Davion Mitchell was a surprise first round pick for the Sacramento Kings, and it seems like Davion was as surprised as we were.
Mitchell's introductory press conference started with an awkward moment, with Mitchell being prompted for an introductory statement and Mitchell responding "I don't know what you want me to say." That moment seemed to be an innocent gaffe, with Mitchell not understanding the prompt.
But then the questions began from Kings media, and the awkwardness grew. Both KHTK's Carmichael Dave and the Sacramento Bee's Jason Anderson asked questions about whether Mitchell had worked out for the Kings. Both times the questions was posed as part of multi-part questions, and Mitchell did not address it.
Carmichael Dave was given the final question of the session, and asked a follow up:
I followed up on whether Davion Mitchell had a workout prior to the draft with the Kings , his response was
“I don’t want to discuss that”.
— Davie McCarmichael (@CarmichaelDave) July 30, 2021
If this reads as an awkward exchange, I promise you it felt more awkward on the call. Mitchell just seemed a bit "off" and there are reasons to speculate why.
Is he unhappy? If so, I'd understand. I doubt Mitchell hoped to be drafted to a team with two young guards firmly established as the starting guards of the future. I'm sure Davion didn't imagine himself being drafted in the top 10 to be a backup guard on the team with the longest playoff drought in the NBA.
But at the same time it was disappointing to me. Mitchell is 22 years old. Older than Tyrese Halliburton, older than Marvin Bagley. When you draft an older rookie you hope they'll bring more poise and composure. You'd hope they'd be able to weave clichés a little smoother than the average rookie. You'd hope they'd be able to simply say "no, I didn't work out for the Kings, but they obviously saw something in me and I want to prove them right."
This isn't going to turn me against Mitchell. I want him to be an amazing rookie. I want this to all make sense. I want us to look back on this pick and think Monte McNair is a genius.
But that was one of the most awkward press conferences I've ever experienced, and it didn't instill confidence in me after the Kings made an unexpected pick.
Update:
It's worth noting that right after his media interview, Mitchell was interviewed on ESPN and it was far less awkward.
We'll add the media interview when it's available.
It's entirely possible that Mitchell was still in shock and processing where he ended up. It's not my goal to pile on or trash Mitchell. Hopefully he's excited about joining the Kings and can bring some much-needed defensive intensity to the team.+
Update 2:
ABC 10 has shared Mitchell's press conferences. The first half of this video is more national media, with the second half showing the session with local Sacramento media.
Judge for yourself, and tell me if I was too harsh. The national media session seems far more comfortable than the local session, at least to me.
Kangz!!!
Maybe we pick that “guy” at #39……
just like Jimmer and I. Thomas
Awesome.
I really hope I am wrong but this selection feels a lot like the 2018 one
Nope, three big differences … Mitchell is a winner, plays great defense and is good at basketball.
Well, he is in hell now.
Author of this article has to see the truth concerning the Kings. In reality, no one wants to be drafted to a losing organization. That’s the team’s fault. These are kids who may not be comfortable answering dumb question after dumb question. They just want to ball and WIN! I’d rather see real genuine reactions than put a smile on your face and say the things everybody wants to hear but you may not mean. He looks nervous. That’s all I see. He’s a winner though. His defense is impeccable. Kings’ defense sucks. Stop picking apart our players and give them the benefit of the doubt. Direct the hard questions and criticisms towards mgmt, where the fault lies. Are you brave enough to write about that or is it just easier to pick on a kid? Kings were getting better when they were running. They stopped running supposedly to focus on defense. Kings are loaded with young talent. Do the Kings know what to do with it? That’s the question.
For any other team the cliches and usual drivel would have spewed out of his mouth and lit up the room.
But for the KANGZ? As a 22 year old, Davion knows this is where careers go to die!
Awesome personality. Fine choice.
Personalities don’t win basketball games. Defense does. Dumb post.
