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2012 STR Draft Board – Aykis Edition

By | 0 Comments | Feb 19, 2019

Since I've now analyzed this year's draft class over the past three days, I thought I'd follow it up with my annual draft board. What follows is my Top 15 picks, in order (as well as a few people I'd look at with the 34th/35th picks), with comparisons, analysis, and video that you may or may not take seriously. Feel free to agree or disagree with me. I do not claim to be a genius, or even smart, and for every good suggestion I make (Isaiah Thomas), I've also made terrible suggestions (like in 2010 when I put Evan Turner over John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins and Al-Farouq Aminu and Ekpe Udoh ahead of Greg Monroe).

Hit the jump for the draft board. I apologize in advance for some of the terrible music selection of some of the highlight videos.

1. Anthony Davis, PF/C, 6'10, 214 lbs, 19 years, Freshman, Kentucky

Comparisons: Kevin Garnett / Marcus Camby / Tim Duncan with less of an offensive game

The Good: What's not to love? Davis is the clear #1 pick in this draft, and will make any team he joins better by default. Davis is an even better fit for the Kings because he complements DeMarcus Cousins so well. Davis does not need the ball on offense, although he can score, and he's already a great defender and shotblocker. Davis also has a reputation as an extremely hard worker and for being a good teammate.

The Bad: Perhaps the only thing that I think is bad about Davis right now is that he's really skinny for an NBA big man, but he's still young and has plenty of time to fill out.

Highlights:

2. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF, 6'7, 228 lbs, 18 years, Freshman, Kentucky

Comparisons: A more polished young Gerald Wallace / More athletic Tyreke Evans without the ballhandling skills / Andre Iguodala

The Good: The youngest player in the draft but is mature beyond his years. Great teammate, hard worker, good athlete. Can defend the 1 – 3 spots. Super aggressive going to the basket and draws a ton of fouls. Plays well off the ball and doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective. Great rebounder for his position.

The Bad: He's not a good shooter yet and relies a lot on attacking the basket and getting to the line for his points. A tad undersized for an NBA SF, but his length may make up for it. He's not a great ballhandler either.

Highlights :

3. Thomas Robinson, PF, 6'9, 240 lbs, 21 years, Junior, Kansas

Comparisons: Kenneth Faried with more of an offensive game / A much better version of Kris Humphries / Poor Man's Blake Griffin with much less polish and overall skill

The Good: Robinson is a rebounding machine, particularly on the defensive glass where the Kings need some help. Very athletic and strong player with an NBA body already, and used this to his advantage to score down low by drawing contact. Great motor and hard worker, and is slowly developing a nice mid-range jumpshot.

The Bad: Fairly unpolished and undersized could mean he's more of a project than most would like from a top pick. Struggled at times against bigger defenders in college. Defensively, he needs a lot of work, and he's also a bit foul prone. His jumpshot is getting there but it's still a work in progress, as is his whole offensive game really.

Highlights:

4. Bradley Beal, SG, 6'4, 201 lbs, 18 years, Freshman, Florida

Comparisons: Eric Gordon without the explosiveness / Marcus Thornton with slightly better size and defensive fundamentals

The Good: Beal does a lot of things well at the Shooting Guard position. He's a very good scorer in a variety of ways, and although he struggled a bit with his shot in his lone college year, he had a reputation as an excellent shooter in high school. He can play off the ball or with the ball, and is a fantastic rebounder for his height. Defensively he makes up for his general lack of size with good fundamentals and high basketball IQ.

The Bad: Beal would be higher for me if the Kings weren't already loaded at the guard position. Still, he's a great talent and if he somehow drops to the Kings (assuming the Kings don't jump into the top three) I'd take him and figure out the rest from there.

Highlights:

5. Jared Sullinger, 6'9, 280 lbs, 20 years, Sophomore, Ohio State

Comparisons: Carlos Boozer / Not as good at rebounding version of Kevin Love / Luis Scola with girth / Paul Millsap

The Good: Sullinger is one of the most polished players in the draft and probably would have been a top-3 pick last year if he had come out. His post-game is great and he complements it by also being able to shoot all the way out to the three point line. He has a wide frame and long arms to make up for his general lack of height for a big man, and is a good rebounder.

