5 reasons Sacramento Kings fans should have hope

3. Skal Labissiere is looking like a steal

Skal Labissiere has overcame adversity in his young life. Born and raised in Haiti, his family’s home collapsed on them during the Haitian earthquakes of 2010 and they were trapped in the wreckage. Though they all survived the tragedy, his family suffered significant losses and the young Labissiere moved to Memphis to pursue his athletic career. He blossomed in the United States and became a five star recruit in the class of 2015. Labissiere committed to Kentucky with Anthony Davis comparisons abound.

Labissiere showed that he had definite NBA skills at a young age. He was expected to be a high draft pick coming out of high school because of his tools as a springy 6-goot-11 athlete with excellent length and pure form on his jump shot. Kentucky is where Labissiere’s inexperience and warts as a player were shown: he often seemed to lack intensity and was muscled easily by stronger players. He only managed slightly over 15 minutes per game for the Wildcats as his stocked slipped throughout the season. He lasted in the draft until the 28th pick, where the Kings selected him.

Labissiere has received more minutes following Demarcus Cousins’ departure after playing infrequently beforehand. In the Kings four games following the Cousins trade, Labissiere has averaged 8.5 points on 57.7 percent shooting and 6.8 rebounds in only 16.5 minutes per game. He received his first career start against the Nets this past Wednesday, a reward for strong play. Labissiere is still a work in progress, but he is showing that he could emerge as a Serge Ibaka like player for the Kings in the future.