |
0.2 |
1.7 |
| 2017/18 Season |
41 |
24.0 |
0.44 |
0.89 |
12.4 |
2.0 |
3.5 |
1.7 |
0.9 |
0.1 |
1.5 |
| Projections (PER/32) |
38 |
32.0 |
0.43 |
0.86 |
16.5 |
2.7 |
4.7 |
2.3 |
1.1 |
0.2 |
1.9 |
| 17/18 GP BW 20-30M |
25 |
25.0 |
0.40 |
0.90 |
13.3 |
2.0 |
4.0 |
2.0 |
1.0 |
0.2 |
1.6 |
| 17/18 GP BW 30-40M |
6 |
32.4 |
0.45 |
0.75 |
17.3 |
3.0 |
5.0 |
2.7 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
1.3 |
Bogdan Bogdanovic (SG)
Bogdan is Vlade and Peja's boy, and they showed how much they believe in their fellow Serbian by offering him a 3 year, $36 million dollar contract before he even stepped on an NBA court.
He's also the other Kings player who's part of the youth movement that should see a big role moving forward, having already started 15 games this season, and playing 26.3 minutes a game. He had peak Nic Batum upside (except Bogdan can be more accurate from the field), and while he may not reach it this season, he's worth a stash in dynasty leagues.
| Breakdown |
GP |
MIN |
FG% |
FT% |
PTS |
3PM |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
| 2017/18 Projections |
|
30.0 |
0.47 |
0.80 |
12.9 |
1.6 |
3.3 |
3.4 |
1.1 |
0.3 |
1.9 |
| 2017/18 Season |
40 |
26.3 |
0.48 |
0.82 |
11.1 |
1.4 |
2.6 |
2.9 |
1.0 |
0.3 |
1.6 |
| Projections (PER/32) |
34 |
32.0 |
0.47 |
0.80 |
13.8 |
1.7 |
3.5 |
3.6 |
1.2 |
0.3 |
2.0 |
| 17/18 GP BW 20-30M |
25 |
25.1 |
0.50 |
0.80 |
10.4 |
1.0 |
2.3 |
2.5 |
1.0 |
0.3 |
1.6 |
| 17/18 GP BW 30-40M |
11 |
31.8 |
0.50 |
0.81 |
14.7 |
1.0 |
3.6 |
3.8 |
0.9 |
0.2 |
1.4 |
Skal Labissiere (PF/C)
Skal is the most vulnerable of the bunch, having spent some time this season in the G-League, starting, coming off the bench with limited playing time, and getting DNP-CD’s. This is reflected by his season average of only 17.3 minutes a game even though he had started in 16 games. But the upside is there, and I've personally taken a flyer on him in my 14 team league, as well as in my main dynasty league. This isn't to say that you should rush out to get him, though.
| Breakdown |
GP |
MIN |
FG% |
FT% |
PTS |
3PM |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
| 2017/18 Projections |
|
17.6 |
0.47 |
0.75 |
8.3 |
0.2 |
4.6 |
0.8 |
0.4 |
0.6 |
1.1 |
| 2017/18 Season |
38 |
17.3 |
0.46 |
0.75 |
7.7 |
0.2 |
4.3 |
0.7 |
0.4 |
0.6 |
1.0 |
| Projections (PER/32) |
31 |
32.0 |
0.47 |
0.75 |
15.1 |
0.4 |
8.4 |
1.5 |
0.7 |
1.1 |
2.0 |
| 17/18 GP BW 20-30M |
13 |
24.6 |
0.50 |
0.70 |
11.5 |
0.0 |
6.1 |
0.8 |
0.8 |
0.4 |
1.2 |
| 17/18 GP BW 30-40M |
1 |
32.8 |
0.56 |
1.00 |
12.0 |
0.0 |
10.0 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
5.0 |
De'Aaron Fox (PG)
I was ready to board the Fox hype train at the start of the season, but the Kings did one of the most Kings moves you can think of by signing George Hill (a win-now seasoned veteran), rather than letting Fox run the show. And while I can see why the Kings brought in a veteran PG, surely they could have signed one that didn't cost them $57 million over 3 years. But enough ranting, and on to the stats.
| Breakdown |
GP |
MIN |
FG% |
FT% |
PTS |
3PM |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
| 2017/18 Projections |
|
30.0 |
0.41 |
0.69 |
11.9 |
0.5 |
3.2 |
4.8 |
1.1 |
0.2 |
2.6 |
| 2017/18 Season |
36 |
26.4 |
0.41 |
0.69 |
10.3 |
0.5 |
2.7 |
4.3 |
1.0 |
0.2 |
2.4 |
| Projections (PER/32) |
34 |
32.0 |
0.41 |
0.69 |
12.7 |
0.5 |
3.4 |
5.1 |
1.2 |
0.2 |
2.8 |
| 17/18 GP BW 20-30M |
25 |
25.9 |
0.40 |
0.70 |
9.7 |
0.0 |
2.9 |
4.0 |
0.8 |
0.3 |
2.4 |
| 17/18 GP BW 30-40M |
8 |
33.1 |
0.42 |
0.77 |
15.4 |
1.0 |
2.6 |
5.9 |
1.8 |
0.1 |
2.9 |