The Kings’ rookies aren’t shooting too well for them so far this year.  22-year old SG Jimmer Fredette has played in 11 games (2 starts) for the Kings so far this year and he is averaging 24.2 minutes, 8.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  He is only shooting 35.4% from the floor this year and an awful 31.1% (14 of 45) from three point range.  He is going to have to start shooting better if he wants to get more P.T.  22-year old guard Isaiah Thomas has played in 11 games (0 starts) for the Kings so far this year and he is averaging 12.5 minutes, 5.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  Like Fredette, Thomas is having issues shooting the ball as he is only hitting 35.3% of his shots from the floor so far this year.  21-year old small forward Tyler Honeycutt has only played in 1 game this year for the Kings, working 4 minutes in which he scored 2 points and grabbed 1 rebound.

20-year old power forward/center DeMarcus Cousins might have the biggest upside of anyone drafted last June, but he has a ways to go because of his immaturity.  Cousins played in 81 games (62 starts) for the Kings last year and he averaged 28.5 minutes, 14.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  He could easily average around 20 points and 10 rebounds per night in the near future as long as he keeps focused and motivated.  27-year old point guard Pooh Jeter paid his dues in the D-League before getting his big shot at the NBA this year.  He played in 62 games (1 start) for the Kings last year and he averaged 13.8 minutes, 4.1 points, 1.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.  Jeter likely will stick around this league for a long time because he gave the Kings a lot of solid minutes last year.  21-year old center Hassan Whiteside only played in 1 game for the Kings last year.  His only stat besides minutes played was the two fouls he had.  A knee issue ended his season early.  Whiteside is a legit 7-foot center, so look for the Kings to be very patient with him.

20-year old PF/C DeMarcus Cousins might be a pain in the ass sometimes but he’s going to be a special player down the road for the Kings.  He has played in 59 games (40 starts) for the Kings so far this year and he is averaging 27.6 minutes, 13.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.  Teams that have dominating centers are winning teams so the Kings have a bright future as long as they build around Cousins smartly.  27-year old point guard Pooh Jeter paid his dues to get to the NBA and he’s making the most of it.  Jeter has played in 47 games (1 start) for the Kings so far this year and he is averaging 14.7 minutes, 4.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.  21-year old center Hassan Whiteside’s rookie season is likely over after recent surgery.  He played in 1 game (0 starts) for the Kings and he played 2 minutes with his only other stat being his two fouls.  That’s o.k. because Whiteside is a 7-footer, so the Kings will be patient with him.

20-year old center DeMarcus Cousins got into head coach Paul Westphal’s Dog House for a while but he has really stepped up so far in January.  Cousins has played in 11 games so far in January and he is averaging 28.5 minutes, 16.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  He has now played in 40 games (25 starts) for the Kings this year and he is averaging 26.1 minutes, 12.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.  Cousins is going to be a really big part of the Kings’ future!  27-year old point guard Pooh Jeter is trying to make up for lost time.  He has played in 28 games (1 start) for the Kings so far this year and he is averaging 15.4 minutes, 4.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.  Jeter has done a good job whenever called upon for the Kings as it looks like he has found a home in Sacramento.  21-year old center Hassan Whiteside is toiling in the D-League right now where he can get some P.T.  He has played in 1 game (0 starts) for the Kings so far this year and he worked 2 minutes with the only other mark in the scorebook being his two fouls.  The Kings will likely take things slow with Whiteside.

The Kings have not had a lot to smile about this year, but the rookies are looking solid.  20-year old C/PF DeMarcus Cousins is a talented player but he really needs to grow up.  His antics both on and off of the court are already getting him near Paul Westphal’s Dog House.  Cousins has played in 26 games (14 starts) for the Kings so far this year and he is averaging 25.2 minutes, 11.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  Cousins is only shooting 41.6% from the floor and 66% from the free throw line this year and that needs to improve.  Cousins needs to grow up soon so that he doesn’t find himself on the bench.  27-year old point guard Pooh Jeter paid his dues in the D-League before getting his big chance this year with the Kings.  Jeter has played in 14 games (0 starts) for the Kings so far this year and he is averaging 13.0 minutes, 4.7 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.  Jeter has forced himself into the rotation for the Kings.  21-year old center Hassan Whiteside is learning his craft in the D-League.  He has only played in 1 game for the Kings this year and he played two scoreless minutes and he made 2 fouls.

