| Hawes And Thompson Bring Hope To Kings Authored by Andrew Perna - November 2, 2008 - 11:07 pm
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They fell to the Timberwolves by just two points in their season-opener last Wednesday, but followed that strong performance up with back-to-back blowouts at the hands of the Heat and Magic.
Granted, they have yet to play at home, and won’t until Wednesday when they host the Grizzles, but that isn’t much of an excuse when you lose by a combined forty-four points against Miami and Orlando.
Kevin Martin, the best player on a roster depleted by the trades of Mike Bibby and Ron Artest, has struggled. His usual dead-eye aim is off, he’s made just 38.3% of his field goal attempts, and he’s averaging 19.0 points per game on nearly sixteen shot attempts.
We may only be three games into the season, but those are disappointing numbers after Martin put up 23.7 points on fifteen shots last season – especially with Artest in town and Bibby there for half of the season.
Two young big men – on a team that lacks an above-average interior presence aside from Brad Miller, who was suspended for the first five games of the season by the league for violating its substance abuse policy – have given Sacramento something to smile about despite their rough start.
Rookie forward Jason Thompson and second-year center Spencer Hawes have come to play right off the bat this season, something the Kings didn’t expect to enjoy so soon.
Hawes, the tenth overall pick in 2007, averaged 4.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in seventy-one games last season. He only saw roughly thirteen minutes of action each night, and his numbers looked much better when adjusted over thirty-six minutes – 12.9 points and 8.9 boards.
Averages per thirty-six minutes aren’t always accurate, especially when dealing with a rookie big man at the end of the rotation, but Hawes has produced accordingly while playing about thirty minutes per game in the absence of Miller.
Hawes is averaging 11.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks through his first three games, including a 12/14/6 performance against Minnesota in the season-opener. His rebounds suffered, but he turned in a 14/4/1 line against Orlando and the imposing Dwight Howard this past Saturday.
He’s only guaranteed starter’s minutes for two more games, with Miller returning at the end of this week, but he has shown Reggie Theus that he deserves to be one of the first players off the bench in Sacramento.
As surprising and exciting as Hawes’ production has been for the Kings, Thompson’s numbers have been even more shocking.
The twelfth overall pick less than five months ago, Thompson was considered NBA ready because of his athleticism and build, but many were concerned about how he’d stack up against the League’s post players having battled in the lackluster MAAC conference.
Many also believed prior to June’s draft that the Rider standout was close to his ceiling, but he has shown flashes early that he could be even better than scouts and analysts projected.
I’ll emphasize again that it’s very early in the season, but it’s worth nothing that Thompson enjoyed a better and more efficient first week in the NBA than fellow first-rounders O.J. Mayo, Eric Gordon and even Michael Beasley.
In 21.7 minutes of action, he is averaging 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and one block per game. Give him starter’s minutes and Thompson’s numbers project to 22.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.
He has been incredibly selective from the field, going 17-for-28, and has earned himself six trips to the foul line (he has hit all of them). Thompson has also shown a knack for the offensive glass, with 9 of his 22 rebounds leading to second chances for the Kings. In fact, he has accounted for 36% of Sacramento’s offensive rebounds (25).
Thompson has collected 18.5% of the available offensive rebounds while on the floor this season, ranking him above some of the league’s best offensive rebounders through Saturday’s action.
Offensive Rebound Percentages For 2008-09
Jason Thompson, SAC – 18.5
Emeka Okafor, CHA – 17.3
Shawn Marion, MIA – 14.5
Dwight Howard, ORL – 13.2
Elton Brand, PHI – 12.8
Carlos Boozer, UTA – 11.5
David Lee, NYK – 11.1
Amare Stoudemire, PHX – 10.2
Chris Kaman, LAC – 10.0
Yao Ming, HOU – 9.6
Tim Duncan, SA – 7.5
Shaquille O’Neal, PHX – 7.5
Kevin Garnett, BOS – 6.6
Thompson isn’t likely to maintain his torrid pace, especially should Theus decide to increase his minutes in the near future. Doing so would ultimately be a mistake, likely forcing him into the famed rookie wall earlier than normal. Thompson also seems to be most effective in a featured reserve role.
Sacramento has a few winnable games coming up on their schedule, with home contests against the Grizzles, Timberwolves and Warriors in the next week.
Even if they fail to notch a few wins against beatable opponents this month, fans can rest assured that guys like Hawes and Thompson will make things both exciting and maybe even bearable this season.
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail – Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com. |
