The Sacramento Kings have officially reached the halfway point of the incredibly unique 2020-2021 season, and the crew here at The Kings Herald has gotten together (with just two fistfights, both between TJ and Greg, one yogurt pie argument, between Tim and everyone, and one disagreement regarding the origin of pizza, between Akis and Tony and everyone else) to submit grades for each remaining member of the team. We’ll kick today’s session off with the guards, Tuesday will look at the forwards, and Wednesday will observe the centers, and we’ll throw the coaching staff in there as well, just for funsies. Let’s jump right in!
De’Aaron Fox
Tim: B+
I think the best way to sum up De’Aaron Fox’s season this year is that he’s reached higher ceilings than ever before, but he also hasn’t reached the guy status yet. Thankfully, his three-point shooting has vastly improved from last season, jumping from 29.2% to 35.4%, while also increasing by 1.7 attempts per game, but De’Aaron’s free throw shooting has turned in the other direction. He’s now shooting a career-low 67% from the charity stripe, and while I’m not as concerned if he never gets above around 75%, his current percentage is far too low for someone who wants to one day make the All-Star team. He’s shown himself to be a still-improving player who also still possesses many critical gaps in his game.
Brenden: A-
Coming into the season, I questioned if De’Aaron Fox could ever be the number one guy of a high-caliber offense. The obvious improvement that has made me rethink that question comes from his three-point shooting and jumper in general, his comfort in that shot has drastically improved to the point where he has three games with 10+ attempts from deep. Fox is converting 68 percent of his attempts around the basket, per Cleaning The Glass, which places him in the 95th percentile of point guards. His handle, dribble package, and footwork also feels notably improved to me. Plus, some of the individual game performances from him have been true superstar caliber – 43p/13a/4r/4stl, 38p/12a/4r, 34p/10a/6r, 32p/12a/8r. The free throw shooting will need to improve, no question, but what it comes down to for me is that my opinion on the ceiling of De’Aaron Fox has impressively improved and that is crucial.
Tony: A-
De’Aaron Fox has had stretches this season where he’s looked like an A or A+ with a few too frequent stretches where he looked closer to a B or B+, so I’m going to split the difference here and give him an A-. Fox has shown the ability to take over games, particularly in the 4th quarter, but we’re still not seeing it happen enough for me. I believe in De’Aaron Fox. I think he is going to be a fringe All-Star threat for many many years, but he won’t break through until the Kings start winning some basketball games, and the quickest way for the Kings to do that is having their best player play like their best player every single night. It’s been a very good year for De’Aaron Fox, but I don’t believe we’ve seen the peak yet.
Bryant: B+
When your star is the engine of an up-and-down team, you gotta expect ups and downs. The positives are very high – I was never more sure of Fox’s ability to lead a good team than I was in that big winning streak earlier in the season – but once the Kings crashed back to reality, you could tell that Fox was either hampered by injury, the wear-and-tear of the season, or just disheartened by the realization that the team wasn’t good enough. He is not a dude who can – either by skill or by mentality – drag a bad team to total respectability. That all said, I’m optimistic that as this team improves, he can be a perennial All Star for years to come.
Greg: A-
De’Aaron Fox has taken a leap to a new level. He casually drops 20+ points most nights, and has nights when he’s giving the Kings 30+. He can take over the fourth quarter in a way that very few NBA players can. I’d grade him even higher, but I still want to see more consistency. Fox still disappears sometimes in games, and will sometimes (though not often) be quiet for an entire game. I’m thrilled with Fox’s progress, but want to see it every night and for the entire time he’s on the floor.
Buddy Hield
Tim: C-
I have enjoyed very few aspects of Buddy Hield’s season. Yes, he’s gotten slightly better at on-man defense, and I guess we can pretend he’s passing more and at a higher level, but his offensive game has taken a serious downward turn, while his other skills just simply aren’t all that effective. He’s paid to shoot and score, and he’s not doing either one particularly well. I know everyone out there is begging for a table in a concept as simple as player grades, so here you go!