I’m going to keep posting this until it stops being true.
As long as Vivek doesn’t think it’s broke, it isn’t.
For those of you downvoting, dude’s entire resume so far is acquiring four guards in two offseasons and a deadline, and three of those are backups.
I’m happy to revise my opinion when the Kings front office actually does something.
Honestly I mostly downvoted because it feels like low hanging fruit. It’s fair to be skeptical until you see actual changes. I just don’t think McNair has been under the illusion that this whole team is great and doesn’t need any work.
I appreciate the actual response. My question is, how long do we have to wait? We’re a year in now and still waiting for something to happen. We have two draft picks and two backup guards in a year of work. Not great.
Yeah, I’d give him the rest of the offseason, personally. I’d say it’s more than fair to be frustrated as a fan now with two years in a row of trades that looked pretty decent falling through at the apparent 11th hour.
Vlonte’s first press conference: “We just need to be patient.”
Kings fans: “We’ve been patient since 1985.”
and yet here we are
He also drafted Haliburton. And I think his hands have been tied by Vivek.
I’m with Carl but monte’s hands are tied by the shit contracts. Maybe (probably) by Vivek but the assets are not good. Buddy and Barnes make too much to get much of anything back. Who even knows with bagley but I’d be surprised if they got a late 1st for him.
the Wright trade was an upgrade but if it costs them Holmes I don’t think it’s worth it. I shutter at the thought of a metu bagley front court next year. Only upside is we should be in the running for first pick next year.
I’d be singing monte’s praises if the LA deal went through but this seems to be a pattern. Kings name comes up in even the most ridiculous trades (lillard, Simmons) but they always fall through. Just leaking bullshit rumors isn’t enough for me.
Haliburton was a consensus Top 7 pick by basically every mock draft and fell to us at 12 … Vlonte didn’t pull off some savvy move there.
Who gives a rats ass about down votes? Are you running for Prom King? GTFO, Foo
One more, Carl … fucking up the Bogi thing.
Being upset about being drafted by the Kings just makes it seem like Mitchell has very high basketball IQ.
Hahahaha exact same thought. Is it wrong I view it as a positive. I wish fox had more of that disgust.
Did this get written before the live interview that Micthell did on ESPN? Wow?
This was in reaction to his press conference with Sacramento media, before the ESPN interview.
Yeah it was.
Not sure what point you think you’re proving
Edit: if this seems combative, I’m sorry. I didn’t see the ESPN interview. I’m not sure if it adds to this or takes away from this.
The ESPN interview was very good. He basically said he was blessed for this opportunity and looked forward to turning this team into a winner. I was actually pretty happy with it.
I think so! He sounded great on ESPN and actually got me excited. He is honest in saying that it was unexpected when he said he wants to fly out to Sac and get a workout (probably the first time) I couldnt help but smile!!!
Saw that too!
Agreed, I was actually pretty pumped by the ESPN interview. Maybe Davion was just uninspired by our ham-and-egger local media in the other one.
Just watched the ESPN interview. Was he reading off a cheat sheet? Dude seems unhappy
Yeah he had his eyes sunken under his hat the whole time, strange.
Did the same in the media conference. I’m trying really hard not to be overly judgmental against him. Some guys just aren’t comfortable with media and that might be the case here. But it doesn’t come across well.
Hat placement… sequenced.
Kawhi Leonard is not a great sound byte either, but plays All-Universe defense and wins Finals MVP trophies for multiple teams, so I’m really not concerned how Mitchell looked or sounded in an interview.
I really wish I had some idea of what the plan is for this team, because man, I am totally in the weeds on this one.
I’m beginning to wonder if my wife has been slipping me crazy pills.
That ESPN interview was even more awkward¦prepared answers to questions, no personality, didn’t look the other guys in the eyes.
From a casual observer-he just doesn’t seem very smart, coupled with the fact that he’s going to Sacramento instead of maybe Golden State (that I’m assuming he was hoping for)
Will this made us happier ?
