NBA 2020: Sacramento Superteam

[Byrne]

Hello, and welcome to my NBA dynasty that takes a slight spin on things from what I generally see on this particular board. This dynasty fast forwards several years and explores what things might look like in a scenario where a team hits an absolute home run in a draft and acquires multiple stars on rookie contracts. A team I thought would be fun to play in such a theoretical universe was the Sacramento Kings. What would the NBA look like if De'aaron Fox, Justin Jackson, and Harry Giles all became all-star caliber players within a couple of seasons? In order to ensure this I adjusted the players a bit to ensure rapid and substantial growth.

In this dynasty I simulated the upcoming 2017-2018 season and the following 2018-2019 season. The season I will play and extensively cover is the 2019-2020 season. Now let's take a look at the roster we will be fielding:

Starting Lineup:

Point Guard: De'Aaron Fox [93 overall]
Awards: Two time all-star (2018, 2019) / 1st team all-rookie (2018)
Season Averages:
17-18: 17.2 ppg / 4.1 rpg / 8.7 apg / 2.9 spg / 0.2 bpg / .475 fg% / .219 3p% / .816 ft% / 4.8 topg

18-19: 21.7 ppg / 3.5 rpg / 10.7 apg / 2.6 spg / 0.6 bpg / .511 fg% / .396 3p% / .859 ft% / 4.4 topg

The crown jewel of the franchise, De'Aaron Fox had a quick rise to superstar-dom and is primed to have an MVP-caliber season. In his second year he drastically improved his three point shooting and became one of the most deadly offensive threats in the game. His speed and craftiness with the ball leads to many flashy scores at the rim, and his ability to find open teammates with the mismatches he creates is already elite. This in addition to what is already an excellent defensive game, and you have the kind of player that can lead you to championships. If his three point shot continues to fall, the rest of the league needs to watch out.

Shooting Guard: Buddy Hield [82 overall]
Season Averages:
17-18: 14.1 ppg / 3.7 rpg / 3.4 apg / 0.0 spg / 0.1 bpg / .497 fg% / .484 3p% / .750 ft% / 0.9 topg

18-19: 13.1 ppg / 2.8 rpg / 3.3 apg / 0.2 spg / 0.0 bpg / .433 fg% / .347 3p% / .955 ft% / 0.5 topg

Hield actually regressed a bit this past season, seeing drops in his percentages. He is still a dangerous three point threat that teams have to respect, and he is lethal with Fox driving defenders away from the three point line for open catch-and-shoot opportunities. He is projected to see similar production yet again, and his carved an effective role for a team poised to contend.

Small Forward: Justin Jackson [83 overall]
Season Averages:
17-18: 11.6 ppg / 7.0 rpg / 4.4 apg / 1.0 spg / 0.4 bpg / .479 fg% / .333 3p% / .632 ft% / 1.6 topg

18-19: 14.4 ppg / 6.5 rpg / 4.1 apg / 1.1 spg / 0.4 bpg / .479 fg% / .395 3p% / .839 ft% / 1.3 topg

Jackson has developed into an excellent jack-of-all-trades force for the Kings, providing consistent scoring and ball-handling ability paired with a workhouse mentality on defense. If he continues to improve his consistency from beyond the arc, he could be looking at an all-star caliber season.

Power Forward: Harry Giles [88 overall]
Awards: 1st team all-defense (2019) / Most Improved Player Award (2019) / 3rd team all-NBA (2019)
Season Averages:

17-18: 8.6 ppg / 7.6 rpg / 0.0 apg / 0.0 spg / 1.9 bpg / .421 fg% / .000 3p% / .826 ft% / 0.6 topg

18-19: 18.2 ppg / 13.8 rpg / 1.6 apg / 0.4 spg / 2.2 bpg / .566 fg% / .250 3p% / .787 ft% / 0.7 topg

Giles saw a meteoric rise to star-dom last season, starting the year off with a 23 rebound game and improving his scoring by nearly 10 points per game from his rookie year. The massive potential that was seen in him before his knee surgeries has truly awoken. With a most improved player award under his belt and a 1st team all-defense selection, Giles could compete for a Defensive Player of the Year this season.

Center: Willie Cauley-Stein [83 overall]
Season Averages:

17-18: 13.4 ppg / 7.2 rpg / 1.7 apg / 0.5 spg / 1,8 bpg / .585 fg% / .000 3p% / .885 ft% / 1.4 topg

18-19: 11.4 ppg / 8.7 rpg / 2.9 apg / 1.0 spg / 1.7 bpg / .585 fg% / .000 3p% / .768 ft% / 1.6 topg

Cauley-Stein has cemented himself as a very solid center in the NBA, however it's hard for him to find shots and rebounds on what is a fairly stacked team at this point. With pay days coming soon for each of the young stars on this team, it's hard to imagine the Kings being able to keep Cauley-Stein on the roster. As his likely swan song with the team, Cauley-Stein should once again provide strong production around the rim.

