DeMar DeRozan wasn’t the only acquisition the Kings made yesterday. Adrian Wojnarowski reported last night that the Kings also signed free agent guard Jordan McLaughlin to a one-year deal. McLaughlin had spent the last five seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves where he sported career averages of 4.4 points, 3.1 assists and 1.6 rebounds in about 15.4 minutes a game.
McLaughlin is a true point guard who rarely turns the ball over. Last season he posted 110 assists to just 19 turnovers, a 5.7 to 1 ratio. For his career he’s at about a 4.3 to 1 assist to turnover ratio. McLaughlin has also shown decent shooting touch from outside, shooting 36.9% from three for his career. Last season he shot an astounding 47.2% from three, which seems like a big outlier considering the year before he was at just 30.8%. Still, teams will have to respect his shot.
Defensively, McLaughlin is a bit small at 6’0 but he posted a decent steal rate and defensive rating with the Wolves. The Wolves, the best defensive team in the league last season, were better defensively with McLaughlin on the floor, although it should probably be factored in that McLaughlin saw much more time against opposing team’s second and third string units.
McLaughlin’s signing puts the Kings at 13 roster spots with two more left to fill. The Kings still need some frontcourt help so look for them to address that over the remainder of the offseason.
