Welcome to The Kings Herald mock lottery (plus two), where everything’s made up and the picks don’t matter! Like the Avengers when they’re avenging things that must be avenged, we’ve assembled the entire staff from the far corners of the universe to come together and make selections 1 – 16 in the 2020 NBA Draft. Each temporary General Manager will justify their pick with one or two paragraphs, no trades allowed.
1. Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards
Tim: There’s a clear top three in this draft, Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, and James Wiseman (no matter what my insane coworkers may think) and with Karl-Anthony Towns already on the roster, Wiseman clearly isn’t a smart pick. That leaves a choice between Ball and Edwards, two heavily flawed guards, but I’m giving the advantage to the Georgia product. Edwards can play off the ball, actually cares about defense on occasion, and can operate as the second or third best player for a team already sporting two stars. A core of Russell-Edwards-Towns certainly isn’t a bad foundation for one of the bottom dwellers of the Western Conference. I’ll leave the drama and shot selection of Ball to some other poor team.
2. Golden State Warriors: Onyeka Okongwu
Will: I can already hear the weeping and gnashing of teeth, so let me explain: before setting off into this we agreed that we should be doing a mock draft, without trades, and I happened to get the one team that nearly every writer in the nation is positive will end up trading out of this spot. Operating under the assumption that the Warriors would keep their pick, I think USC’s Onyeka Okongwu fits into the Warriors schemes perfectly. Okongwu is a strong, springy athlete that rebounded well on both sides of the ball, boasted one of the best block rates in the country last year and is a great pick-and-roll guy and post scorer for a Warriors team looking to come back from their lost season with a vengeance – and in desperate need of a big man to boot.
While there are those that might lose their hair at this pick not being James Wiseman, I feel very strongly that questions surrounding the 7’1 Wiseman’s lateral mobility, shaky team defense and sometimes questionable effort would dissuade the Warriors and point them closer to a guy like Okongwu, whose motor is always revved up as far as it can go. Wiseman is a beast physically and showed flashes of his massive potential in the few college games he was able to play, but I think the limited tape on Wiseman in college will hinder him a bit. For Okongwu, what the 6’9 center from USC loses in height, he more than makes up for in hustle, flashes of passing and ball handling abilities, and defensive instincts. Wiseman might be the flashier, higher upside pick but the Warriors are trying to win now and Oneyeka Okongwu fits their system like a glove.
3. Charlotte Hornets: James Wiseman
Greg: This was a toss up between Ball and Wiseman, but I think Wiseman makes more sense for Charlotte. The Hornets already have Devonte’ Graham at point guard, and Miles Bridges and PJ Washington at the forward spots. Wiseman gives the Hornets a skilled big to join their young core. Addressing one of the biggest roster needs with one of the best prospects in this class is a no-brainer.
4. Chicago Bulls: Obi Toppin
Biegler: Does LaMelo make sense here, in so much as he’s one of the 2-3 best players in the draft and makes sense pretty much anywhere? Yes. Do the Bulls already have a glut of forwards? Yes. But the Bulls drafted a pretty good point guard last year. And, and good God I may be channelling my inner-Vlade here, but LaMelo and LaVine aren’t exactly complimentary players. So I’m giving them Toppin, product of a Mid West school, and a player whose range, athleticism and positional androgyny mirror much of what the Bulls appear to already be doing with their roster. I’m additionally handicapping for the fact that I think Obi would have had one of the better tournament runs of the players in this draft. Also he was born in Brooklyn. You know who else was born in Brooklyn and ended up in Chicago? Al Capone. And that worked out pretty well.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Tyrese Haliburton
TJ: Sigh. I’m not going to lie. Did I see Onyeka Okungwu fitting in with the Cavs as a 4-5 hybrid? Yes. Did detective Dick Griffith shatter those very brief dreams? Yes, and will get over it mainly because I can picture a munificent Sexton-Haliburton backcourt which is just goddamn delightful. You’ve got the ball-dominant Sexton and the off-ball Haliburton feeding off each other without stepping on the other’s toes. This thought soothes me. And so does the thought of Will getting a pineapple catheter inserted but that’s a story for another day.
