National Post (National Edition)
Stauskas’ game rises out of NBA basement
Some NBA rookies are lucky enough to enter the league in good situations. Think Norm Powell and Josh Richardson in Toronto and Miami a year ago, respectively.
They were able to become valuable pieces on strong playoff squads.
Others might get buried on a good team’s bench, or worse, catching splinters on a bad one.
For Nik Stauskas, his NBA introduction was in about as tough and environment as one can get.
Sacramento, in the midst of a long playoff-less run, led by a bumbling front office and ownership group, had replaced the Los Angeles Clippers of the 1990s as the leagues’ laughing-stock franchise. The team let ESPN go behind the scenes during the 2014 draft process, culminating in the selection of Stauskas, a Mississauga, Ont., native with the No. 8 pick. The reigning Big Ten Conference player of the year was now the latest would-be saviour for a squad that had picked another shooting guard — Ben McLemore — with the No. 7 selection only a year earlier.
The team continued to flounder, McLemore was handed the starting gig and Stauskas’ lethal jump shot did not carry over from Michigan amid all of the commotion.
Instead of showing patience, the Kings acted like, well, the Kings, and made one of the most bizarre deals of recent memory, sending Stauskas to Philadelphia in a salary dump along with two other players. Not only did the Kings give up on a top-10 pick early, the franchise also gifted Philadelphia its 2019 first round pick and gave the Sixers the right to swap firsts this year.
Stauskas entered Monday’s game against his hometown Raptors averaging 10.2 points on 52-per-cent shooting from the field, including 44.6 per cent on three-pointers, tied for 10th in the NBA with Kevin Durant.
He had hit at least a pair of threepointers in seven-straight games, making 49 per cent of his attempts.
Raptors head coach Dwane Casey isn’t surprised to see Stauskas has emerged in Year 3.
“It’s an unforgiving league, nobody is going to feel sorry for you, they’re going to try to take your spirit, take whatever you have from you and (Stauskas and the Sixers) are going to be better players going through this, once they get through this, keep their confidence. Stauskas is shooting the ball really well now, I think he’s shooting 44 per cent from the three. He’s an NBA shooter,” Casey said.