The Kings have decided to send 21-year old rookie center Hassan Whiteside to the D-League.  The 7’0″ Whiteside has played in only 1 game for the Kings so far this year.  He played 2 scoreless minutes in that game but he did pick up 2 fouls.  The Kings have a lot of players in front of Whiteside in the frontcourt so I like this move because Whiteside will learn more from playing than sitting.

20-year old PF/C DeMarcus Cousins is off to a solid start to his NBA career. He has played in 10 games (6 starts) for the Kings so far this year and he is averaging 22.6 minutes, 10.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Cousins has an amazing upside and I think he will move into the starting lineup by the second half of the season. 21-year old center Hassan Whiteside has only played in 1 game (0 starts) for the Kings so far this year and he played 2 scoreless minutes getting 2 fouls. The Kings are going to bring him along slowly. 27-year old Eugene “Pooh” Jeter has also only played in 1 game (0 starts) in which he scored 2 points in 4 minutes. Jeter, like Whiteside, has a lot of guys on the depth chart that he would have to pass to start getting consistent playing time.

20-year old DeMarcus Cousins is off to a very impressive start to his NBA career. Cousins has started his first 4 games of his NBA career and he has averaged 23.3 minutes, 14.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Cousins is giving the Kings the toughness that they have craved as he is a good offensive player around the rim and he has been making his free throws. Cousins has shot 50% from the floor and 81.8% from the free throw line so far this year. If Cousins keeps playing well the Kings will have no choice but to increase his playing time.

Sacramento Kings’ rookie sensation Tyreke Evans has won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award after having a phenomenal season this year.  Evans was the top rookie in a very talented rookie class, beating out the Golden State Warriors’ talented rookie Stephen Curry and the Milwaukee Bucks’ star rookie Brandon Jennings.  Evans received 67 first-place votes on his way to a total of 491 points, where as Curry finished second with 43 first-place votes for a total of 391 points.  Jennings finished third with 12 first-place votes and a total of 204 points.  Some people jumped on the Stephen Curry bandwagon towards the end of the season, since he played great down the stretch of the season and won the Rookie of the Month award for the Western Conference in three of the final four months of the season.  People can’t forget that Curry only averaged 9.8 points in the first month of the season, where as Evans put together a full season of great play.  Evans never averaged less that 19.4 points in a month, and his final averages were 20.1 points, 5.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals while shooting 46% from the field.  In my opinion Evans was the easy choice for this year’s Rookie of the Year, even though Curry played just as well if not better in the final months.  Evans was the leader of his team all season and he became just the fourth rookie in the history of the NBA to average over 20 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds.  He is now a member of a very impressive and exclusive club, with the three other players being Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, and LeBron James.  It is safe to say that Evans will be one of the top players in the NBA for years to come and he has brought some much needed excitement to Kings’ fans.

Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi and Jon Brockman all joined the Kings last June and they are a outstanding group. 20-year old shooting guard Tyreke Evans will likely be the NBA Rookie of the Year. He played in 72 games (all starts) for the Kings this season and he averaged 37.2 minutes, 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Evans becomes only the 4th player in NBA history to average over 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game as a rookie. The other three are Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson and LeBron James! That is some pretty nice company that Evans is keeping. 21-year old small forward Omri Casspi played in 77 games (31 starts) for the Kings this year and he averaged 25.1 minutes, 10.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Casspi was a little put off by his cut in playing time saying that he wouldn’t mind playing for another team next year. The Kings would be smart to keep him as he has a really nice upside. 23-year old power forward Jon Brockman played in 52 games (4 starts) for the Kings this year and he averaged 12.6 minutes, 2.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. He shot 53.4% from the floor but most of his shots were coming from close range.