6. Atlanta Hawks: LaMelo Ball
Bryant: The strangest pick of the mock by far, and one my fellow writers can mock me for endlessly; the complex and crazy fit in Atlanta makes this one an eye raiser. But LaMelo won’t last this long come real draft night, and he’s clearly the best player available on the board. While my gut said to take one of the wings or Killian Hayes, there’s no denying that a LaMelo/Trae pairing could be nuclear game-breakingly awesome on offense, as long as Lloyd Pierce can sell LaMelo on a significantly less ball-dominant Ball role.. On defense, it would probably be the worst guard pairing in NBA history, but let’s let Pierce worry about that one. In all honesty, I’ve done too much hypothetical contemplation about where it made sense for Sacramento to gamble on a De’Aaron Fox/LaMelo pairing, and on my board, this is about that spot.
7. Detroit Pistons: Devin Vassell
Sanjesh: Detroit has more questions than answers with their current roster construction and ideally need a point guard to build around for the future. But with Ball and Haliburton off the board, the Pistons should take one of the better wings available to accumulate better depth. Derrick Rose is still under contract for one more season and he is coming off a bounce back campaign. Because of the uncertainty surrounding Blake Griffin’s health, Detroit is likely looking at another lottery situation next year. If things swing their way in the lottery, they could draft Cade Cunningham and have a core of Cunningham, Vassell, Sekou Doumbouya and Christian Wood, who they need to secure long-term this offseason.
8. New York Knicks: Cole Anthony
Rich: The Knicks need a fresh new face to lead the franchise to seven more years without the playoffs. Cole Anthony fits the bill. High usage, huge hype out of high school, possibly not very good at basketball he’s everything New York is looking for. In all seriousness, I am higher on Anthony than most after his plummet among consensus ranks. A big swing on a high ceiling guy isn’t a bad move in a weak draft class. His jerseys will sell fast, at least.
9. Washington Wizards: Isaac Okoro
Blake: The Wizards are ranked near the bottom of the league in defense. In fact, they were record-setting bad defensively earlier this season. This draft seems to have a lot of guys who could turn out to be good wing defenders, but Okoro might end up being the best. At 9, you never know what you are going to get, go with the guy who projects to be sound defensively. He also appears to be NBA-ready with a solid understanding of positioning, and he can score in the paint and rebound.
10. Phoenix Suns: Killian Hayes
Tony: As a Kings fan, I will be very annoyed if Killian Hayes falls to the Phoenix Suns at 10. Hayes represents a perfect long-term backcourt partner for Devin Booker. He’s one of the youngest players in the draft, so he’ll need some time to develop, but his eventual emergence should line up perfectly with Ricky Rubio’s assumed decline as he ages out of usefulness.
Hayes does everything you want in a complement to Booker. Killian has excellent court vision, great size for his skill set, enough defensive potential, and a developing spot up jumper with good understanding of his strengths, weaknesses, and shot selection, so he won’t be challenging Booker or Deandre Ayton for offensive opportunities anytime soon. Booker, Hayes, and Ayton could be a formidable big three in the Western Conference for the next decade.
11. San Antonio Spurs: Deni Avdija
Akis: I have purposely done very little draft research this year because after 2018, I don’t want to get my hopes dashed again. The Kings will draft who they draft and they’ll either be good or bad but either way I’ll be rooting for them to do well. Now for the purposes of this exercise, I have heard of Deni Avdija and from everything I’ve read and seen it seems very unlikely that he would drop this far in real life. Our own Bryant West has Avdija 3rd on his Draft Big Board and describes him as a high IQ wing with a non-stop motor on both ends. That sounds like a Spurs player to me. In fact the last time a high-IQ wing with a non-stop motor that couldn’t shoot went to the Spurs, they taught him how to shoot and won another Championship.
12. Sacramento Kings: Patrick Williams
Kevin: I don’t know how Deni fell as far as he did but I was ready to pull the trigger out of obligation if Akis let him pass by. With Deni off the board, I was basically picking between Patrick Williams and Saddiq Bey, and I think you can expect the Kings to be wrestling with that same decision. I feel like I could make a really compelling argument for either. Bey is the safer pick in my mind but I REALLY REALLY like Patrick Williams’ upside.