| Category | 18-19 | 19-20 | 20-21 |
| Points* | 23.3 | 22.5 | 17 |
| Assists* | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.3 |
| Rebounds* | 5.7 | 5.3 | 4.7 |
| FTA* | 2.7 | 2.2 | 1.8 |
| 3PA | 9 | 11.2 | 10.6 |
| 3P% | 42.7% | 39.4% | 37.8% |
| 2P% | 48.7% | 47.9% | 42.3% |
| FG% | 45.8% | 42.9% | 39.1% |
| TS% | 58.7% | 56.6% | 55.1% |
| PER | 17.5 | 16 | 11.3 |
| OBPM | 3.5 | 2.5 | -0.2 |
| VORP | 2.7 | 1.7 | -0.1 |
*per 36 minutes
Oh, and to round out Hield’s awful season, he ranks second-worst in the NBA in average defensive field goal percentage differential and average three-point field goal percentage differential. His opponents jump from a pedestrian 37.4% from deep to a Steph Curry-esque 44.4% if Hield is defending them. When the Kings handed Buddy a deal worth almost $90 million, they were hoping he would continue to develop as a multi-level contributor. Sadly, he has yet to live up to that hype 30-plus games into his massive contract. I’m unimpressed, to say the least.
Brenden: D+
Buddy Hield has been MIA for most of this season. It’s weird to not even feel one of the best shooters in the league when he is on the floor. Until very recently, there were no games where it felt like Buddy Hield was a true difference maker on the offensive end of the floor. Him shooting only 39.1 percent from the field is a product of him being a one dimensional offensive player that strongly prefers to shoot jump shots. Opposing teams just run him off the line and he does not have the handle to attack the rim or touch to finish at even an average clip when he does get there.
As for the defense, Buddy Hield remains one of the worst defenders on the worst defense of all time. If you are looking for where the defensive breakdown lies on most possessions, it usually begins with Marvin Bagley or Hield. His offensive contributions need to be extreme to make up for his defensive shortcomings and that has been far from the case this season.
Tony: C-
Buddy Hield has not been a C- level NBA player, but he’s turned in a C- level Buddy Hield season thus far. Hield is making $24,431,818 million before incentives to play basketball for the Sacramento Kings this season, and he just hasn’t been the player Vlade Divac signed to a huge $94 million contract back in October 2019. His 3-point volume is still impressive despite shooting a career-low .378 from beyond-the-arc, and while I do believe he’s cut down on mistakes in some areas (less turnovers, more assists than 2019-20) you’re playing Buddy for his elite 3-point shooting and overall scoring, and he hasn’t been that guy this year. He’s 3rd on the Kings in PPG behind Fox and Harrison Barnes at 16.4, and for a big money scorer in the middle of his prime years, that’s just not good enough.
Bryant: C-
Buddy Hield has been invisible for large stretches of the season, something that I’d have thought impossible just a season or two ago when he was the team’s leading scorer. He’s always been a streaky shooter, but he’s been near arctic-frozen for the first half of the year. He’s made some leaps in impacting the game outside of scoring – as someone who never wanted Walton to try and force him to initiate the offense ever again, I’ve been impressed with his passing growth and he’s putting up career numbers in assists and assist/turnover ratio. But he’s still a bad team defender, even if his effort level on that end has been more consistent. I think he likely has more trade value than we expect – some team will see his numbers and think boy, my smart coach can get more out of him than that – but the fact that we’re all constantly talking about his trade value says enough.
Greg: B
I know Buddy Hield has flaws, but I feel like the hate goes too far. Buddy is a streaky shooter but his hot streaks are still dazzling to watch. He still makes dumb mistakes, but he’s making fewer than in previous years. He’s still an atrocious off-ball defender, but his on-ball defense has been much better this year. His handling and passing are light years better than when he arrived in Sacramento. I wish Buddy’s shooting was more consistent, but I think he’s been better than we tend to give him credit for.
Cory Joseph
Tim: D-
Cory Joseph has been the worst Kings player on the court, and it hasn’t been particularly close. The only thing that saved him from a straight F is the fact that multiple players have spoken up about his veteran leadership and willingness to teach guys while on the court and on the bench. That legitimately means things for a rebuilding/resetting/gap year team like the Kings.
All of that being said, Joseph’s ability to take players under his wing still doesn’t justify his lack of on-court production. In an incredible bout of ineffectiveness, Cory leads all rotational players in negative differential in offensive rating (the team scores 4.1 fewer points per 100 possessions with Joseph on the floor) and is the second-worst in defensive rating, as the team allows 4.8 more points per 100 possessions with Joseph on the floor. He’s bad on offense. He’s even worse on defense. He’s good for the tank, though.
