Sacramento Kings: All-Decade Team for the 2010’s
By Allen Settle
SF: Rudy Gay
Rudy Gay’s tenure with the Kings from 2013-2017 produced some of the best scoring numbers of any player from the 2010s. While he was never able to make an All-Star team, Gay provided the team with a go-to scorer and closer.
In hindsight, the Kings’ trade to acquire Rudy Gay was a great move for the franchise. None of the four players the team sent to Toronto (Greivis Vásquez, John Salmons, Chuck Hayes, and Patrick Patterson) became difference makers at the NBA level.
The former UConn star maintained averages of 19.3 points, 1.3 steals, and 6.0 rebounds per game on 46% shooting. During the 2014-2015 season, Gay set a new career-high at 21.1 points per game.
The star’s scoring ability was on full display during a 2014 regular-season game when Gay tied a career-high with 41 points to lead Sacramento to a victory.
While the Gay’s tenure with the Kings ended in tragic fashion when he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in his left knee during an early-season matchup against the Indiana Pacers, he should be considered amongst the best players to suit up for the team over the past decade.
Honorable Mention: Omri Casspi