How Does Zach LaVine Fit On The Sacramento Kings?

How Does Zach LaVine Fit On The Sacramento Kings?

If Zack Lavine is a player that you that you’re going to put your your eggs into that basket and if he’s going to be a player that that continues to do what he did last season, which is he played 74 games, he shot 51.1% from the field and 44.6% from the three uh from three. He’s one of the most efficient scoring guards in the league. He averaged, you know, combined between the two stops 23.3 points per game. Mhm. Right. And we talked about this too, this weird uh like statistical anomaly. Um in 29 games, no, 42 games with the Bulls, he shot 51.1% from the field and he shot 44.6% from three. In 32 games with the Kings, he shot 51.1% from the field and 44.6% from three. He shot identical numbers. That’s crazy. Between the two stops. So, if he can be that player or even close to that player for the next four years, then yeah, he’s part of your core. I don’t I don’t want to see the Kings do something crazy like do the Jimmy Butler extension that the the Warriors did where you’re taking his $49 million salary, you’re adding 8% because at that point 8% of 49 million is a lot of money going up and then giving him another three years or something. And just on the on the Golden State thing, they’re trying to maximize the Steph Curry end of his career. Like it’s they’re in a different place than Sacramento is. No, totally. Totally. But you still have to decide if he’s going to be part of your core moving forward. I like again I don’t have a problem with him being you need a 23 point per game scorer who shoots 45% from three and 50% from the field. That’s excellent. Mhm. The problem is in order to have that player, you need to have a great defensive minded small forward and a very very good point guard that can play defense as well. Mhm. And that’s how you have to design the team around him. And as of right now, the Kings don’t have those pieces. So, it’s tough to to build around Zack Lavine and say he’s part of your core. I I agree like I I’ve said this about him a million times and everyone always fights me on it. I agree ex with Scott Perry with what he said. Zack Lavine’s been in the league 11 years. He’s got he’s had he’s had foot surgery and he’s had an ACL tear. Like so there are two major injury issues with him. But on top of that, it’s that he’s been to one playoff series. Yeah. And that’s not always an indictment on a single player that it’s it’s not fair because certain players just are never put in a situation. And it’s also, you know, crazy that we went through like a 13-year stretch in the NBA where either Steve Kerr or Robert Aie won an NBA championship, right? It’s crazy. So, so those things are h they happen. I’m not going to put it all on on Zack Lavine that he’s not a perennial, but when he’s been the focal point and his teams have been to one playoff series, that tells you a little at least like a little something. And the reason just with with with Zack Lavine, the the reason and I and I I kind of wonder if this is going to shift because the reason he was deemed untradable during and after the 23-24 season was because that year he played in 25 games. He shot 45.2% from the field and 34.9% from three. That was down from the year before where he did play 77 games, shot 48 1.5%, 37.5% from three. But the year before that, he was an all-star at 47.6%. 6% from the field, 38.9% from three. The year before that, he was an all-star at 50.7% from the field, 41.9% from three. So, what we were seeing was a decline in production, a decline in efficiency, while also he’s playing in 25 games. And this is a guy who at various points in his career struggled to play more than 60. Yeah. And so, it was just like, man, he’s 28, his numbers are going down, he’s not healthy. This is a bad contract. I do wonder if after last year where he plays in 74 games and was super efficient across two different stops, if now all of a sudden his contract with a couple years left becomes a little bit more enticing. Well, I certainly think that his contract if you get through this season, his contract will be easily movable the next year. I know 49 million 49 million is is crazy, but that’s what you’re exactly right. It’s a massive like expiring contract. So, a team could go away from two players. They could go away from like a big money player that they just or you know what they don’t if you get into like into a big deal for a big money player, right? And you’re going to say trade three or four first round picks for that player. Uh it’s easier to just have a bulk salary that goes and then is expiring. Mhm. Right. As opposed to having to nickel and dime your way to 50 a $50 million player. Yeah. But like to get back to what we we were talking about right before we went to the break or while we were on the break, my biggest concern is that again, you have so much money tied up in the in the shooting guard position right now. It’s a lot. Like Yeah. And it’s possible it is possible that maybe Zack Lavine becomes your small forward. He’s 66. I mean, you you I I know you look you give me that look, but like let’s be honest, is he a downgrade defensively from Demard Rosen? Absolutely not. No. So, so my point being that if you can slide him to the three, he’s the exact same height as Demard Rosen. He’s not built as big and you’re going to have some concerns, especially with with Demanis Sabonis being your center in that situation. But I like him better on the