Brenden: F
While Buddy Hield has been MIA, Cory Joseph has definitely been felt out there far too often. For a player with a defensive reputation, he struggles to contain most NBA guards, is making proper rotations less and less often, and remains frustrating to watch on offense. Personally, I am tired of watching Joseph dribble the air out of the ball for 10 seconds, circling around the underside of the basket while Tyrese Haliburton watches. An F grade may be harsh, but I am unsure where Cory Joseph has made a positive impact on the floor this season.
Tony: D-
Cory Joseph has been a frustrating watch this season to say the least, but I don’t think he is the only one to blame here. There have been stretches throughout Joseph’s Kings tenure where he looks OK, and that’s usually when he’s playing with De’Aaron Fox and/or all offensive responsibility is taken out of his hands. But this Cory Joseph, the one we’ve seen for the majority of the season, is doing way too much dribbling and just doesn’t have the creativity or one-on-one scoring ability to justify it. This is an area where I think some Luke Walton criticism is fair. Joseph shouldn’t have the ball in his hands if Tyrese Haliburton is going to remain with the second unit. The Kings have been slowly trending in this direction already with Hali shouldering more creation duties, but it needs to happen for nearly every minute Joseph is on the court. If he’s going to play, make him defend and try and work on some off ball scoring. Do not ask him to dribble the ball and create offense anymore. Please.
Maybe there is another basketball universe where Joseph can be a serviceable role player on a playoff team, but this role on this Kings team isn’t working.
Bryant: D-
There’s no reason to dive into Cory’s season any more than my fellow writers already have – just as there’s no reason for Cory to get 20 MPG this season. He’s clearly a respected voice in the locker room and a big teacher for Tyrese, but his minutes should be going to DaQuan Jeffries. I’d love him as a coach, but not as a mainstay in the rotation.
Greg: F
I’ve heard that CoJo is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, and that he’s an amazing teammate and veteran presence. I also understand that he’s being asked to do too much in the second unit. But none of that changes that I cringe ever time he checks into a game. The defense that he’s known for has disappeared, and the offense is reminiscent of John Salmons’ love for overdribbling.
Tyrese Haliburton
Tim: A+ and then some.
I don’t really need to go incredibly in-depth into this grade. We were all excited to get Tyrese Haliburton. Hell, I had him 4th on my big board going into the draft. I wanted to trade Buddy Hield to Atlanta to swap #6 and #12 to snag him. Everyone loved the kid. And we all had no idea how freaking good he was going to be. His jumper was supposed to be one of the more questionable parts of his game AND HE’S 9TH IN THE NBA IN THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE AND TAKING 5.5 PER GAME. This kid is the real deal. He’s got multiple All-Start appearances in front of him, and then some.
Brenden: A+
If anyone does not give Tyrese Haliburton an A+ then we are going to have a problem. On draft night, the entire fanbase was rightly ecstatic that he fell to pick 12, but nobody could have seen this level of shot variance and making coming from the rookie out the gate. I never understood anyone questioning his jump shot because the numbers at Iowa State were undeniable, but 43.3 percent from deep on 5.5 attempts is absurd. There are a few notable players on Sacramento’s roster that have varying effort levels on the defensive side of the ball, but there is never any variance from Haliburton. High-IQ and energy in all aspects makes for awesome basketball on a nightly basis, and the low-ceiling idea of Haliburton clearly needs to be reconsidered.
Tony: A+
Tyrese Haliburton is why I’m still watching the Kings this season. Well, Hali and this website. My point is, Haliburton has been the one enjoyable aspect of the season with zero caveats. His defensive instincts are tremendous. His positional and role versatility allows him to play with anyone under any circumstances. His 4th quarter heroics are so promising. He is such an easy player to slot in anywhere, and with so much uncertainty surrounding the franchise and the players here, Haliburton has made me fairly confident that if nothing else, the Kings have a backcourt to build around. With good General Managing to fill out the rest of the roster, I believe Fox and Hali is a core that can finally get you to the playoffs. They compliment each other so well, and I’m looking forward to the day when we can watch them start and play together for 30+ minutes a night.
Bryant: A+
I can’t undersell how amazed I am with Hali’s season. The kid has made such a ginormous scoring leap from his time in Iowa State, especially as a shooter off the bounce. I was a big proponent of his on draft night, but was worried that he’d never become a go-to scorer – but now that he’s hitting off-the-dribble shots in defender’s faces, all while showcasing insane vision and playmaking instincts on both ends, I’m ready to throw off any pre-season notions of what Tyrese could be for this team. He’s a picture perfect fit with De’Aaron Fox, and the Kings have their backcourt of the future locked up.
