Fansided

NBA: 10 under the radar players to look out for in 2015-16

By Tom West

Dec 30, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans point guard Tyreke Evans (1) celebrates with teammate point guard Jrue Holiday (11) after hitting a shot to take the lead with 1.2 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the New Orleans Arena. The Pelicans defeated the Trail Blazers 110-108. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans point guard Tyreke Evans (1) celebrates with teammate point guard Jrue Holiday (11) after hitting a shot to take the lead with 1.2 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the New Orleans Arena. The Pelicans defeated the Trail Blazers 110-108. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
9 of 11
Next
Feb 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) dunks the ball during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Kings won 109-95. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) dunks the ball during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Kings won 109-95. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

Rudy Gay

There aren’t many 21.1 point per game scorers that no one talks about in the NBA, but Rudy Gay of the Sacramento Kings is one of them.

At 6’8″ with a 7’3″ wingspan and tremendous athleticism, Gay has the physical tools to be an elite perimeter defender. Either by using that length to bother smaller power forwards or by diving into passing lanes, Gay should be able to have more of an impact defensively than he has during his career. Though seeing as that hasn’t been the case so far, Gay is often overlooked due to being perceived as a one-way player.

Yes, he’s never reached his defensive potential, but there are other areas of the game where Gay excels and rarely receives any credit for doing so. He was somewhat of a star during his tenure with the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 19.3 points from 2007 to 2013. Yet since being traded to the Toronto Raptors and then the Sacramento Kings, Gay has never been able to bring his new teams to contention.

However, his offensive performance reached a new level last season.

Gay averaged 21.1 points per game on 45.5 percent shooting while making 35.9 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. It was the highest scoring output of his nine year career, but no one gave him a second glance as the Kings lacked the overall talent to win more than 29 games.

As Sacramento look to move forward with the force that is DeMarcus Cousins and a questionable new point guard in Rajon Rondo, the outlook for Gay’s 2015-16 season is uncertain. If he and Rondo are able to gel together and connect on offense, Gay can put up 20 points a game with ease. If the experiment with Rondo doesn’t work, though (much like it failed in Dallas), Gay could face a slight decline.

Now, it’s up to him to try and step his game up at both ends of the floor to help lead the Kings away from the depths of the Western Conference. He has the talent, now he just needs to right situation for him to elevate his game even further.

Next: Al Jefferson

Home/Charlotte Hornets