The Bad: The biggest concerns with Sullinger is his conditioning and defense. He's worked a lot on his conditioning throughout college, but is still generally slow and unathletic. He's also undersized and prone to getting his shot blocked by bigger defenders, of which there are plenty in the NBA. On a team that wants to run and gun like the Kings, and with an already relatively slow presence in the middle in Cousins, Kings might not be an ideal fit.

Highlights:

6. John Henson, 6'11, 220 lbs, 21 years, Junior, North Carolina

Comparisons: Ed Davis / Skinny Samuel Dalembert / Brandan Wright before the injuries

The Good: Henson is a player who could come in on Day one and provide things the Kings need: Shotblocking and rebounding. Henson is one of the best shotblockers in the draft and also a very good defensive rebounder. Henson's also a decent finisher around the rim thanks to his length.

The Bad: Henson still has a lot of work to do on the offensive side of things, as well as simply filling out his body. He's very skinny and will have trouble with the much bigger NBA players. Offensively, he doesn't really have much range and is a mere 50% Free Throw shooter, so he needs a lot of work there.

Highlights:

7. Harrison Barnes, 6'9, 223 lbs, 19 years, Sophomore, North Carolina

Comparisons: Less Athletic Rudy Gay / Rawer version of Danny Granger / Marvin Williams

The Good: He has great size for an NBA SF, and a lot of talent to boot. He's a very good spot-up shooter and can score anywhere on the floor. Defensively he has the tools to become a very good defender and while he's not great he should be at least capable on that end from day one. Best suited for a complementary role, which is exactly where the Kings would need him to be.

The Bad: Barnes struggles at creating his own shots and disappears at times when he was asked to be the primary focus on North Carolina. On the Kings though, he wouldn't need to be the primary or even secondary option and could instead live off spot-up opportunities for a while. Barnes worst-case scenario as a spot-up shooter and alright defender at the three is already better than what the Kings have now.

Highlights:

8. Perry Jones III, 6'11, 220 lbs, 20 years, Sophomore, Baylor

Comparisons: Lamar Odom without the court vision / Anthony Randolph without the shotblocking / Taller, less efficient Thaddeus Young

The Good: Ridiculous athleticism and skills for a player of his size. He's 6'11 but can handle and run the floor like a two guard despite playing as a big. Jones also plays well off the ball and is a very good finisher around the basket. He has the physical tools to be a very good rebounder and to defend four positions if he puts in the work. He could also be a huge matchup problem for opposing PFs due to his quickness and athleticism.

The Bad: Tends to disappear at times, and there are questions about his attitude and work ethic. Jones also tends to shy away from contact, not something you want a big man to do. Despite the tools to be one, still is not a great rebounder. He settles for jump shots a lot as well, and has also been lackadaisical on defense.

Highlights:

9. Andre Drummond, 6'10, 251 lbs, 18 years, Freshman, UConn

Comparisons: DeAndre Jordan / Worse rebounding Derrick Favors / Shorter Javale McGee

The Good: Has the potential to be among the best players in this draft. Possesses immense physical tools and athleticism. Already a very good shotblocker and offensive rebounder, and is the second youngest player in the draft.

The Bad: Also has the potential to be among the worst players in this draft. No offensive game to speak of, and can't score outside of the paint at all (shot 29.5% from the Free Throw line in college). There have also been red flags about immaturity and work ethic. Still at some point the reward outweighs the risk and he could be a good, even great, complement to DeMarcus Cousins in time.

Highlights:

10. Kendall Marshall, 6'4, 180 lbs, 20 years, Sophomore, North Carolina

Comparisons: Andre Miller / Ricky Rubio without the flash and defensive ability

The Good: Possibly the best passer in the draft. Averaged more assists (9.8) than points (8.1) in college. When he did look for his offense, he was pretty efficient. For the Kings Marshall would add a whole new look on offense in a player who can set up all the scorers that they have. Marshall also possesses very good size for a Point Guard at 6'4.