He seems to be the BPA at that moment………
Picking BPA is the appropriate strategy
so his reaction is like half of the rookies ever drafted by the kings. Give it time.
maybe he’s just having an Off-night.
Love that nickname, by the way.
Was this as bad as when Steve Francis was drafted by the Grizz?
i watched the interview with the ESPN crew and that wasn’t awkward. I was delighted to learn that he played in 3-guard lineup at Baylor. I didn’t know this. But that seems likely in Sac. I think McNair’s decision with this pick seems indicative that a Buddy trade is imminent. Also would be happy with a Terrance Davis contract for 3-6 million. And a Delon Wright trade. Either way I am excited for the California Classic in 5 days!
I agree, seems like Buddy is on his way out of here.
I second this. I think 2 of the 5 have to go.
Fox and Haliburton
Wright, Davis, Hield, Mitchell, and Ramsey?
I cant imagine paying Davis 7m and Hield 24m to come off the bench. Then your no. 9 pick in Mitchell is sitting on the bench?
I think Hield & Davis are gone. I think they keep Wright for some vet oversight/insurance for the time being. Ramsey isn’t even on my radar for anything other than practice fodder and G league depth.
i agree.
try to work out a sign and trade for Davis.
and trade Hield away, keep Wright.
Yeah, this is a fairly strong indication to Ramsey and Guy that they are headed for Stockton this year.
I just hope that this pick wasn’t the pick because of buddy going to the Lakers at the time.
I did write a month ago Walton and Bagley would be gone after the Kings create a new problem for themselves to capture everyone’s attention. Here we go, for the next 18 months all the focus will be on the un-happy three guard rotation. Kings management will swear up and down it’s going to work despite all present evidence.
My best guess is he had a promise from another team and someone fell and that team took someone else before the King’s pick. And/Or he may have had a promise from another team picking shortly after the Kings that he was expecting to go to.
Either way it’s a bad look on him and the Kings.
Overall, a let down of a day for King’s fans.
I think he thought he was going to the duds at #7but Giddey went earlier than expected at #6. The duds were conflicted on him- some liked him , others did not.
and I think that the Kings wanted Wagner.
I also suspect that the Kings thought that Buddy was gone and drafting him would not create this logjam.
I suspect that he will improve the defense, will play like Pat Beverley on D and hopefully a bit like a D. Mitchell-lite on O.
I wanted Kings to take Sengun, Wagner or Moody and thought that Mitchell was redundant As it turns out, Kings developed a log jam at guard and had to rectify by trading Wright and took a loss on that trade. Cojo + 2 seconds in 2021 for TT seems a bit steep. There are still too many guards-if TD signs, he and Buddy are similar.
Did Wright get numbers because he was on a bad team with two guards hurt? and was over- valued?
what a garbage article. sorry, but I’m going to be blunt here. you’re setting up a negative reaction from kings fans based on nothing.
You’re welcome to feel that way. I’ll add video of the presser when it’s available. But in the meantime I’m going to write my reaction to a press event. A reaction that other people on the conference also felt.
It is not unexpected he would be taken aback going to a team where our backcourt is set with Ty and Fox, plus our backups.
In fact, he may be have declined to workout with SAC for this reason. He wanted to go somewhere where there was a clearer path to get a lot of rookie minutes.
This would seem normal and not necessarily an inditement of the city or franchise.
There is a saying the second NBA contract is more important the first fit and PT is more important than where you are drafted so to be given the best opportunity to maximize your value on your second deal.
What you and others seem to want imply is his “negative reaction” is because “Sacramento is Basketball Hell” or “Kangz for Life” or whatever inferiorty narrative you want to push.
I saw the ESPN interview and did not pick up on any disapointment or upset.
