Sacramento Kings: Rudy Gay Is Back, And At His Best

The Sacramento Kings may be struggling, but Rudy Gay is making a statement with the best season of his career

The Sacramento Kings have turned a few heads this year after a hot start to the season. After settling down to a record that can’t be described as anything more than mediocre (10-10) though, they have once again fallen into the lonely depths of the Western Conference. However, the Kings aren’t without firepower, and leading the way alongside DeMarcus ‘Boogie’ Cousins is Rudy Gay.

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The Kings have surprised at times this year, and it’s still only been a couple of weeks since they beat the reigning NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs, and crushed the Chicago Bulls 103-88. Since the end of November, though, they’ve lost five of their last six games, and narrowly clawed their way out of a losing streak with a 102-101 win against the Indiana Pacers.

Despite all their woes, Rudy Gay has been a bright spot for Kings’ fans in his second year with the squad. After 18 games he’s nearly averaging career highs across the board; putting up 21.4 points off 46 percent shooting (87 percent from the charity stripe), 6.4 rebounds, and a far improved assist total of 4.4 per game.

Dec 6, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) prepares to dunk the ball against the Orlando Magic in the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Magic defeated the Kings 105-96. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

After missing 27 games last year, Gay is finally back at full health, and he’s having the best year of his career. Whilst the Kings’ defense has been struggling (ranked just 22nd in points allowed per game) their offense has looked surprisingly good at times. Especially because the talent dropoff after Cousins, Gay, and Darren Collison is rather steep.

Despite a lack of reliable weapons though, the duo of Sacramento’s future, Gay and Cousins, are combining for 45 points per game.

Boogie Cousins should have been an All-Star last year, and is crushing his opponents in the post again this year. If he doesn’t make the team this year then it’s beyond disrespectful. No one can average 23 and 12 a game, be one of the most unstoppable forces down-low on offense, and not make the All-Star team.

But that’s besides the point. Gay on the other hand has also been flat-out dominant at times this year, in particular his 40-point performance at the start of the season to beat the Trail Blazers, and the numerous 20+ point and near triple-double performances he’s had so far.

We’ve known for years that Gay can score (he was the top scorer with the Memphis Grizzlies nearly every season he was there), but after leaving to Toronto he began falling off the radar.

So far this season, however, he’s averaging a career high 21.4 points per game, shooting 46 percent from the floor (above his career average) and 36 percent from behind the arc (also above his career high). He may not take down his opponents with a barrage of three-pointers, that’s just not his style, but his inside game this year has been elite.

Nov 2, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) attempts a shot defended by Los Angeles Clippers forward

Blake Griffin

(32) during the third quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

His ability to pull-up in traffic and sink a jumper from 16 feet has been very impressive this year, and the ease at which he can rise to the rim has been as electrifying as ever. We all know LeBron James and Gerald Green are great dunkers, yet another 6’8″ small forward, Mr Rudy Gay, seems to be the forgotten man among the NBA’s flashiest finishers.

Gay’s 65 percent scoring rate from inside three feet this year shows how good he’s been at finishing through contact, and despite his relatively slender frame he’s been excellent this year at taking the ball inside to force defenders back to create floaters or simple layups under the rim.

Although, the most impressive facet of Gay’s play this year is his passing. He’s been in the NBA for nearly a decade now, and in that time he has never once averaged more than 3.1 assists per game.

Nov 7, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) lays up the basketball against the Phoenix Suns center

Alex Len

(21) in the first half at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

In 2014, Gay’s court vision and ability to set up teammates has been better than ever. Whether it’s finding open guys on the perimeter, or driving into the lane to draw double-teams and open up teammates, he’s really upped his game as a facilitator. His performance against the Toronto Raptors last week showed this improvement best, where he went off for 20 points and 10 assists.

Despite the Kings being unable to piece it together so far, Gay, at least, has stepped up. He’s putting up career highs in nearly every aspect of his game, and with no true point guard on the team he’s been able to get everyone involved, as well as scoring like an All-Star.

If the Kings don’t get it together soon, Gay may get overlooked as an All-Star caliber player again. If not though, he’s still making a serious statement this year.

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