As the Kings revamped their roster this offseason - adding 8 new faces between the draft and free-agency, the purple and black stacked up one of the youngest teams in the NBA. With so many players lacking professional experience, the Sacramento front office saw a need for veterans to guide the way for the future of the organization.
To fill the roles, Vlade Divac and staff signed George Hill, Zach Randolph and Vince Carter, who have a collective 44 years of NBA experience. This also gives the home team depth at a few different positions and mentorship matches made in heaven with De’Aaron Fox and Frank Mason III apprenticing under Hill, Justin Jackson under Carter and Harry Giles under Randolph.
The week Carter signed with the Kings he also jumped head first into his new role with the team - helping on the bench during the squad’s second Summer League game. During the first half, he also joined the NBATV broadcast team to talk about his more specific goals for the upcoming season.
“It’s funny, as soon as I was announced, Justin [Jackson] texted me immediately and said, ‘Hey I’m ready to learn, let’s get to work,’” said VC when asked about the team’s trajectory. “I like being around young guys that are thirsty to learn and get better.”
Changing the team’s culture has been a huge topic of conversation surrounding Sacramento this offseason and the 40-year-old spoke about his unique methods. “As veterans, that’s where we come in, when we see them slacking we’re like, ‘Hey man [do] you know what people think about you? [Do] you know how you’re perceived?’” said Carter with a clear sense of urgency. “We’re here to change that culture and that’s why I think they brought us in as veterans – I’m ready to get to work.”
Setting achievable goals for himself and the team for next season is a key for Carter, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. “Maybe we don’t win games all the time, but our mentality is going to be [the right] way – it’s the approach that guys need to learn.”
As the upcoming season approaches, the anticipation will only continue to build. But as far as Vince Carter is concerned, you’ll be looking at a very different Kings team come that time if he has anything to say about it.
Watch the full video below.