My only gripe is when we draw a conclusion (that he’s unhappy, doesn’t want to be here, etc,) and comments here in the thread basically calling him stupid¦ if I were him reading this (luckily I doubt he is), now I actually WOULD be unhappy coming to Sac thinking this is how the fans would react and parse my every move. ð¤·ð»ï¸
Not a huge deal, but not very welcoming.
I hope he’s wildly successful in Sacramento, but I also feel no responsibility to make him succeed. I want every player on this roster to be the best version of themselves, but I don’t expect my words to be impactful enough to ever prevent someone from realizing their potential.
Noted and agreed that it’s certainly not your job. I just hate to see some of the comments in this thread about a kid so negative so early in his tenure.
We’ve got plenty of time to develop unreasonable expectations and then feel let down!
First day on the internets?
Marvin Bagley blames you for ruining his
marriagebasketball career…I’ll cut him some slack. Yes, I found his ESPN interview extremely awkward; something was off. He was far from thrilled in my opinion.
But these kids dream of playing in big cities, playing with Superstars, or their favourite team. The Sacramento Kings are not these things.
He’s still in the moment. I’ll bet his future interviews will be much better after he has time to settle down. Not everyone can hide their emotions well, or react the same way for that matter.
Is it possible that he’s already been informed that he’s going to be moved and the team (who couldn’t KANGZ their way out of a PR paper bag if they had a firehose to work with) did basically nothing to prepare him for answering questions about a team he’ll never play for?
That would most certainly create an awkward situation .
Shocked like everyone. I can get behind this assuming there are moves to be made and the thought is this so your three guard rotation of future moving Fox more off the ball at times. Point of attack defense was huge issue and one of main culprits for the defensive disaster the Kings were. Holmes rim protection numbers are actually good. If he can even mitigate point of attack for 25 mins a night it could have effects to make the defense at least moving towards league average.
I think it’s really hard to process because most of us never really considered this option and spent way more time looking at the wings. Rest of the moves Monte makes (hopefully) will have to create a more clear picture.
Biggest shocks I can remember for Kings draft history were Peja, Thompson and Papa G. Cross the fingers.
Biggest shockers in Kings draft history? Missing anyone?
Just listened to audio clips on CD’s twitter. Some good answers. He doesn’t sound as awkward as it’s saying here. Is there a link to the whole presser?
I agree, he sounded just fine
Not yet. We will add it when it becomes available.
FWIW, I thought Mitchell’s ESPN interview was fine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwkg4x3MYwc
This is a lot less awkward than the other presser, for sure. He talks about not expecting to go to Sac, so it’s entirely possible that he was still in shock and processing. I promise I’m not trying to dump on him.
I am really wondering if he had a verbal commitment from GSW and they bailed when Kuminga was still available (let’s face it – nobody thought OKC was taking Giddey). If he spent the week looking for apartments in SF he could just be trying to realign his world.
Giddey at 6 was leaked hours before the draft
Giddey @6 was a shocker for me as well. If anything, that’s likely what happened with Kuminga falling
Hes definitely reading notes… not sure I have seen that in a draft interview scenario before. Weird.
Agreed, I really liked it. Have a thumb.
Can we please amend the breaking news banner to include a quote from a recent TKH podcast?
Jerry meant it as a positive though
Yes he did! That’s why I remembered it. Glad he’s happy.
and a new nickname was born
He interviewed like someone who would be a dog on defense. I feel like great defensive players are usually a little abrasive personality-wise.
I knew Davion reminded me of someone:
The similarities to the venerable Frank Mason are uncanny.
https://youtu.be/jnQI8NzDj0c
Except Frank Mason plays -20 to -300 defense
He has a high BBIQ. This just proves it.
I blame the giraffe. He got all dopey today and look what we get….
Somebody made a graphic for this story? Who is in the header graphic?
Are you talking about the picture on the article? That’s a photo via a USA Today photographer.
I feel like the draft should take place in Indiana every year.
His ESPN interview was fine. Not thrilled by the pick either, but he has an aggressiveness this team needs.