With the Kings likely to lose Giles and possibly Bazemore and Len as well, Sac will have quite a few holes to plug and not a ton of wiggle room to do it in, when you factor in Bogi’s restricted free agency and Fox’s potential extension. An easy way for the new GM to free up a bit of cash, is to opt out of the final year of Bjelica’s contract and that’s where Williams’ versatility (potentially on both ends of the floor) begins to make a ton of sense for a Kings team who should be looking to get a lot done in the most cost-effective way. Williams was fully off my radar but I fell in love with the idea of him while watching Devin Vassell tape, and haven’t looked back. He projects as a 3-and-D combo forward and while his stats don’t jump off the screen, I think the upside potential makes him a steal at number 12 and maybe the sleeper of the draft.
I should take a moment to say, if the new GM pulls the trigger on Nesmith here, you can probably assume Buddy is being dealt. So keep your eyes peeled for that should the opportunity arise. BTW¦ if the Kings somehow pick up a late first in a trade, I’m also taking Jalen Smith. Send me your hate, it fuels me!!
13. New Orleans Pelicans: Aaron Nesmith
Omer: Pelicans take, in my opinion, the best player available here. It works out well because Nesmith can play SG next to Ingram and basically be JJ Redick’s successor. Nesmith won’t have any playmaking responsibilities on the team; with Holiday and Ingram the ball-dominant forces on the squad, he can focus on moving off the val land stretching defenses with his jumper. With his size, length, and strong frame, he is potentially a switchable defender 2-4, and the Pelicans can terrorize the league with lineups that feature Zion at center surrounded by interchangeable wings.
14. Boston Celtics: Kira Lewis Jr
Brenden: The Boston Celtics in the rare position of succeeding in the present while also having an extremely bright future. Kemba Walker is the point guard of now, but he does not fit the timeline of Tatum and Brown. Kira Lewis has shown a capability to create for himself with De’Aaron Fox like speed while also excelling knocking down shots off the catch. He can learn from behind Walker until he is ready to take the reigns once Kemba’s contact is up. For now, Lewis will be a valuable rotation piece for a Boston roster that lacks creators off the bench.
15. Orlando Magic: Trevelin Queen
Brad: Young and sweet, picked him at 15
You can pass, you can drive,
Give him a contract for life
See that pick, watch this team,
You are the Trevelin Queen
16. Portland Trail Blazers: Jaden McDaniels
Kimani: This is exactly who Portland is taking in real life. I don’t have inside info, just photographic clairvoyance.
How did we do? Who was absolutely atrocious? Did anyone find out who exactly Trevelin Queen is in real life? Let us know below!
Are we still Piping. The. Balls. Down?
We tried. The balls refused to be piped down.
Maybe we can get a technical win by piping the Balls down. As in Lavar, Lonzo, et al.
Thank you for that.
I just didn’t see enough basketball in ’19-’20 to have formed a worthwhile opinion on the draft, but I will say with absolute certaintythat the Dayton Flyers would have won the NCAA tournament this year.
I am never getting over this.
Not sure if I’m the only one but I’ve given up hoping the Kings draft well after the Doncic catastrophe. They can’t even nail the obvious pick so what hope is there of them finding talent anywhere else?
Yeah, well, the guy who passed on Doncic is gone
Unfortunately the guy who picked the guy who passed on Doncic is not…
Exactly. Will Vivek and the moron brigade actually hire a legit GM and give him power?
Doesn’t seem like it, as we already heard Vivek wanting to Practically co GM w Vlade. Vivek is an idiot based on ego and Vlade was as well. Doncic miss, along w subsequent related Joeger firing makes it worst miss ever.
Lastly, I don’t see the drive to trade Buddy. He was playing very well before Puke took over. Buddy didn’t suddenly become bad.
You don’t trade someone because they’re bad. You trade them because you think the value of what you can get in return will contribute more to the team achieving its goals than the value of having them on the roster.
I don’t suggest trading Hield because I don’t think he’s a good or useful player. He’s clearly an elite floor spacer. But A) I think the Kings have to figure out where their top-30 type players are going to come from. B) I think Hield is one of the few decent trade assets the Kings have. And, C) I think the Hield’s role can be filled adequately relatively easily. That doesn’t mean I think we can find a Hield level shooter easily. There aren’t many of those around. But I do think we can find a “good enough to draw gravity” shooter than, with other skills, can contribute as much or more overall impact.
