Sacramento Kings Need More Secondary Scoring

The Sacramento Kings are currently clawing and scratching to keep their heads above water while they wait for the return of star center DeMarcus Cousins, who has been diagnosed with viral meningitis. While the injury/illness is certainly serious, the Kings expect Cousins to make a full recovery, but said that he will be out of uniform for at least one more week.

In Cousins’ absence, the Kings must get more secondary scoring in order to weather the storm.

Cousins has averaged 23.5 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, which the Kings must make up for by committee. Reggie Evans is an excellent rebounder and can make up for the rebounds lost without Cousins in the lineup, but other players need to step up on the offensive end. Bench players like Derrick Williams, Omri Casspi and rookie Nik Stauskas must produce offense when they enter the game.

Sacramento got a career night out of the rookie Stauskas in their last win vs. the Utah Jazz. Stauskas had a career-high 15 points and added eight rebounds, something that has to continue without Cousins. The Kings tallied 34 bench points against Utah and climbed back over .500 with the win. At 11-10, the Kings will have some huge games ahead. Every win that Sacramento can get without Cousins is extremely important to their playoff hopes down the road.

Cousins has already been ruled out at least one more week, but it looks like it could be closer to two weeks before he’s ready to endure a real game. If Cousins returns in a week in a half, that still means he’s missing the next five games and the Kings need to do everything they can to have a winning record in that span. The only way they can win games without him is to get more secondary scoring.

Sacramento has played with much more chemistry this season, and that bodes well for them without their best player, but they need to do more than play with chemistry to win without Cousins. Rudy Gay continues to have a great season and has obviously been the go-to guy without Cousins, but it can’t just be Gay scoring the ball.

Sophomore Ben McLemore is the primary starter who needs to be more efficient scoring without Cousins. McLemore has a great jump shot and has had some very good offensive games, but consistency has been a problem. McLemore has a mere eight points in the last two games and has only attempted eight shots. He needs to score more as the best secondary scoring option to Gay.

It’s also very important that point guard Darren Collison distributes the ball well and creates open looks for sharpshooters like McLemore and Stauskas. Collison has been a great addition to the Kings this year and has averaged 6.3 assists per game.

This situation is definitely disheartening for the Kings, who showed such promise and excitement in the first month of the season. That said, there can always be a silver lining found. Cousins’ absence gives the Kings a chance to grow and mature as a team.