Isaiah Thomas started 62 games at point guard for the Kings last season, but with an average of just 4.6 assists in 26.9 minutes per game, he’s someone who has looked to score first rather than distribute to others.
With the Kings making DeMarcus Cousins the face of the franchise, you can bet that they’ll want him to be the focal point of the offense, as well. Sacramento traded for Greivis Vasquez this summer in hopes of getting more pure point guard play to get guys like Cousins and first round draft pick Ben McLemore the ball in positions to score.
Thomas, however, hopes that he’ll at least have a shot to show new head coach Mike Malone that he’s capable of remaining the starter.
From Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld:A case can be made for either player to be the starting point guard in Sacramento so new Kings head coach Mike Malone will have a tough decision on his hands. One thing is certain: Thomas isn’t going to lose his starting job without putting up a fight.
“Hopefully the position will be up for competition,” Thomas told HOOPSWORLD in a phone interview. “If it is, I’m going to be battling each and every practice, each and every workout, whatever. At the end of the day, we are teammates – myself, Greivis Vasquez, Ray McCallum and Jimmer Fredette – we’re teammates, but at the same time we’re competing too. At the end of the day, this a competition and I am going for that starting spot because I do feel like I’m a starting point guard in this league. I think the competition is going to make each of us better and make sure we’re competing every day in practice. We’re going to work hard.”
McCallum was very impressive at Summer League in Las Vegas, to the point where the Kings’ second round pick earned himself a multi-year contract.
Thomas will still command minutes, but they’ll likely come in a reserve role. If Vasquez is able to duplicate his production from a season ago where he averaged nine assists per game for New Orleans, that’s going to be a more viable option at the starting point guard spot for the Kings, given the rest of the players on the roster.