When the Sacramento Kings signed Zach Randolph during the offseason, he was easily thought of as the veteran who can serve as a locker room leader of the young team. However, he has proved that he can play more than that role for them, as he has been playing well in his eight starts this season.
The development has made him one of the most important players on their roster. He is enjoying his leadership role, embracing how he gets to teach the young guns on the Kings roster about being consummate professionals. Randolph recently discussed what he's been telling them, via Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee, where he made it known that setting the tempo of games is what he's preaching.
“I’ve just been telling the young guys that the main thing is to hit the other guys first,” Randolph said. “You hit first, you draw the most force. That sets the tenor, the physical nature of the game. We have been missing some of that.”
The former two-time All-Star also added how much he loves the Kings, and gave a lot of credit to their front office for bringing in a lot of talented players to their fold.
“Man, I love this team, this organization. I’m a people person. These kids all have great character. They (front office) did a good job. The talent level is off the roof, with (De’Aaron) Fox, Bogi, Skal, Buddy (Hield), Justin (Jackson), Willie. I call them ‘The Franchises.’ ”
The Kings may only have a 2-8 record to show 10 games into the season, but they are coming off a huge win against the heavily favored Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. Randolph had a solid game, recording 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals, leading the way for his team to pull off the upset. He is expected to continue being their mentor on and off the court, and the good news is Z-Bo is more than willing to be just that for the Kings.
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