Greg: A+
Has exceeded my every expectation. I love watching Tyrese play basketball and can’t wait to enjoy the rest of his career.
Kyle Guy
Tim: Incomplete
Kyle Guy has received limited minutes in Luke Walton’s rotation, and as fine as I would be with benching Joseph for Guy, I doubt he would make a significant difference if the goal is to win games. He’s a solid shooter who hasn’t shown much else in his rare times on the court. He’s a fine two-way player who I wouldn’t aggressively pursue to keep around next season.
Brenden: Incomplete
There is no way I feel comfortable justifying any grade to Kyle Guy’s 115 total minutes of play. I have been intrigued by his playmaking flashes that first appeared in Stockton last season, but it still needs to be seen at the NBA level. At his current stage, I view Guy as a third-string point guard with potential to be a backup if he can be a high-level shooter from deep. But hey, he hit a big-time game-winner in the preseason!
Tony: Incomplete
Luke Walton told us that Kyle Guy wasn’t going to play a lot this season after a promising preseason stretch, and he certainly stuck to his word on that one. I don’t know if Kyle Guy is an NBA player, but I sure would like to find out. Guy has to grade as an incomplete for now, but I’m hoping we see him get some run in the second half of the season before the Kings lose him for nothing this summer while having never seen him play in a real NBA game.
Bryant: Incomplete
I agree with Brenden, 115 total minutes isn’t enough to judge any player. He hasn’t lit the world on fire when he has played (31% shooting and 25% from deep aren’t great regardless of the limited minutes), and I’d rather see DaQuan Jeffries get a regular rotation spot¦ but if the Kings clean house at the trade deadline, I would like to see Kyle get real run for a few games in a row.
Greg: Incomplete
I’ll go with the incomplete grade as well because it’s the only thing that seems fair. I like what I see when Guy is on the floor, we just don’t see him on the floor enough to make a true assessment.
Kayte and Doug gave out their grades too:
If meets expectations is C
Fox B
Buddy C minus
Cojo D
Hali A +
Guy C actually
Also, seeing a picture of Sean Hannity in the middle of a KH article is disturbing.
What could I have possibly clicked on for the algorithm to think I would want to see that?
On ESPN, I aggressively get ads for a clothing company called Warrior XII, which makes shirts with the ex-President as John Rambo and have ultra-cringey slogans like “Stay Strapped Or Get Clapped” (a Washington quote, apparently) and “Jesus Died For All Of Us Because ALL LIVES MATTER”.
A little about me. I’m a vegetarian that makes a living taking photos of animals and baked goods. I own Bowie’s entire catalog on vinyl and watch at least two French arthouse films a week. I’ve never fired a gun, haven’t been to church in two decades, and married a black woman.
Algorithms gonna algorithm.
“I own Bowie’s entire catalog on vinyl….and married a black woman.”
I was going to guess you were David Bowie, but—wait a minute. Are you by any chance hanging out with Elvis somewhere unknown?
On this note, I’d like to rant about Instagram. It’s basically become like a spam advertising avenue to me. Every FOURTH post is an ad! WTF.
Am I doing something wrong, or is that normal?
t o t a l l y
Every fourth post on Instagram is The Rock.
A friend of mine who is, afaik, a perfectly normal woman in her early 40s keeps getting ads about having your dead relatives’ teeth turned into jewelry. She cannot figure out what warped thing she clicked to trigger that algorithm but the ads themselves are extremely disturbing.
I have so, so many questions about this business. Mainly, how does one go about acquiring the teeth? Does the departed know in advance that their teeth are eventually going to be barbarically turned into a necklace, and do they plan accordingly? Or, does one just slip a few extra bucks to the coroner to save a canine or two? And if that happens, do you tell the coroner what the teeth are for?
So, so many questions.
The Fox grades are pretty high.
I see a lot of this:
Outside of an increase in 3p%, how much better is he this season?
His TS% is down from last year due to a drop in both FG% and FT%. Most of his other advanced stats are down too.
Per 36 scoring, he has only increased a half a point in scoring from last season. Rebounds and steals are down per 36 and his assists are up only .3.
I like Fox a lot but I guess I am not seeing this big leap that many of the graders are talking about.
