The way the Kings’ commentators were going on about Nik Stauskas’ confidence, I have to think that he’s currently in a pretty bad mental state. His recent DNP’s and the trade rumors swirling like a tempest around him can’t help.
It also doesn’t help that every time he makes a shot they say something like “It’s so good to see that from Nik Stauskas”, like he needs to be positively reinforced for every little thing. That would be the worst thing for confidence; the constant buoying of your ego by everyone around you.
His recent healthy scratches had me thinking he was on the move for sure, and he might be a better fit in a team without Ty Corbin as coach. But giving up on a lottery pick this early into a career is only rarely justified, and if he gets moved at this point, it would be equivalent to the Kings management sending out a press release with the header “We have no idea what we are doing at all”.
Actually, they’ve already sent out that one. Multiple times.