Now that the college National Championship is in the books and the NBA season is coming to a close (finally!), discussion around the NBA Draft is going to kick into high gear.
And while Sacramento Kings fans likely spend a section of their daily routine hitting the Sim Lottery button on Talkathon (there are simply too many 7th and 8th pick results lately!), the mock drafts from national media are going to start getting pushed out more frequently.
Let’s take a look at where some the latest mock drafts have the Kings picking and who they select.
The Kings take Caleb Wilson with the 4th overall pick. Nearly every mock draft over the last 3 months seems to have Wilson at 4 no matter what.
The Kings select Caleb Wilson with the 4th overall pick. Again. Huge potential, though shooting isn’t one of his top skills.
The Kings select Kingston Flemings with the 5th overall pick. Flemings seemed like a lock at 5 before March Madness in most mock drafts, but his stock seemed to slip a little over the last month or so.
The Kings select Caleb Wilson with the 4th overall pick. The third time this shows up. He averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds for North Carolina.
The Kings select Caleb Wilson with the 5th overall pick. Wilson, again but this time at 5. Kingston Flemings jumps up to 4th to the Utah Jazz. I don’t really see that happening.
Well, the mocks really seem to think Wilson is going to Sacramento. What you will notice is the Kings didn’t get a top 3 pick in any of these mock drafts. The Kings are tied with the Jazz with 21 wins. The Nets, Pacers and Wizards all have fewer wins than both.
Sacramento only has two more chances to lose this season. The Warriors on Friday and the Blazers on Sunday.
The NBA Lottery is on May 10.
If they can’t shoot (or horrible D) don’t draft them.
which is why Vivek will draft him
So who is the pick then?
Braylon Mullins, because Vivek saw the buzzer beater at the end of the UConn vs Duke game and instantly thought Mullins will be the next Chris Mullin.
This would be funny if it wasn’t so plausible.
Honestly, I don’t know enough about these guys right now. I do know the top two can shoot.
I just know that Scott Perry seems to have propensity for getting athletes can’t shoot particularly the three ball.
and Vivek doesn’t seem to value shooting nor do his GM’s as much as they should. Otherwise you would never have traded away Halliburton and brought in somebody you can’t shoot three. To pair them with a point guard who can’t shoot. Albeit be at he’s gotten better.
there’s zero reason to draft somebody that high, who can’t shoot. Scoot Henderson. Green(rockets). Etc.
Six Pillars
I currently have Flemmings ahead of WIlson on my board, and I’ll admit part of that has to do with fit and need. They both are on the same tier for me so the idea of a legit two way PG appeals to me more than a traditional 4 who struggles with the long ball. Wagler is a close 5th and could edge out Wilson after we get some combine info and more in depth scouting reports.
In the end, if there is a clear BPA on the board whenever the Kings draft, just take him. Kings need help everywhere.
Positional fit doesn’t really matter with the Kings right now. They need an upgrade at nearly every position (except Sabonis, if they choose to keep him). Like you said, just take the BPA and move on.
As TGJR (The Great Jerry Reynolds) and many of the better pundits have pointed out – the Kings need “Star Potential” – some prospect to build upon. An All-Star level prospect is great, but a “Franchise” level talent is what this team needs.
More place Caleb Wilson in that category than Kingston Flemings. And despite the negatives – I’ve seen that “franchise” level talent attached to Darius Acuff, Jr..
I really don’t follow the NCAA game anymore as my assessment of how the most talented college players succeed or fail at the NBA level has left me humbled and confused.
Like many of us, I just read pundits. I have my favorites and who doesn’t like a comparison as well?
As for the tangibles: The Kings are an awful franchise. They are headed by a “Genius” with his head firmly up his ass, a COO who believes in handing out favors over merit and substance, a GM who is enthralled with his Monday affirmations and has guided this team to a 60 loss season, and a Head Coach who is certainly nice enough, but is in place through the machinations of the idiots mentioned above (Vivek, Matina) by favoritism and affordability (Discount Doug) having shown little to inspire confidence in his abilities. And then there is the broadcast team…
I am looking forward to drafting some 19 year old and seeing where that takes them, but honestly – knowing what we know, seeing what we’ve seen – will it make any difference?
No, it won’t make any difference, especially if the the front office continues to being in has beens due to the name on the back of their jerseys.
We need to get a pool going of who the next Russ/ZBo/DDR will be on the team to take away from a youth movement. CJ McCollum? Tobias Harris? Love? Klay?
Ohhh! My money is on Klay.
Betting? You must be one of the fans the NBA desires most. There is even likely a site that takes odds and money on the lottery which is poignantly perverse. We could put some cash on Draft_Kings for the Kings draft!
Klay is the front runner. Former Warrior, and he is dating Megan Thee Stallion which is the closest Vivek could get to Drake or Jay-Z. They Not Like Us T-shirts with Kings logo on order.
