5 Way-Too-Early Predictions for the Sacramento Kings’ 2015-16 Season

By Casey Sherman

5 Way-Too-Early Predictions for the Sacramento Kings’ 2015-16 Season

George Karl DeMarcus Cousins — There's a ton going on with the Kings this year; the amount of roster turnover and chaos probably warrants 15 predictions. Here are the top five of mine, though.

5. Rajon Rondo Rebuilds His Reputation

Rajon Rondo

5. Rajon Rondo Rebuilds His Reputation

Rajon Rondo — I was never a huge Rondo guy, but the perception of him in the media has swung way too far in the negative direction. Yeah, he had some attitude problems in Dallas. But poor basketball fits and losing tend to bring out those problems, and not vice versa. Rondo needs shooters next to him, and went as far as requesting the Kings sign a shooter (who ended up being Marco Belinelli). He's stated that he wants to be on the Kings, and controls his fate.

4. Willie Cauley-Stein Will Be One of the Most Impactful Rookies

Willie Cauley-Stein

4. Willie Cauley-Stein Will Be One of the Most Impactful Rookies

Willie Cauley-Stein — WCS is really getting slept on here, perhaps because he's not a go-to scorer and thus didn't put up gaudy Summer League stats like some other rookies. Make no mistake: Cauley-Stein is an absolute game-changer with his speed at 7-foot, and will be awesome on defense for DeMarcus Cousins.

3. Rudy Gay has an All-Star Caliber Season

Rudy Gay Sacramento Kings

3. Rudy Gay has an All-Star Caliber Season

Rudy Gay Sacramento Kings — We know Cousins is going to be dominant, so the play of Gay as a second option is probably what will or won't push the Kings over the top. He's been sneakily effective as a King, averaging 20.6 PPG on 47/34/85 shooting over 123 games. He also posted a career-best 3.7 APG in 2013-14; perhaps this is the year he gets his first All-Star selection.

2. Cousins/Karl Awkwardness Will Surface During First Few Games

DeMarcus Cousins George Karl

2. Cousins-Karl Awkwardness Will Surface During First Few Games

DeMarcus Cousins George Karl — It's the offseason; everyone's mood is rosy and there's nothing to quarrel over. Even in training camp and preseason, I doubt the Cousins-Karl tension (if, indeed, it's a big problem) will be exposed too harshly as not much is at stake. It's going to take regular season action to truly take the temperature on this delightfully contentious player-coach pairing; so all I can say is this: get out your popcorn for opening day.

1. Kings Win 50 Games

Sacramento Kings Vlade Divac

1. Kings Win 50 Games

Sacramento Kings Vlade Divac — There it is. There's playoff talent on this roster, both from a star power and depth perspective; Vlade Divac has done a great job putting Cousins and co. in a position to succeed. Whether they do that or whether they collapse under their own chaos remains to be seen, but if the roster jells, this isn't merely a "fight for the No. 8 seed" team. It's a roster that can do some real damage next season.

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Sacramento Kings

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