To me, it just feels like he’s shown that his potential ceiling was raised this season. Fox’s attempts and FG% at the rim are elite, and he’s added a step back three to his arsenal. Now it just comes down to defense, free throws, and further developing his pull up game. If he can improve those, then he’ll move from fringe all star (top 50) to perennial all star (top 25).
I see the “potential ceiling” as being raised a bit too, particularly based on adding the three as a legit weapon. But I understood the grades to based on overall performance, not glimpses of one of the many potential futures.
If I am grading his actual performance I have to account for the drop in shooting efficiency overall and the FTs, etc.
If a C is “meeting expectations” or “on course” or whatever then I could maybe see a B- or even B if you really want to argue that he is doing more than we expected/should be doing at this point in his career. But B+s and As for his actual performance this year so far seems like grade inflation to me.
Anywho, enough nits have been picked by me today! 😉
I don’t know how anyone on this roster merits an A when the team is so terrible. Maybe Haliburton, since he’s exceeded expectations.
I guess if you believe Fox has been top 40ish in the league this year, then that means he’s in the top 10% of players which would be in the A range.
That would be an interesting grading system, certainly.
isn’t ones performance as compared to the competition the basis of most grading systems?
Isn’t grading an NBA player a bit more nuanced than that?
I mean, Tyrese is 157th in RPM right now – that’s around the 67th percentile of all players measured – does that mean your grading system gives him a D for 2020-2021?
This is your annual reminder that the standard US grading system is total nonsense.
I think there’s different grading criteria for different categories of players. With rookies, it’s probably better to compare them to the rest of their draft class.
Sounds like nuance!
Richaun Holmes is 186th in RPM this season, which would put him around the 61st percentile of all NBA players. He gets a D- in your grading system?
Why do you keep saying your grading system? You said you didn’t understand how anyone on this team merits an A. I said most grading systems are based on an individual’s performance compared to their peers. If you want my nuanced opinion on Fox’s season, then you can read my original reply to 1951.
Sorry, in our back-and-forth it appeared you were advocating for a specific grading system.
So since we both agree that grading a player (as silly as that is) requires some nuance – IMO that nuance should include how the “best player” has impacted his team’s overall performance on the floor.
No way Fox (or anyone else on this roster) deserves an A, unless all we’re talking about is the offensive end of the floor.
Yeah I just don’t really know how to weight defense when grading point guards especially when they are on a team without any good defenders on the wing or at the rim.
is the competition other players or your past performance though?
You’re correct that if we just look at the numbers, it’s a little less impressive. I can’t speak for the others, but let me explain why I graded the way I did.
Fox started the season on the slow side. That has to be factored in, and is part of the inconsistency that I mentioned in my grade, but I think that also has an impact on the overall numbers. If we look at his production since February, or even since mid-January, the numbers are much better.
Since February (averaging 37 minutes per game, which allows a pretty nice comparison to per 36 numbers), Fox is averaging 25.1 points, 9.4 assists. 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals. He’s shot 47% overall, 33% from 3, and 67.3% from the line. The three point numbers and FT numbers aren’t great (again going back to consistency), but the overall numbers are really impressive. Add to that HOW he’s getting those numbers, that’s where it’s a step forward to me. Fox attacks defenses in ways he didn’t before. He can get to the rim with ease and does so with aggression. There’s an improvement in raw production, and combined with the eye test of how dominant he appears at times, that’s why I think he’s taken a leap.
I’d also add that Fox’s three point shooting is impacting but advanced shooting stats a lot, but that I like the volume of threes he’s taking. He’s making enough to keep defenses honest, and that opens up driving lanes for him. Again, I want consistency in his shooting, but I like the way it’s trending.
I stopped reading after that, so thanks!
“Since February”? Isn’t that just two games?
They’ve played more than 2 games last month & this month (we’re in March).
Hmmm…I don’t mean to be pedantic, but that sounds more like “going back to February 1st”. 😉
I assume that’s what Greg meant.
I would say the grade that matters the most is the one Vivek gave him. I believe it was $190mil.
Agreed. I see these high grades of Fox as wishful thinking, focusing on the positives and downplaying the negatives. Expecting that the highs will stay and the lows will disappear. Or, as RORDOG puts it, focusing on the potential ceiling. I hope so, but i have my doubts.
