Opinion: It's time to end the Ty Lawson experiment
The Sacramento Kings dropped their record to 4-8 after an 110-105 loss at home to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. They managed to cut down an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter against the Spurs’ bench but ultimately fell short.
After yet another sub-par performance, Ty Lawson was yet again a centerpiece in the media’s post-game discussions. He finished with just three points and two rebounds in 20 minutes of action against the Spurs.
He has now started all 12 games for the Kings this season and is currently posting averages of 5.4 points, 5.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals on 31.5 % shooting from the field. He is also shooting just 33.3% from the perimeter and 61.1% from the free-throw line in 28.1 minutes per game. Stats are one thing, but the eye-test is just as bad.
Lawson’s jump shot looks completely robotic with no lift at all. It’s almost like a set-shot that you would expect a seven-footer to have, except it’s worse than that. While his defense has been good at times, he is often getting burned off the dribble and fails to make basic defensive plays in transition; James Harden would be proud.
His passing has been his strongest asset by far but he still struggles to make a basic post entry pass to DeMarcus or anyone posting up for that matter. Unfortunately, that isn’t trending in a good direction either as his passing game is progressively getting worse with each game he plays.
Nov 10, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Ty Lawson (10) during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
When Ty Lawson signed a one-year deal with the Kings back at the end of August, there was a small slither of hope that he may be able to turn his career around, but that hope has quickly vanished among the Kings’ media and fans.
While Lawson being in the starting lineup was justified when Darren Collison was suspended eight games to begin the season, there is no way he should continue to start moving forward, especially with how well Collison has played since making his return.
Collison is currently averaging 11.3 points, 5.8 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 29.5 minutes of action per game. He is shooting 44.2% from the field and looks better than Ty Lawson in every facet of the game.
Oct 31, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Ty Lawson (10) has his shot blocked by Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard (8) during the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Collison’s ability to score and command a team is far superior to Lawson, and his defense has been outstanding so far too. It’s a no-brainer that Collison should be starting moving forward and it would be no surprise to see a change happen very soon.
It’s no longer a question of whether Lawson should be starting or not, but if he should even be on an NBA roster. He is easily the worst starting point guard in the league this season and should be considered a third-stringer at best.
Whether the Kings bring back Jordan Farmar, who showcased his ability to shoot in his brief two-game stint with the team, or they look elsewhere either via free agency or trade to try to strengthen the point guard position. They also have Isaiah Cousins waiting in Reno but there are questions surrounding his NBA readiness.
It was a hopeful experiment for the Kings, but it just hasn’t panned out. It’s time for the team to move on from Ty Lawson and look elsewhere for other options. Maybe a move to the bench could benefit Lawson, but after a decent sample of 12 games, he, unfortunately, doesn’t look like an NBA level point guard anymore.
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