On offense Dalembert is a capable high post passer who otherwise displays terrible shot selection

Against the Nets he missed badly on a 10-foot fallaway, a clumsy right hook, and a short jumper, while also bricking a layup.Luther Head has come a long way in improving his once-disastrous defense to respectable levels. He also made several crisp passes, didn’t make any egregious mistakes, and knocked in a trey. He’s not good at penetration, partially because he doesn’t have a great deal of talent, but moreover, because he doesn’t use ball screens well, coming off of screens too flat to allow defenders time to fight or squeeze their way through those screens to stay in front of him.Donte Greene spent the game against the Nets going through the motions when the Kings ran sets that didn’t involve him, and he was habitually late on his rotations. This Miami Dolphins jersey
after reporting to camp out of shape and winding up in Paul Westphal’s doghouse. It’s time for this kid to grow up.DeMarcus Cousins—2-8 FG, 10 REB, 1 AST, 1 TO, 8 PTS—is Sacramento’s prized rookie, but he can’t stay on the floor because of perpetual foul trouble. When showing on screens he has a tendency to jab at the ball, a needless exercise that will only continue to feed his foul problems, and when defending shot attempts, he throws his hands more forward than high, leading to more contact with opponents arms than the ball. When guarding the post or defending cross-screens, he’s all about fighting and shoving with his upper body than using any kind of positional advantage, and he’s flat-footed as a defender. Offensively, Cousins’ foot work is slow and clumsy, and none of his moves—a mechanical right hook, an awkward step through, a clumsy baseline spin—are executed with any degree of grace. What Cousins did do well was read double teams and make the appropriate pass to both spot-up shooters and cutters, no easy task, and he always, always boxed out. He also has good touch on his shot, and executed an impressive high-arching, reverse pivot fadeaway jumper that dropped in—shades of Rasheed Wallace.Until Cousins unlearns his bad defensive habits he’ll be hard-pressed to improve because he’ll never be on the floor. Until he improves his footwork, he’ll be predictable to defend by good defenses. At the very least, he has good potential as a rebounder and help defender, though the Kings need him to develop to move Landry to a sixth-man role off the bench.Beno Udrih—5-9 FG, 2-3 3FG, 3 AST, Minnesota Vikings
0 TO, 12 PTS—is a good backup point guard because he has good vision, takes care of the ball, and has an accurate mid-range jumper. Against the Nets, Udrih’s clutch three in the final seconds eventually iced the game. However, Udrih is another poor defender who lacks the athleticism to stay in front of most NBA point guards, hence why pairing him with Evans gets problematic.Francisco Garcia—3-7FG, 7 PTS—is little more than a streaky, inconsistent scorer who only has eyes on the basket.Jason Thompson knocked down an 18-footer, was active in tracking down three rebounds, and played some effective defense in contesting a Jordan Farmar drive, and stuffing a Derrick Favors layup, though he tends to get pushed around down low because of his thin frame.What will the Kings need to rule the Western Conference? A defensive minded guard or wing who can shoot the three.Evans to improve his passing, his decision making, his jump shooting, his left hand, and his defense, while also developing either a floater, or a short jumper.Because of Landry’s limitations, he’d be best served as a designated second-unit scorer. To facilitate that, Cousins needs to improve his offensive game to become the designated frontcourt scorer.A power forward with three-point range to take advantage of Evans’ drive-and-kick game.Greene to take the game more seriously.Omri Casspi to get tougher.In lieu of the above two, one more creative wing scorer or New England Patriots jersey
a wing defender who can shoot.The entire team to start committing itself to playing defense on every possession. Right now, Sacramento’s offense, while raw and rugged, at least has the right idea. Westphal calls a lot of split cuts that take advantage of Cousins’ and Dalembert’s passing, and the players play with physicality and aggressiveness. However, as the Kings’ defense rests, so too does the approach of their potentially bright future.