Also, relative to what are these grades? His peers in the NBA. His teammates? Expectations? His play last year? His value for contract? His potential?
Give us a benchmark, guys.
I would have graded Fox about the same, B+/A- level. The grade is made for me based on the improved 3p% and number of attempts increase in addition to the way he has been able to take over games during the 4th in close games (I know few and far between this year). The other numbers will advance as he advances IMO. We know he can defend when he wants to, passing is still sharp, but I can see a regression in overall assist numbers with Hali playing more with Fox. This I am okay with. Fox assesses, if he does not have an easy lane to drive and create or easy shot, re-group and give to Hali for a second round of creation. Hali and Fox combined can make a great duo to create for all.
I didn’t know that. And if that’s true, why doesn’t he want to do that more often?
I remember when fox went on that 12 or so game tear he was annointed by many on this board as a superstar. My retort was, let him make an all star game first and become an all start caliber player before talking super star.
i still see Fox’ cieling as an all star and not a super star.
I’d be very interested in the names of these people, if it’s not too much trouble.
Well, there was Bob, and, uh, Rob, and Robert and Bob…ert, and ummmmm….Okay, fine I made them up. But building strawmen is the prime directive of internet message boards.
De’Aaron’s three point % coming into this season was 32.8%. He’s shooting 34.2% this season. Certainly helps that it’s on more volume, but his scoring efficiency is a bit down from last season (probably due to the FT% declining).
Dunno, he looks like the same guy as last season to me, but with the ability to carry the offense for slightly longer stretches of time.
For me, the improvement needs to be more than incremental at this point. And he needs to make a commitment at the defensive end. His salary goes $28m/$30m/$32m over the next three seasons – I don’t think he gets any wiggle room for “potential” going forward.
The 3P% is interesting. That’s one of the areas that I think it’s still fair to look at developmental potential for Fox since he was such a bad shooter in college. If Fox can consistently hit that stepback three, then I think it will alter the way defenses have to play him. As of today, he’s 14 of 28 on that shot. That’s great, but not enough volume to make conclusions about how reliable that shot will be moving forward. It’s the type of thing that isn’t going to have much impact on his stats this season, but could pay huge dividends in the future.
The catch and shoot three may be even more important in the context of playing more off ball with Haliburton. He’s made 23 out of 52 catch and shoot threes this season (44.2 3P%). Again not enough volume to make an impact on his stats this season, but it’s an important thing to monitor.
That’s really interesting, I’ve been curious if the team gravitates more to that type of backcourt setup – they haven’t had a ton of minutes together (relatively), but it seems Haliburton disappears at that end a bit when Fox is running the offense, but both guys are more involved when Hali initiates.
Yeah I think Haliburton is a little too deferential to Fox at the moment, but I think it’s a healthy approach from a long-term perspective. He’s making it clear on and off the court that Fox is the alpha in their relationship. That’s a good way to build trust initially IMO. I think it’s natural for a lead ballhandler to be somewhat leery of a team bringing in a player like Haliburton. Haliburton’s approach is basically “you’re the man, and I’m just here to do everything I can to optimize your skillset.” Clearly, taking on more of the game management responsibilities is key to that, but I don’t know if it would’ve been smart to come in and immediately relegate Fox to more of an offball role than he’s comfortable with.
A- feels a little high to me, but I can understand giving him a B+.
I am just going to keep commenting to make the writers feel loved here.
1951: How is it going 1951?
1951: Good.
Otis: It’s a nice day out. Shit wrong log in.
Rob: Haha. That was a weird glitch. Otis, my ass! Shit! I’m not Rob.
1951: That was some weird WandaVision shit going on there. All good. Nothing to see here.
Greg: Can I be a pseudonym too?
1951/Otis/Rob: NO FUCKING WAY!
Still have never seen all three of you in the same room at the same time.
The Kings Herald and its staff:
This one’s for Buddy.
Personally I’d grade them like this (I know, no one asked):
Fox:
B+
The stretch during the winning streak he easily would’ve gotten an A+ – however, since then he has slowed down in every facet of his game. I like that he is taking more threes and has clearly improved but sometimes he settles for those shots too easily.
CoJo:
F
Yeah. I like Cojo and was happy when we signed him but apart from a handful of games he looks like the Monstars stole any talent he had.
Buddy:
C
Buddy is taking more threes than he ever has (and less 2s than ever) and despite some really terrible slumps has his shooting up to almost 38%. I think almost every other area of Buddy’s game has improved despite his still obvious flaws with ball handling and defense.