Would you be happy? Davion has a snowball’s chance in hell of ever starting in Sac. Hali/Fox are locked in. He’s a Top 10 pick that expects to be a starter at some point. That won’t be in Sac.
The other 2 things: The Kings roster is ridiculously loaded with guards. No wings, No stretch 4s and soon maybe no Bigs. But, hey it’s a guards league.
Finally, getting drafted by a perennial loser doesn’t really evoke skittles and teddy bears.
The kid is a baller. No one questions his talent. But, you really have to wonder if Monte is just another figurehead.
So you’re telling me the bellowing out of the King’s war room was the phrase Davion Rocks?! ð¤
I’m sorry, but if this guy is all dog mentality, why is scared to beat out Haliburton for minutes?
Hoping he’s at least the next Tony Allen.
And not the next Corey Joseph.
I think he got tired of answering a question he already answered. CD’s first time asking Mitchell said the Kings spoke to his college coach pre-draft and that he personally spoke with the Kings after being drafted. It seemed like an awkward and unnecessary follow up by Dave.
Agree. The only off thing about any of this is that the Kings didn’t talk to him before the draft. Why?
Feels a bit Viveky.
I don’t know. It’s not that crazy for a second year collegiate player nowadays who played deep into the tournament and isn’t projected to go in the top 5. There isn’t a lot to unravel if your ideal pick (Wagner) and backup pick (Giddey) are gone and you think that the promise of upside defense and intensity is enough to provide an immediate resource. In a way there’s no mystery, unlike the look at a guy like Sengün, but I don’t read anything into a lack of a predraft workout or interview. The process is controlled by agents nowadays and I rarely think they’re in complete sync with their clients.
I don’t love it, I don’t hate it. Which would have been my feeling had they drafted any of the “top players still on the board”.
I will say, he’s known for playing rock solid defense. So he does something nobody else on the team does. I grade the pick as acceptable.
Oooh, Kessler Edwards still on the board!
The problem with this pick is McNair had no intention to pick Mitchell before the draft.
Mitchell was not invited for any interview / workout.
So, can I assume they only targeting Wagner as the only draft choice ? (as he is not picking those guys whom had workouts with the Kings, i.e. Moody, Keon, Sengun, Kai)
Or he was invited and declined.
Does that make it any better?
Haliburton didn’t workout or interview either. Bagley did both.
Meh…
Shit !
C’mon can we at least agree that people who get paid for a living (handsomely) to run a basketball team aren’t necessarily complete morons (Maybe Vlade excepted) when we don’t agree with a move or understand the behind the scenes of who got invited where and when. Are you seriously suggesting that McNair went into tonight with a Wagner or bust game plan and when that failed he kind of just panicked? Get real.
There are lots of professionals who work for the Kings to get ready for this night. That doesn’t mean they will get it right (In the Kings case, lots of wrongs over years), but it’s really unlikely they are just blindly firing darts when the one guy they wanted got chosen (theoretically).
I’m not so sure Wagner was their #1. That war room looked pretty pumped at making the Mitchell pick, and not in a somebody forcing them to say “Nik rocks”, either.
Oh I’m not suggesting he was for sure, just responding to the poster that made it seem like Monte was Wagner or bust and then panicked. We will probably never know where on their big board Mitchell was (Cue Vlade whiteboard), but safe to say they liked him quite a bit.
Lets give this kid a chance
I hope anyone reading this understands that I want him to succeed. I want the Kings to be good. It’s literally all I want from this stupid team.
All we are saying …
I think this is part of a bigger move. Wright and Hield will be gone. That leaves Fox, Tyrese, Davis and now mitchell. Thats a pretty damn good guard crew. Undersized, but it will work. Unless there is another trade in the works.
So you were hoping Davion would “weave in a few more cliches…”? Uh, okay…..
Nothing like a little inauthenticity and generic response to win over the fanbase, eh?