The Bad: Really has no offensive game to speak of, and is a mediocre to poor defender thanks to his limited athleticism and poor lateral quickness. He's also quite turnover prone despite being such a good passer, often taking unneeded risks in trying to make the pass.

Highlights:

11. Terrence Ross, 6'7, 197 lbs, 21 years, Sophomore, Washington

Comparisons: A shorter Trevor Ariza with a more consistent shot / Better rebounding, taller Arron Afflalo

The Good: An excellent overall player, Ross can score from anywhere on the floor. He can also defend the one to three positions very well. Ross is also a good rebounder for his size. He's got great athleticism and can play off the ball.

The Bad: Bit small to play the NBA SF and might end up proving to be a SG. He needs a lot of work on his ball handling and decision making skills as well. Shows poor shot selection at times offensively.

Highlights:

12. Damian Lillard, 6'2, 185 lbs, 21 years, Junior, Weber St.

Comparisons: Mike Bibby / Jimmer Fredette with Explosiveness

The Good: Lillard can flat out score on anyone and everyone. He's also very efficient as a scorer, so it's not like he's simply putting up a lot of shots. He has good size and athleticism for a point guard. Incredibly good at getting to the free throw line. Lillard also has the potential to be a very good on-ball defender.

The Bad: Questions about his playmaking ability as he was Weber State's primary scorer. He was definitely in search of his own shot first. Also a question of just how dominant he was since he played in a mediocre conference and if that skewed his point totals.

Highlights:

13. Tyler Zeller, 7'0, 250 lbs, 22 years, Senior, North Carolina

Comparisons: Marcin Gortat / P.J. Brown / Taller Nick Collison

The Good: A very solid big man. While not the most amazing athlete, he runs the floor very well and has an excellent motor. Decent rebounder and shotblocker and has ideal size for an NBA Center. Zeller also seems to understand that his role is never to be the star but rather to be a very good supporting member, something the Kings could use. Offensively he does a good job of establishing position and also has a capable jump shot. Shot 81% from the Free Throw line.

The Bad: Doesn't do anything exceptionally well. Needs to bulk up a bit in the NBA. Doesn't possess much passing skill, which leads to trouble sometimes when he's harassed on offense. Is the oldest projected Lottery pick and only Senior among the bunch.

Highlights:

14. Terrence Jones, 6'9, 249 lbs, 20 years, Sophomore, Kentucky

Comparisons: Al Harrington / Antoine Walker / Jeff Green

The Good: Jones is a multi-faceted player, able to play either the three or the four. Can score inside or out. He's a good rebounder for his size and also shows decent skill as a ballhandler and passer. Already has an NBA body. Very good shotblocker for his size.

The Bad: Unclear just exactly where he will play in the NBA and while he may be a mismatch at the three or the four for opposing defenders, they might view him the same way on the other end of the floor. Not the most efficient scorer and often takes too many three point attempts despite only hitting about a third of them. Questionable work ethic.

Highlights:

15. Arnett Moultrie, 6'11, 220 lbs, 21 years, Junior, Mississippi St.

Comparisons: Jason Thompson

The Good: He might as well be Jason Thompson. Fluid athlete who can run, rebound and finish. Also shows skill as a ballhandler and can pass the ball well. Has a nice jumper.

The Bad: Jason Thompson took three years to really develop, Moultrie might require the same. Moultrie also plays too quickly at times and needs to become more patient.

Highlights:

***

Players I'd consider at Pick 35/36:

Draymond Green: Undersized for a big man but ridiculously skilled. Passes like a point guard, rebounds incredibly well, and can shoot all the way out to the three point line. If he falls out of the first round, Kings should snap him up.

Andrew Nicholson: Kind of like Paul Millsap, can score inside and has great hands and anticipation on defense.

Darius Miller: A very capable SF in his own right, and understands how to be a role player.

Doron Lamb: The best shooter in the draft, he almost hit 47% of his threes in college last year.

Scott Machado: Best passer in the draft next to Kendall Marshall.

John Jenkins: The second best shooter in the draft next to Lamb.

Jae Crowder: A very physical and powerfully built Small Forward. Has a big man's game, but also has the capability to become a full time SF in the NBA with good athleticism and three point range.

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