There's a new number one in the power rankings, but it's not what you expect.
The power rankings have been thrown into complete disarray. Every time I was about to publish an update, a trade would drop. I figured I'd be able to write an update today adding in our newest acquisitions, but Greivis Vasquez's visa issues threw that out the window.
But it's been too long. The last power rankings still included Luc Mbah a Moute,for crying out loud. So we're charging forward and, like the Kings, we're dressing 10 guys here. Until they are officially on the roster for games, I won't be including Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy, or Aaron Gray.
1. DeMarcus Cousins (Previous rank: 1)
DeMarcus Cousins hurt the team against the Jazz by getting into early foul trouble, but was still one of two Kings who actually showed up for the game. Cousins points totals for the last 6 games are 25, 24, 20, 28, 32, and 21. He's been a monster. I'd like to see him getting double digit rebounds more often, but 19 rebounds against Dallas was really impressive. Overall, Cousins is absolutely showing he's worth a max extension.
1. Isaiah Thomas (Previous rank: 2)
I'm calling it a tie. I can no longer justify ranking Isaiah Thomas behind anyone, but I can't yet rank him ahead of Cousins. The Pizza Guy has been spectacular. Isaiah's play is a big reason the Kings could feel comfortable trading away Greivis Vasquez. And all Isaiah did in his first game as a starter was drop 24 points and a career-high 12 assists. The last four games Isaiah has posted assist totals of 9, 8, 12, and 7. Considering his career average is 4.2 per game, 5.7 per 36 minutes, I'm pretty happy with those totals. Here's hoping he can keep it up with his increased minutes.
3. Derrick Williams (Previous rank: N/A)
Is Derrick Williams a perfect player? No. Is he a fun player? Hell yes. I think it's safe to say that Thrilly D Williams has already exceeded every expectation we had following his acquisition. His alley-oop chemistry with Isaiah Thomas has been a joy to watch, and these guys haven't been teammates very long. And Derrick Williams is the third youngest player on the roster. He's a month older than Ray McCallum. I'm excited.
4. Jason Thompson (Previous Rank: 9)
JT has struggled to start this season, but regained a bit of his consistency over the past week or so. He's back to giving around 10 points and 5 rebounds per game. He still need to get better, but with the Kings current lack of depth he finds himself fourth.
5. Ben McLemore (Previous Rank: 4)
McLemore has struggled with his shot and his consistency. He's had some really fun scoring outbursts, and I really enjoy watching him play, but the inconsistency is really frustrating. As Akis mentioned in his recap of the Jazz loss, McLemore is being thrown to the fire because our other shooting guards are so atrocious. It's not Ben's fault, and I see enough good things that I'm not worried about him long term, but I can't place him any higher than this. Actually, the fact that he's even this high tells you just how shallow the Kings depth chart is right now.
6. Travis Outlaw (Previous Rank: 5)
Outlaw hasn't produced much lately, but also has had an odd lack of opportunity. Before the Williams and Gay trades, Outlaw often looked like the team's best small forward. He fell out of the rotation for Mbah a Moute, John Salmons, and then Derrick Williams. With Rudy Gay and Quincy Acy joining the fold, it'll be interesting to see what happens to Outlaw's minutes going forward.
7. Jimmer Fredette (Previous Rank: 8)
7-10 on this list are pretty interchangeable. They are all guys who haven't done much lately, despite opportunities to do so. It's incredibly frustrating watching players being given an opportunity and failing to do anything with it. Jimmer gets the 7th spot strictly because he had a decent game against the Jazz.
8. Hamady N'Diaye (Previous Rank: 12)
The Comedy Ninja gets the nod because he's at least filling his expected role. Sure, it would be great if he was a better player, but he's at least meeting our expectations for him.
9. Marcus Thornton (Previous Rank: 7)
I really considered putting Thornton dead last on this list. It's so frustrating to see how far he's fallen. I'm not going to pretend I understand what's going on with him. I'm not going to try to interpret body language. I'm just going to say he's been a massive disappointment this year.
10. Ray McCallum (Previous Rank: N/A)
I was really hoping McCallum would do a little more with his opportunity over the past couple of games. With Vasquez gone, it seemed like McCallum would get the nod as the backup point guard. Instead, McCallum saw 7 total minutes of floor time against Dallas and Utah, and finished with a combined stat line of two points, 25% FG, one rebound, zero assists, and one turnover. Certainly not writing the kid off yet, but I'd hoped for a little more.