[Byrne]

Other Key Players:

PG/SG George Hill [81 overall

Hill was the starting shooting guard entering the 2018-2019 season, but was eventually delegated to sixth man duties with Buddy Hield taking the spot. He was generally effective and was more than capable of running an efficient offense while Fox sits, or even occasionally paired as shooting guard beside Fox again.

SF Bogdan Bogdanovic [80 overall]

Bogdanovic saw his scoring drop from 15.2 ppg to 9.2 ppg, but was still a solid piece off the bench. Trade rumors swirled throughout the season as Bogdan wanted a larger role on a team, but few were willing to give back what Sacramento wanted in return (1st round draft picks).

PF/SF Miles Bridges [79 overall]

The Kings' 9th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft out of Michigan State. He emerged later in the season as a scrappy do-it-all kind of player like a certain other Michigan State alumni who plays for the Warriors. He isn't exactly a scoring machine, but he's capable of dropping open threes which is invaluable with a point guard as skilled as De'Aaron Fox on your team.

PF/C Zach Randolph [77 overall]

In the twilight of his career, Randolph saw his role drop tremendously this past season, posting just 5.2 ppg in 2018-2019. His leadership role is still invaluable for the team, and hopes are high that the young core of this team can deliver to him his first NBA championship.

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In terms of gameplay, to ensure I don't burn out on this I dropped the number of games in the season to the minimum of 14. I'd rather be able to say I played every game rather than simulating dozens just to ensure I complete a season. It also adds drama and makes each game feel very important for seeding and playoff implications. If the NFL can be exciting with so few games, the NBA can too.

The Kings' record in the two seasons were 5-9 and then 10-4, which was good for the 2nd seed in the Western Conference and the Kings' first playoff appearance in...a long time. The Kings lost to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

Alright, that should be all the introductory information that's needed. Post your thoughts if you're intrigued by the premise here. Thanks for reading!

[Jordigriffin]

Very interested, Fox was my favorite rookie this draft after Frank Ntilikina (You caught me i like europeans) so im super excited to see if he has a MVP caliber season in him.

One question though how is his jumper now? Since it was his most inconistent attribute coming out of this draft class.

[Byrne]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jordigriffin

Very interested, Fox was my favorite rookie this draft after Frank Ntilikina (You caught me i like europeans) so im super excited to see if he has a MVP caliber season in him. One question though how is his jumper now? Since it was his most inconistent attribute coming out of this draft class.

He's no Stephen Curry by any stretch but he has developed his jumper considerably in his first two seasons. He shot nearly 40% from 3 in year two, and I suspect he'll hover around that number most of his career.

[Byrne]

Week 1 Matchup Preview: Lakers @ Kings

The first matchup of the season should be a great one as budding rivals De'Aaron Fox and Lonzo Ball face off. Ball averaged 15.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, and 8.9 apg last season as he continued his rise among the NBA as one of the most versatile point guards around. A major story to watch this season is whether Brandon Ingram can finally put together a strong season, as last season he was highly inefficient in posting just 7.6 ppg.

[Byrne]

Kings down Lakers behind all-around team performance

The Kings got double digit scoring out of 7 different players as they beat the Lakers 118-101. DeAaron Fox had a subdued yet efficient 20 points on 9-13 shooting. Bogdanovic led the team in scoring with 23 points, perhaps signalling a return to form from his disappointing production last year. Harry Giles posted a 13 point, 13 rebound double-double but was relatively quiet. The Kings didn't need their star young players to put up huge numbers in this one, as the Lakers were simply outmatched top to bottom. Lonzo Ball posted 15 and 9 but was generally outplayed by Fox. Ingram led the Lakers in scoring, giving fans hope he can still become a star in this league.

The Kings head to LA to play the Clippers for their second game of this young season.

[Byrne]

Fox scores 38 as Kings obliterate Clippers

In what was a very one-sided contest, the Kings dominated the Clippers 124-78 to improve to 2-0. DeAaron Fox scored a career-high 38 points on a very efficient 16-24 shooting. Giles backed him up with an 18/11 double-double. Sacramento shot a ridiculous 62% as a team, as they continue to establish themselves as one of the premier offensive teams in the NBA. The Clippers appeared helpless, as their freefall continues since Chris Paul left.

Sacramento will face the Dallas Mavericks next week, one of the bottom teams in the NBA. Another blowout could be imminent.

[Byrne]

Kings roll again , improve to 3-0

The dynamic combo of DeAaron Fox and Harry Giles dominated again as the Kings kept their perfect start intact. Through their first three games the Kings have won with an average margin of victory of 30.6 points. Dallas appeared outmatched at nearly every position. Dwyane Wade and Harrison Barnes had horrible shooting nights for the Mavericks, going a combined 8-29. Fox's 35 points, 13 assist double-double places his firmly in the MVP conversation. Giles had one of the best nights of his career, with 25 and 15 on a highly efficient 11-14 shooting.

The Kings face one of their first real tests of the year when they travel to Golden State in week 4.