wing defending than I do up at the top of the key. Sure. So it’s just an easier position to to to defend from. Right. Um because you have the baseline, you have the out- of- bounds line, right? You have the sideline. Um so I would be okay with that. My concern is that the Kings can’t find a point guard to put next to him at all. Like if again if he’s your if he moves to small forward and now you have Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis in your starting lineup Mhm. and you go find a a point guard that makes sense. However you do that um now you got Malik Monk off the bench, you know, you’re starting to see like how you’re supporting Zack Lavine in the right way. Sure. And and it might be that he’s got to move to the small forward position to support him in the right way. My concern is that the Kings are going to get into this this situation that they did, you know, five years ago, eight years ago, 10 years ago, where it’s like they keep cycling through like mid point guards, like middle of the pack, you know, oh, we don’t really have enough money. Let’s use our $14 million uh mid-level exception to go out there and find a point guard and and kind of do like what they did with Darren Collison and Ty Lawson. And you’re just sitting there the whole time going they’re just space fillers. They’re they’re you know so now’s a bad time to say throw some money at Taius Jones. Yeah. Exactly. So Tus Jones is exactly the player that we’re talking about. And like if you have to bring in a Tus Jones but it’s for one year. Here’s the problem. Tus Jones still an effective player but go on. He’s an effective player and he’s effective enough that your team with the group that we just talked about, if you’re moving off of Demar Rosen to bring someone else in, but you’re still in the same group of players, you’re a, you know, let’s just say 38 to 48 win team. You’re never going to be able to fill that point guard position. You’re there’s not going to be a point where a point guard that’s good enough to upgrade is available and you’re just going to sit there and kind of be mid tread water. Yeah, you’re going to tread water. And and again, it’s not being disrespectful to Darren Collison, but when he’s in when he was on the Kings as their starting point guard, he’s between 20 and 30 and best point guards in the league, and that’s it’s not a good place to be in. No, it’s not not ideal for sure. Yeah. I kind of wonder with with Zack Lavine because you mentioned about building around him and I think if you’re going to have Zack Lavine on your roster then it’s it’s about it’s what we talked about with with Demon Sabonis like you got to you got to make sure you’re supplementing the roster the right way. Yeah. Because maybe the Zack Lavine Demon Sabonis two-man game is just awesome offensively and if you surround him with the right pieces all of a sudden you’ve got you’ve got a playoff team on your hands. I kind of wonder because this is another decision Scott Perry has to make. I don’t think you can you can halfass it one way or the other with Zack Lavine. I don’t think you can go into this where you go, okay, Zack Lavine’s just on again I I’m doing I’m going to operate as though Scott Perry still believes what he said about Zack Lavine on his podcast a couple years ago where Zack Lavine is at his best as a third option. not a winning player, especially as a one or two, he’s got to be a third option. So, let’s just go with that. If that’s what he still thinks about Zack Lavine, I don’t you you can’t you have him. And if you can’t move him, you can’t just be like, “Oh, well, I just don’t like him, so I’m going to just build around I’m going to build a separate team, and Zack Lavine is just kind of going to be on the roster.” Because that’s where you wind up with a weird team build. If they’re gonna have Zack Lavine and maybe Scott Perry doesn’t like Zack thinks he’s a third option, whatever. Tough. This is the hand you’re dealt and if you’re not able to move him, which maybe they will, but if you’re not able to move him, I think you have to go, okay, we’re committed to Zack Lavine being on the roster. Let’s do this the right way. I you can’t view that as a handcuff. Yeah, I’m I’m with you there. And the other thing is I mean first of all they had to have had a conversation before Scott Perry took the job about Zack Lavine specifically and Zack Lavine in general like right I agree. So about team building and all that stuff in general. And the question really does become like is Scott Perry does he have cart blanch to to fix this thing in his in his image or is he going to be stuck with some of the ideas that your owner has and some of the ideas because like look at the end of the day I think the biggest mistake that was made here um you know you fired Mike Brown that happened you know Mike Brown had like the the team had started started to spiral. I got it. I understand. Mhm. The biggest thing is that you allowed two people to make a decision on on trading your best player who you knew probably weren’t going to be there. Yeah. And you allowed that to happen. And now it’s, you know, again, Zack Lavine is a VC like player. He’s a VC player straight up. And so how does Scott Perry deal with that aspect of this? Mhm. And you can say, okay, well, maybe he holds out and okay, like I’ve got to deal with this for two years and then we have a $49 million, you know, break on the luxury on the on the salary cap. But even at that point, you have to