The 8th overall pick Nik Stauskas came to the NBA Summer League with some doubts in people's minds. The Kings made a bold move selecting Stauskas 8th, and while he's an incredible shooter and underrated athletically, it seemed like the Kings overstocked on shooters. Sacramento already had Ben McLemore.
However, Stauskas showed a few things here and there that can make Kings fans happy. “He has a great feel for the game, he made some good plays for himself tonight and for his teammates, he can shoot the ball (and) he can get to the rim.” Kings head coach Michael Malone said.“I think Nik is going to be a (great) player.”
Stauskas final stat-line against the Spurs (33 MIN, 14 PTS, 4-9 FG, 1-1 3FG, 6-7 FT, 3 AST, 0 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 3 TO) showed some promise for the Kings. What's more, Stauskas' defense throughout the summer league has not been as bad as scouted. Scouts wondered what larger bodies and faster players would do, but Stauskas seems to handle it up to par. He is a highly underrated player athletically.
The Kings still may use McLemore in a trade. Rumors going around are of possibly trade talks with the Pistons F Josh Smith. Stauskas looks to bring a great evolution to the roster with his great shooting ability (on and off screens) as well as hustle on the defensive end.