Makes sense but I don’t think it’s easy to find a shooter of his quality. And I think this conversation wasn’t happening when Joeger used Buddy correctly.
i get $ issues but Buddy and Bogi are both valuable pieces worth keeping. Why search for something you already have. I guess money.
I literally said:
I think we could find a shooter of good enough quality that also brings other skills (defense, playmaking, etc) to the table that would enable his overall contribution to match or exceed Hield’s. Personally, if we can acquire a late 1st (for example, the OKC 1st from PHI), I’d happily draft Bane and slot him in behind Bogdan. I think he’ll be a good shooter (though not quite Hield level) but with more defense and playmaking.
I especially agree on C. Example: Terrence Ross.
Is Buddy the better player. Yes, but when you take into consideration production to contract. Ross has the better value.
This is so absolutely perfect. It’s incredible really. You said exactly what my brain thinks but can’t type.
Thank you. This needs to be shared again. It should have 100 likes.
The level above the next level kind of shit right there.
You know what pisses me off about many GM’s (Vlade is a perfect example)? They get cute.
When there is a player (it’s a rare situation) that has every reputable sports agency predicting and simultaneously congratulating you on the inevitability of you selecting this amazing player (Luca), all the while having every local Kings writer/reporter saying the same thing and reporting extensively on the overwhelming excitement within the fan base around that player…
YOU PICK THAT FUCKING PLAYER!!!!!!
FUCK!!!!!!!
What I know is Will is not capable to do some GM job. Shouldn’t all Kings fans should know just draft the BPA, not for fit……..
Off topic: Will you guys still prefer to have a draft party in the coming draft ?
2019: No 1st round pick, so no draft party
2018: A draft party full of disappointment
2017: Great draft party, as the Suns chose Josh Jackson, and gifted us Fox
2010: Great draft party, as the Wolves chose W. Johnson, and gifted us Cousins..
I just don’t know what to expect if there is a draft party
I saw this in a couple instances. You do need to be cognizant of fit regardless. I would say if there is a calculable difference then BPA, if not better fit of the relatively equal players. This draft seems to say not much difference between 1-12. I am 99% the Dubs trade out of the 2 but not until they see who Minny picks.
This. People are always saying BPA. But in most cases who the BPA is changes with context. When the BPA isn’t clear, fit clearly plays a role. In this draft, I doubt there are going to be many situations where there’s a real BPA.
I think you need some general fit, but not necessarily fit with this Kings roster. Take a player who can fit in a system, not someone you would have to build around.
BPA is obviously hard to do even for the great GM’s because it’s not an exact science. But there is certainly a process that those great GM’s go through to get to their decision. Hence, they find talent and they find gems no matter what round.
Drafting for fit has been tried and true way of mismanaging assets. Even if you look at Vlade’s draft pick of Justin Jackson is yet another example of a poor pick. He was supposed to be a ‘safe’ pick and also was a need at the time. There is not a single GM out there that cares about the other GM’s roster needs unless they can get something out of it themselves. Its a dog eat dog world.
There is a reason why a team is in the lottery. The teams sucks. Pick the BPA regardless of fit. If that player is a stud, they will find minutes on the court. They can also be traded to get good returns on the pick.
I would rather much live with drafting player “A” who is the best player but does not fit the team roster. Rather than drafting player “B” who I think of a lesser player but fits the team needs.
But if similarly talented who is the “best player” changes with team context. If you’re dealing with real and clear differences in talent level, then sure. For example, you ALWAYS take… say… Doncic over Bagley. But if you’re dealing with, say, Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo (to try to find two guys with similar talent levels but very different skillsets/roles), then who the “best player” is (as defined by the player that provides the most impactful production) depends a lot on fit. “Fit” often determines opportunity. And opportunity is a HUGE part of the production equation.
Ultimately, in most cases outside the top couple picks and at very strongly defined talent tier cliffs who the “best” player available happens to be is incredibly murky and subjective. If a FO thinks one player is the clear BPA, then sure, they should take that guy and not look back. But the decision is usually a lot more nuanced than that.
