Sacramento Kings’ Rudy Gay increasing his value

After a terrible start, the Toronto Raptors shipped forward Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings. Gay has been criticized for his inefficiency but he was a much more efficient player in Sacramento and played much better after the deal.

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As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors points out, Gay had an excellent season after the trade.

"Gay’s partial season in Sacramento was as successful a campaign as any he’s had in the NBA. Traditional stats like scoring, assists and shooting percentage went up, as did his PER and win shares per 48 minutes as he eschewed long-range looks for shots closer to the basket, as I detailed this spring. The Kings were more porous defensively in terms of points per possession when Gay was on the floor, as NBA.com shows, but he more than made up for that with his offensive contributions."

If Gay continues to play well, his value will continue to rise and he can get the giant max contract he desires following the season.

Gay averaged 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 45.5% from the field, 33.0% from beyond the arc and 82.2% from the free throw line. In his eight-year career, the eighth-overall pick of the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft has played for the Kings, Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies and has put up 18.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 45.1% from the field, 34.2% from three and 78.4% from the charity stripe.

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