BY THE NUMBERS:
11 – Career-high rebounds for Sacre vs. San Antonio on March 19; the Gonzaga product snagged at least 10 boards on three other occasions.
65 – Games played for Sacre during his second season in L.A., as his minutes also increased from 6.3 per game to 16.8.
69.0 – Percentage of field goals made by Sacre in the restricted area, up from 50.0 percent in a small sample size during his rookie season.
SEASON SUMMARY:
In his second season in the NBA, the No. 60 overall pick in 2012 showed improvements in many aspects of his game. Consistently lauded for his work ethic, Sacre earned more minutes from the coaching staff, even with three other bigs ahead of him on the depth chart at the beginning of the year. With increased playing time primarily off the bench, Sacre showed a more polished offensive repertoire that included a jump hook and mid-range jumper. Sacre converted on 63.3 percent of his attempts from less than five feet and made 35 shots from 10 feet and out, up from 42.9 percent and four during his rookie campaign. On the other end of the floor, coach Mike D'Antoni constantly praised Sacre's energy and effort, going so far as to call him the team's best defensive player. Sacre showed steady improvement during his two seasons in L.A., and as one of three players under contract next season, will hope to continue his progression.
IN HIS WORDS:
(On what he learned most from this season): “That I belong. Sometimes it’s tough for coaches to deal with players that don’t know where they fit in this league. I showed that I belong and I feel like I can fit in this system.”
by Trevor Wong