Sacramento Kings: 15 greatest scorers in franchise history
The Kings have had a plethora of incredible scorers since their origin in Rochester. Here are the 15 best scorers in Sacramento Kings franchise history.
The Kings franchise began back in 1923 in Rochester, New York as the Rochester Seagrams. Name changes to the Royals and Kings and moves to Cincinnati, Kansas City and Sacramento over the years has culminated in the Sacramento Kings.
Since 1985, the Kings have been the pride of the California central valley, so much so that the city and team fans fought tooth and nail to keep the team from relocating to Seattle to become presumably the second incarnation of the SuperSonics.
Legends of the sport have suited up for the Kings/Royals with Oscar Robertson, Tiny Archibald and more all playing multiple seasons for the franchise. Where they ultimately land on this ranking of best scorers in team history?
It is hard to rank players from different eras, as we have seen such a dramatic change in the way the game of basketball is played. However, we gave it our best shot by collecting statistics like total points scored, points per game, field-goal percentages and more.
Also, the length of time spent with the team carries a lot of weight here and 50-point performances gave some players a bit of a boost.
Without any further ado, here are the 15 greatest scorers in Kings/Royals franchise history.
(2004-10). player. 84. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. SG. Kevin Martin. 15
One of my personal favorite Kings players growing up was Kevin Martin. His unorthodox shooting motion and incredible athleticism made him an incredible player to watch during his six-season stint with Sacramento.
Drafted by the Kings at the end of the first round in 2004, the Western Carolina product spent the first half of his 12-year career in Sacramento. His rookie season was uneventful, but Martin turned on the jets in year two and didn’t look back. In the 2005-06 NBA season, Martin averaged 10.8 points per game on an impressive 48.0 shooting percentage.
In his next four seasons, Martin averaged 20.2, 23.7, 24.6 and 20.6 points per game, respectively. During his stay with Sacramento, Martin maintained a 44.9 field-goal percentage and scored 5,660 total points.
That mark of 5,660 points is only 24th all time in franchise history, but he didn’t even play a complete six seasons for the team before being involved in a three-team trade that landed him with the Houston Rockets.
Had Martin spent more time with the franchise, who knows how high he would have finished on this ranking and how far he would have ascended the Kings’ record books?
Martin had one, nearly two, 50-point performance with the Kings on April 1, 2009, against the Golden State Warriors. He scored 48 in the next season against the Memphis Grizzlies, narrowly missing the 50 point mark. Martin was an exciting player that could turn any play into a scoring opportunity whose stint with the team was unfortunately cut short by trade.