Sacramento Kings: Overcoming The Loss Of Garrett Temple
With Garrett Temple sidelined with a partially torn hamstring, the Sacramento Kings face a challenge looking for his replacement in the starting lineup, especially for a crucial stretch.
If they weren’t already facing an uphill battle, the Sacramento Kings are certainly facing one now.
The Kings have already been dealing with a list of injuries in recent weeks, with Rudy Gay being the most notable loss after he suffered a ruptured Achilles last month.
Gay’s replacement in the starting lineup, Garrett Temple, now adds to that list as he’s been diagnosed with a partially torn hamstring, an injury he sustained in the team’s most recent game against the Houston Rockets.
It’s a tough blow for Temple, who in his first season with the team has been providing a steadying presence on the floor and averaging career highs in scoring (7.7 points per game) and true shooting percentage (56.1) while shooting 36.7 percent from beyond the arc.
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So for at least the run up to the All-Star break, the Kings will be without one of their more reliable players not named DeMarcus Cousins. As if their depth wasn’t being tested enough, what makes matters worse is their lack of worthy options to fill the void left by Temple.
Combo forward Omri Casspi remains out with a strained calf and there’s been little to suggest that he’s ready to make his return to the court soon.
Turning to Ben McLemore doesn’t instill a lot of confidence as he’s continued to disappoint with his play this year before being buried on the bench recently.
The most intriguing option might lie in slotting Arron Afflalo at the 3 and bringing in rookie Malachi Richardson into the starting lineup as the team’s starting 2-guard.
Richardson has barely amassed more than 100 minutes this year, but his role has grown over the last few weeks as he’s shown promise offensively with his outside shooting, although he’s currently shooting 30 percent from deep.
For the time being, it feels easy to put two and two together and assume Matt Barnes gets the call to start at small forward.
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Barnes, however, has been abysmal on the court, struggling to deliver efficient minutes (Barnes has a 48.2 percent true shooting percentage) and is posting a net rating of minus-7.5 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com/stats.
No matter who head coach Dave Joerger turns to, what’s clear is that there’s no ideal solution for the Kings from where they currently stand.
Now they’re about to begin a pivotal six-game homestand and on top of that, they’ll play the Golden State Warriors twice during the run up before the All-Star break.
Sure, playoff contention is still within reach as the Kings are 2.5 games out of eighth place. But being shorthanded does little to help their chances to just keep up with the teams that they’re chasing like the Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets.
Make no mistake, the next two weeks will likely define the Kings’ fate this year. At this point for them, it’s all about holding on.
