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Skal Poised for Breakout Season

Following an exciting finish to Skal Labissiere’s rookie campaign, the Kings big man is ready to make an even larger impact in his sophomore season.

After spending time between the Kings and their G-League affiliate Reno Bighorns during the early parts of the season, Labissiere cracked Sacramento’s rotation in mid-February. The former Kentucky Wildcat seized his opportunity and put his talent on display during the final 26 games of the 2016-17 season - averaging 10.3 points and 5.8 rebounds across his 12 starts during that stretch.

His most eye-opening performance came against the Phoenix Suns where Labissiere erupted for 32 points and 11 rebounds, which in turn provided a clear view as to what this young player is capable of.

The impressive stretch at the tail end of his inaugural season in the Association caught the attention of many people, including Scott Rafferty of Sporting News, who touted No. 7 as one of nine players who are set to have breakout seasons in 2017-18.

“In those minutes in the back end of the season, though, Labissiere flashed some potential,” wrote Lafferty. “More importantly, the way in which Labissiere scored the bulk of his points make him a unique center in today’s NBA.”

Lafferty also cited an article by Fansided’s Ian Levy that dove into what makes Skal’s game stand out from the pack and what it could mean for the Kings as a whole.

“Labissiere’s ability to score inside and out could wind up placing him in a very unique group of offensive bigs,” Levy wrote. “Having a big who can score efficiently in a variety of scenarios allows teams more flexibility in how they build lineups and more openings for them to exploit specific defensive mismatches.”

To read Rafferty’s full list of potential breakout players, click here.

To read more about Levy’s analysis of Labissiere’s game, click here.



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