Nik Stauskas knows teams will attack him on defense because he’s white

ByWes Goldberg|

Oct 5, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Louis Williams (23) drives past Sacramento Kings guard Nik Stauskas (10) during the second half at Rogers Arena. The Toronto Raptors won 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

Nik Stauskas knows teams will attack him on defense because he’s white.

The NBA is an evolving league and now, in the era of SportsVU and advanced analytics, we are starting to understand a little more about what makes the league tick–how teams best utilize their strengths and attack weaknesses in their opponents. Some things are quite obvious, like teams that shoot more three-pointers tend to score more points. Or teams that shoot fewer mid-range jumpers tend to have more efficient offenses.

More from NBA

The Sacramento Kings drafted former Michigan guard and knock-down three-point shooter Nik Stauskas with the No. 8 pick in this year’s NBA draft. Many thought the was too high, but the selection reflects just how important three-point shooting is to teams.

And just like how his shooting skills are obvious, so is another thing. From The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Jones

"“I understand that I’m a rookie and I’m white, so people are going to attack me at all times,” he said. “Just coming out there in the game, I felt it right away.”"

Accurate.

For one, I believe there is some truth to what he says. After all, it isn’t all that often someone pulls the white card, but in the NBA (where white players are in the minority) it tends to happen more often. Look, Nik Stauskas is not a good defender. I have no idea whether or not that has to do with race–I’m a blogger not a scientist, after all–but it’s the truth.

You and I know something to be true, though. The most athletic guys in the NBA are not white. The best defenders in the NBA are not white. In fact, in Sports Illustrated’s NBA’s top 20 players, only three are white and two of them (Kevin Love and Dirk Nowitzki) suck at defense (the third is Marc Gasol, an awesome defender but he plays very different position than Stauskas).

And to those who are uncomfortable with his comments, I’ll let ProBasketballTalk’s Dan Feldman take it from here:

"So, to anyone significantly upset by what Stauskas said or the conditions that led him to saying it, I have one question: Is your outrage real or do you just believe you should care? If you’re legitimately outraged, great, you’re entitled. But I suspect that doesn’t apply to many."

I’m with you, Dan.

More from FanSided