Look for Taj Gibson and/or Kyle Lowry as my outside choices. There is still Chris Paul to consider, and Al Horford. Another outside choice: the return of Garrett Temple.
Fun Fact: of current active NBA players from oldest to youngest: Russ and DeMar are the 13th and 15th on the list.
The Kings have zero money to sign anyone, but Vivek would prioritize Klay Thompson in a walker if he would sign here. Al Horford, if he doesn’t retire by then. Chris Paul is a VERY serious threat to take on the Westbrook role in Sacramento next season.
AJ, Peterson, Boozer, Wilson are consensus top 4. Kings now tied for 4th. Coin flip determines 4 or 5. Kings lose flip. (if there is a 3 way tie, last years records determine tie breaker. That’s a sure fire 5th).
Two teams will jump into top 4. That means Kings 7th.
Those 4 plus Flemings, Acuff, Wagler
unless some one jumps for Ament.
Stupid fools – should not have beat Clips and Toronto.
May 10 is just a month away. Could be franchise altering, could be the shit sandwich at the end of a horrible season. Always fun being a King’s fan.
What makes you believe it could be franchise-altering, whatever the pick may be?
You need a whole lot more than just picking one top talent. You need all kinds of things the Kings rarely have shown to possess or pursue or address.
I mean what else do we have to believe in at this point?
I believe that we have to stop believing.
Oh, that little known Journey B side!
Caleb Wilson is still going to be on the board at #8? Falling knife!!!
The King’s roster is void of any young players that are potential future all-stars, besides maybe Raynaud/Keegan. So, as I see it, the Kings are not in a position to draft for fit or need, just go BPA and take the kid with the highest potential upside, which means Caleb Wilson may very well be the pick, especially if the pick ends up in that 4 to 8 range.
Dybansta is the clear prize of this draft with the highest upside, maybe luck falls the Kings way.
I’d love to see Boozer land in Indy. Hali and Boozer in the PnR game would be beautiful basketball.
Speaking of Indy, I’m assuming we Kings fans are rooting for them tonight in the great tank off against Brooklyn? I just checked the lineups and it looks like not a single starter is playing. Nets have won 2 in a row! They beat the Bucks by scoring just 96 points. Incredible.
I suppose you could hope for Indy to win their final three games and for the Nets to beat either the Bucks or the Raptors. That would create a very unlikely four-way tie for the #2 lottery slot among the Pacers, Nets, Jazz and Kings (Piserz, Nitz, Jisz and Kangz). The more likely scenario is a three-way tie for the #3 slot that would be created if the Nets beat the Pacers.
Zero percent chance of either of those players making an All Star game. Maybe Raynaud develops into a decent bench big, but Keegan is a replacement level player being used poorly by the team over the last few years.
Agreed, I was trying to be a little optimistic.
Keegan is closer to role player than all star.
Raynaud to me is still an unknown being that he’s a rookie.
Caleb is worth the pick– he appears to have the most upside outside of Dybansta. I don’t want a guard, but it seems like Peterson has the third most upside.
This draft is quite interesting. I see AJ as the top pick and clearly the best option. There are too many quesiton marks on Peterson, who clearly has talent. Acuff is awesome, but taking a guard with average athleticism is not the ideal “upside” pick, especially when defense is an issue. Flemmings sounds good, but he might be better off at picks 5-7. Boozer looks good, but he’s a shorter Domas and likely will not be a star, but could be a Kevin love if he can shoot or a shorter Domas, who cannot pass or rebound with strength as well as he can.
Wilson, however, seems to have the second-highest upside, since he plays good defense, rebounds well, has athleticism, and seems to have a higher floor than most of the top players in the draft. If he is available at the 3-5 pick, you have to take him as the best player based on updise and multi-dimensional talent. I don’t see us drafting him because we likely will pick between 5 and 7, unless we are luck. I’m curious if anyone agrees with this draft:
1) AJ
2) Wilson, who has the upside and would just be a solid defender (and maybe a decent shooter some day)
3) Peterson because you need to look at his upside
4) Boozer because his floor is so low and his skills could work well
5) Accuf with some hesitation
6) Flemmings
7) Wagler
** picks 5-7 will differ for most people since Wagler is tall and Flemmings defense may impress
He’s a solid fit for sure. Super athletic, high motor, elite D, with a lot of offensive weapons. The shooting is a minor concern, but the mechanics are there. Plenty of guys have gotten their shot straight after coming to the NBA, or even later in their careers. If he gets his shot straight he’ll be a star. If not, he’ll be a solid five position defender that will demand double teams in the post and finish on the break. That’s not a horrible floor. Imagine having two elite defenders in the frontcourt.
If Keegan’s shot returns and Wilson develops any sort of shot, they could be one of the better frontcourt duos in the league.
I think there are a lot of good options in the first 10 slots of this draft.
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