Tyrese:
A+
Duh.
Edit
Pretty much in line with where I would grade them out: B for Fox, C for Hield, D for Joseph, A for Haliburton. Haliburton’s grade is probably the only one that is impacted by an exceeding of expectations.
These all seem like solid assessments, another job well done by KH witers.
As to Fox, I agree that the one really significant difference in his game this year is that he seems to understand that he can either get to the rim or pull up for a clean mid-range look almost any time that he wants. He’s been absolute money on drives, and pulling up from eighteen feet and closer. He can take over a game when he wants, and leaves you slack-jawed when he does. He’s so good, and it still feels like he will get better.
I do think he’s got the yips on three-pointers right now, and probably putting too much pressure on himself when he considers launching one, and is overthinking things. That’s almost always a bad thing.
The free throws just have to get better, and I have a feeling that the problem is similar to his three-point problems. He’s got to average at least 75%, not just because he’s an NBA player, but because he can be an elite one. I have no idea how to solve the problem, as I think it’s strictly in his head. I do believe that he’ll figure it out, though. He’s never been afraid of doing the work.
Fox sometimes seems distracted at the line. He often seems engaged in side conversations. He seems to do better when he is focused and takes his time.
I know this is “Mid-season Player Grades”, but I’d like to see the “Mid-season Coaching Grade”, too.
Pretty sure about how it’s going to turn out, but I’d love to read the strong language used anyway. Might be a cathartic experience.
You can take the Luke out of LA, but you can’t take LA out of the Luke.
“In my 230-part series, I will be presenting a needlessly-large amount of data and observations that went into the analysis of the head coach’s performance up until this point in the season.”
ABSTRACT
He fucking sucks.
But but but…James Ham said he has the 2nd best record in the Sacramento era…how can you say such a thing? Oh wait…never mind.
Few things offer more visceral proof of the raw power of physics than Walton’s use of the downward strike. Proper force, power, and conditioning are utilized at maximum to send the splinters and shards of broken clipboards to the hardwood of the NBA court, with nary a newton of force lost upon collision of flesh and particle board.
Temper tantrums: A+
Everything else: F-
Man, those Buddy numbers make me cringe. Do you think there is any player on the roster that misses Joerger’s system more than Buddy? I can’t tell if Buddy has just plateaued and begun to decline (he is nearly 40) or if Walton has completely ruined him.
Blow it up Monte!
My goodness, I did a page search for the term “defen” (to capture defense, defends, defensive, etc.), and here’s the number of mentions per player:
De’Aaron – Zero (yep, not one mention of defense)
Buddy – 11
Cory Joseph – 5
Hali – 3
Kyle Guy – 0
I can see why Fox graded so high across the board – this is like a teacher grading on just the homework, and not including the exams.
There is no “D” in Kings.
Interested to see MB3 grades
I guess many people are in the Jabari Parker school of thought.
And the recent discussion where it was argued that many top guards don’t play much defense either was telling, IMO.
not all giards, but…
Hield………………..V
Joseph……………. L
Fox…………………. A
Parker…………….. D
Bagley…………….. E
Not all guards
Sooo….Fox still gets an A? If so, I like it!
Mid-season Player Grades: New Broadcast Team
Gary Gerold……A+
Jim Kozimor……A
James Ham…….B+
Kyle Draper…….B
Mitch………………B
Kayte………………C+
Mark Jones…….C+
Doug Christie…D-
TKH commenters’ insights and opinion grades:
Rordog ……… A+
Kosta………….A+
RikSmits……. A+
1951 …………..A+
Otis…………….A+
RobHessing…A+
Klam………….. A+
it’s crazy that grade works for our dashing good looks as well!
I’m sure this has already gone around, but it’s a bit of sunshine:
J Kyle Mann is so good at this stuff.
After watching the Gonzaga-BYU game tonight, I wouldn’t be upset if Suggs lands in the Kings lap and Suggs-Haliburton is the backcourt of the future.
-A Fox enthusiast
Wow, Buddy’s PER fell off a cliff, we should just give him away to anybody that will take him for nothing at this point. Would like to see King’s get to the free throw line more (one thing Tyrese has struggled with) and make them (2nd worst team FT % in league). And play some defense. Clearly this roster and coaching staff needs major changes outside of Fox and Rese.
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