Carl Landry Will Be a Solid Addition to the Sacramento Kings
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
This offseason, the Sacramento Kings made a wise decision in bringing back power forward Carl Landry on a four-year deal worth $26 million. Landry is considered a very good character guy and a locker room leader, something the Kings are in dire need of.
Landry is a very good option coming off the bench, with his offensive prowess and efficient shooting in the paint. Averaging 11.9 PPG and 5.3 RPG over his career, Landry can provide a spark off the bench in relief of starters DeMarcus Cousins and Jason Thompson. Playing for the Golden State Warriors last year, Landry averaged 10.8 PPG and 6 RPG.
I have extremely high hopes for Landry this season. He could be a guy to put in words of wisdom into Cousins’ ears. His influence, in my opinion, should not be overlooked. People who carry themselves well and do well gather respect. If a guy like Landry can get the Kings locker room behind him, it’ll make coach Mike Malone’s job that much easier. At the end of the day, to make it in the NBA, you have to perform well–and I think Landry can help the team move on from its recent malaise.
Landry plays well in the paint. He has a good jumper and great athleticism that helps him finish at the rim. At 6’9″, Landry is a little undersized as a power forward, but he uses his quickness to get around bigger defenders and gets open jumpers.
His weakness comes in his inability to find a killer pass. A player with his jump shot and quickness gets enough attention to free up another teammate for an easy lay-up. The problem is he is ill-equipped to be a good passer. His lack of height in the paint also lends to his rebounding problems at times, but he tends to overcome his shortcomings over the period of the game. Overall, Landry is a better than average player who–on a team like the Kings–can help make his teammates better.
The Kings have done well to shore up their big men. They have Thompson, Luc Mbah a Moute, Patrick Patterson along with Landry who are good scorers and decent rebounders. This depth should come in handy over the grueling 82 game season, where injuries are commonplace.
Kings fans have a lot to be thankful for this off-season: the new ownership, new proposed arena, and a better overall roster. If you would have told a Kings fan back in April that this is where they would be going into next season, they would definitely be elated.
The Kings are finally building a team the right way. They are bringing in great veteran teammates and drafting good solid basketball players. This team won’t start competing overnight, but the foundation is being laid.