Dwayne Dedmon Would Be A Great Buy For The Sacramento Kings
For the Sacramento Kings, this year’s free agent class is going to be a doozie. They are in the market for a few upgrades. One these needs is a Center. The team has expressed interest in Orlando Magic big man, Nikola Vucevic. However, he’s not the best value on the market.
Signing Vucevic to a max deal might not be the smartest move on Vlade Divac’s off-season list. At half the cost, Sacramento could sign Dwayne Dedmon. He’s everything the Kings lacked this year. Dedmon is an aggressive offensive rebounder, he puts out a consistent effort and can defend the rim. That’s far more than what Wille Cauley-Stein contributed.
The 29-year-old Dedmon is one of the more underappreciated players in the NBA. You will not be amazed by his stats ( 10.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.1 BPG). That’s not what he makes his money on, though. He’s a much more efficient defender at the rim. Unlike Cauley-Stein, Dedmon doesn’t take plays off. He’s guaranteed to be affecting every shot that comes his way.
Going off of defensive rating, Dedmon doesn’t have the rating of some of the other starting NBA Centers. However, he excels on defense around the rim. You’ll see a big difference when comparing Dedmon to WCS. Opponents shoot 2.8 percent better at the rim when Cauley-Stein is defending. Opponents shoot 5.2 percent worse when being defended by Dedmon.
Dedmon can play within the Sacramento Kings system. Luke Walton will continue Dave Joerger’s running, fastbreak style of play. The Kings ranked 3rd in the NBA in pace with at 103.89. The Atlanta Hawks (Dedmon’s current team) ranked 1st at 104.62. He knows how to play in a fast-paced offense. This means Dedmon won’t be lost in the shuffle. One thing Cauley-Stein did well was run the court with the team. Dedmon won’t slack in that department.
The Sacramento Kings have a severe need for size. Marvin Bagley and Harry Giles are undersized. Dwayne Dedmon will give Sacramento what they need at the center position. He’s not a dominating big man by any means. However, at half the price of Vucevic, he’ll be more than useful.
Image Source: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Daniel is a guru of baseball and basketball prospects. He’s a very experienced Amusement Park traveler as well. Follow him and his hot takes on Insta @dgentleman9288
