Behind the Bucks Pass
Fansided

NBA Free Agency 2017 Player Profile: Ben McLemore

By Ti Windisch

Apr 11, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore (23) during the second quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 11, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore (23) during the second quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Nov 8, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore (23) attempts to save the ball from going out of bounds during the fourth quarter of the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center. The Sacramento Kings defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 102-94. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 8, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore (23) attempts to save the ball from going out of bounds during the fourth quarter of the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center. The Sacramento Kings defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 102-94. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /

Weaknesses

McLemore has the three part of three-and-D down. The and-D part is lacking. He doesn’t record defensive counting statistics (blocks and steals) or make much of an impact on Sacramento’s defensive rating as a team, but his other advanced stats don’t paint a pretty picture.

At 6’5″, McLemore is too short to play small forward in the NBA. Unfortunately for him, he lacks the ball-handling ability to be a combo guard either. That leaves him stuck in a shooting guard box, which is not a good place to be in a league that loves position-less basketball.

In his fourth season as the seventh overall pick, these per game statistics for McLemore are not glamorous: 8.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.0 turnovers and 6.9 shots in 19.3 minutes per game.

Those minutes per game might be as disheartening as anything else. The Kings, a team who are decidedly not good at basketball compared to other NBA teams, found less minutes for McLemore this season than they did last season, and found less minutes last season than the one before.

That’s not a great sign for a young player, especially one that has the most coveted skill in the NBA right now. Teams are clamoring to find shooters. Ben McLemore has a shot, but Sacramento didn’t even want to bother not matching a contract in restricted free agency.

Home/Bucks Free Agency