The Sacramento Kings. A franchise with deep history and the providers of some of the greatest players, plays, and fans the NBA has ever seen.
That was circa 2001. The Kings now have a very different vibe.
The Kings haven’t been to the playoffs since 2006 and their one shining jewel in DeMarcus Cousins has been moved to the Pelicans. Their diverse roster of young, inexperienced young guys and some of the NBA’s oldest veterans has created an interesting dynamic. And within this dynamic, Zach Randolph has shined. No doubt in my mind: Zach Randolph is slept On.
WAIT, ISN’T HE LIKE REALLY OLD?
From an NBA standpoint, yes, he is. Randolph is 36, which is the NBA equivalent of someone in a nursing home. He has been in the league for 17 seasons which is an incredibly extensive career for anybody
of any position, rank, or skill set. He perfectly fits the stereotype of the older guy who gets the job done. For anybody who has ever played park basketball, they are probably familiar with the one guy on the court who is easily in his 40’s but manages to get every rebound, every basket, and absolutely dominate. Zach Randolph is the NBA equivalent. His IQ on the court, which has only improved with age, has allowed him to still be a consistent scorer and force on the floor despite his age and build.
RANDOLPH’S CAREER
This is the 4th time I have written about a player who is Slept On (check out the others here), but Randolph is the only one who was drafted before 2010, and is the only one who I think has been Slept On for a long time, not just this season. Zach Randolph was a MONSTER on the Portland Trailblazers in the early 2000’s and was the cornerstone of the Memphis
Grizzlies for several seasons. He has averaged over 20 PPG in 5 seasons, and only ever averaged under 10 PPG in his first two seasons in the league. He has won a Most Improved Player award, is a 2-time NBA All Star, and has even been named to an All-NBA team. Because of his abilities as a mid-range shooting and athletic 4, he has been able to maintain longevity in the league.
OK, BUT WHY IS THIS YEAR DIFFERENT?
There is no denying it, age effects athletic production. Was 2003 Michael Jordan as good as 1995 Michael Jordan? Absolutely not. It’s obvious that the older a player gets, the less athletic they are, and usually the less productive.
Not for Zach Randolph.
The first part is true, Randolph (and teammate Vince Carter) are not bouncing like they used to be. However, Zach Randolph has continually developed his scoring abilities to adapt to his body and the physicality of the NBA. He is only 6’9”, which is a medium height in the NBA, so his overwhelming height can’t be his key to success as he gets older. He instead uses his physical mass to fight down low with bigger defenders. His vast array of post moves and abilities allow him to outsmart the guys defending him as opposed to just jumping with them. His newly developed jumpshot helps too. In the 2011-2012 season, Zach Randolph shot 8.7% from three.
8.7% is pretty bad. Even considering he didn’t take a lot of threes that year. This season he is up to an above average 33% and is taking almost 8 times as many threes as he did in that miserable shooting season. This mixture of intelligence down low, his intense body size, and his new found jumper have led Randolph to be a role model for the rest of the Sacramento Kings team, and has caused him to still be a threat to defenders.
No doubt that Zach Randolph has declined a little bit. But the fact that he is still an amazing scorer and good example (at least on the court) for his teammates is why he will still be a productive player for the next couple years, and, of course, why he is:
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