look at your salary cap and how is it designed and will you have any money to spend in that off season. So that’s that’s the other if that’s how he’s viewing this. And again, Scott Perry’s not stupid. He didn’t get to the Kings and go, “Yo, I’m in.” And then go, “Wait, Zack Lavine is here. Wait, I didn’t know. Damn it.” like he’s not like that’s not how this went, right? Yeah. But if let’s go to the world where that’s how he views this where he goes, “Hey man, in a couple years we’re gonna have a $49 million uh salary slot open up.” If that’s the goal here is to wait out the Zack Lavine contract, a I don’t think this is the right hire. But B, if that’s what you’re doing, you have to then you’re I you’re tanking at that point. Winning now matters so much less than waiting out the Zack Lavine contract because if that’s what you’re doing and you’re going, “Yeah, hey, we’re going to have this $40 million opened up.” Then cool, start gaining assets. Yeah. start start tearing this thing down and figuring out what the future looks like after Zack Lavine if all you’re doing is waiting for the Zack Lavine contract to be over. Which is why I don’t think they’re going to do that. Yeah. Because that’s just a loser ass way to go and Scott Perry did not give off in his press conference that he intends to do that. And I don’t think Doug Christie wants to do that. No. No. And like look, I just can’t imagine they’re sitting there going, “Oh man, can’t can’t wait till Zack Lavine is gone.” like, “Brother, you got him. Figure out how to win now.” And and I’m going to keep pointing this out like the way Scott Perry described Zack Lavine is you if he’s your third best player, your third option, right? Mhm. If Zack Lavine is your third scoring option, I’ll make this and people can fight with me on this. If not, I I still think, you know, Demon Sabonis was a second option on a 48- win team. he can be a second option and a as an offensive hub with Zack Lavine being a number two scoring option as long as you have that other player that’s better and and again like it kind of comes down to like offensive options versus like best players, right? So I would make the argument that in crunch time who has the ball in their hands? Well, yeah, but that’s not how a game Okay, this is this is how I I I get your point there. In crunch time, who has a ball in their hands? It probably won’t be Zack Lavine because he hasn’t really proven that that’s who he is in crunch time. Sometimes he is, but he’s more of a hey, we’re down 12. I need you to go out there and score like 18 in the fourth um than he is, hey, we’re up six and I need you to sit there and keep that maintain that lead with high level, you know, efficient scoring down the stretch. I think like looking at the Kings this year, Keegan Murray’s the fifth option on the offense for most of the season. He’s not their fifth best player. He’s probably their third or fourth best player. And it’s because his defense means so much more. And that’s where like we get caught in the semantics of, you know, is is Lavine the second option or is he the the third option? It’s like if Zack Lavine is like your second or third leading scorer but your fourth or fifth best player, I actually think that’s okay because you just can’t get away from the fact that he can’t play defense. I agree with you. Yeah. But on the other hand, I don’t think it’s super easy to go find three or four players who are better than Zack Lavine. No, I I agree. And that’s and that’s where when you start talking about first, second, third option, I think that’s more what it’s about is, okay, Zack Lavine is clearly their their best scorer right now. And if if tie game uh 10 seconds left, he’s the guy you probably want taking the shot on this team. And I know that’s such a specific instance, but that’s kind of where where you know the the the hierarchy is separated. Um the the challenge then I guess is all right Zack Lavine’s here. You think he has to be the the third option. Let’s just say Domas is your second option now. You need to find a number one. Yeah. That’s not super easy. No. And so to me to me it’s okay. If you’re going to try and if it’s Zack Lavine, Demonos, Keegan Murray, it’s just I know we say this every time we talk about the Kings, just wings, wings, wings, dude. Start loading up defensively. See me see if you can muck up games that way and make it so Demon Sabonis is the offensive hub with Zack Lavine as your leading scoreer is a is a is an effective way to to piece together 50 wins. It’s gonna be tough. It’s gonna be really tough. Yeah, there’s no way to slice this where this is going to be easy for Scott Perry and the Kings. There’s no there’s no to me like one way to go about it. There’s not like a hey, you definitely have to do this, this, and this. Yeah. I mean, you can take a home run swing here. Sure. And be one of the worst offense, one of the worst defensive teams in in the history of the game because that’s what the home run swings, the point guards that may or may not be available. Sure. There are guys like John Morant. There are guys like Trey Young that do not play defense at all. And if you put them in a starting lineup alongside Zack Lavine, yeah, as a shooting guard, have a real problem. You’re going to have foul trouble every single Doas won’t even He already leads the league in fouls and it’s because of the same exact thing. It will not get easier for sure. All right.

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