Yes, and this FO has been incapable of discerning who the BPA is or they held onto an idiotic fit idea with a team that has had nothing but holes.
it ain’t happening, but I’d like Grant and all the negativity police to apologize/admit they were wrong. All we got was shit for simply pointing out the truth/what looked most logical. Like, Bags cane in without a modern NBA game. A terrible pick because he has to fix at least 4 things. That was easy to see for those not in Kings FO or those wearing rose colored, illogical lenses.
So glad Kings Herald Is here so we are back to points based on logic and reason.
“you ALWAYS take¦ say¦ Doncic over Bagley”
Easier said than done, because there will always be people that say but “he’ll take the ball out of Fox’s hands”. I’m sure Vlade had that dilemma to some degree and might have even swayed him. But if you take that fit excuse out of the process the picture becomes clearer.
In regards to Mitchell/Bam/(and Collins). I would just simply take that “fit” out of the equation to not run into drafting dilemmas.
As mentioned before, other GM’s don’t care about your fit. They might really like the player that doesn’t fit your team. Part of the GM’s job is to finesse them for that player.
Forgot to add. For example, our current PG situation is set currently. I have no problems drafting another PG if that is the best player available. Imagine us having a great PG running the 2nd unit. I think that would be a great problem to have. If he turns out to be a stud, then hey we have a great player that we can figure out what to do with down the road.
We are in the lottery for a reason. Load up the talent pool.
Oh yeah and draft party for sure.
I’m very high on Okongwu and less than bullish on Wiseman. Warriors might be literally the only team in the NBA that can go according to fit and in a draft where every prospect has major question marks, I picked the guy who fit GSW the best.
OK totally off subject. (but when did that stop anyone here)
I am looking to see Brett Browns employment status this morning, and I see M Harrell’s comment about Luka…. Why the hell was he allowed to play without suspension? If this were reversed it would be the end of the world, and almost rightly so. I understand reverse racism is a 3rd rail but damn where is the league here.
I will be very happy to hear that I read this article wrong.
https://sports.yahoo.com/montrezl-harrell-apologizes-calling-luka-160124172.html
Heh. “Reverse racism.”
I tuned into a “film” last night called Showdown In Little Tokyo, and around the halfway point one of the main characters uses that expression. I immediately thought, “wow, even in a movie from 1992 where Dolph Lungren is top-billed, what a stupid thing to say.”
In 2020, it’s flat out embarrassing.
Guys like Harrell are the reason guys like Doncic have trouble getting jobs in ‘Murica.
It’s all a part of the racism to the bottom.
>reverse racism
Sure, just show me where whites are systematically oppressed by those in power AND then called ‘white boys’ in the USA, and we can discuss this as an issue.
Maybe, there is such a system of oppression against white players in place in the NBA? but that’s refuted by the dominance of white FO staff and coaches, so it seems unlikely.
Certainly Luka is not being systematically oppressed, but maybe Kyle Guy is? I wouldn’t have the information to know.
———-
the TLDR of this is: I personally only think of it as the kind of racism to worry about when people are punching down at a group.
Reverse racism is the incorrect term, point taken.
I do sometimes wonder how offensive much of what players like Jordan and legendary trash talker Kevin Garnett said on the court would be. I’m pretty confident it would make me reaaaaaly uncomfortable, and I’d find lots of it inappropriate, like Harrel’s comment.
I also admit I don’t know the culture that surrounds basketball, where trash talk seems (showing some personal ignorance here probably) to be integral to what guys do on the court. I’d certainly never say things NBA players say to eachother on the court, that’s for sure.
I think I might be onto something with Jordan. Jordan the player was nasty, and the league reveres him. Yet the Jordan who was awful to Kwame Brown? when he was (it’s not clear to me) management or management/player at the Hornets? That crosses the line imho. If he took a race tinted shot at one of his players? that’d be waaay over the line, at least that’s what I think of this sort of thing today.
The nuance around this type of thing is really challenging.
You say that but…
On one hand I totally get you (I do however respectfully disagree). There was a derogatory statement caught on audio/video of a player insulting another player solely based on his appearance and a racial stereotype.
bitch ass white boy is being compared to the n word in this instance. It shouldn’t be, it’s not even close.
hypothetically speaking, what if it was caught on audio/video of a white player saying to a black player you’re just black ass bitch.
would there be outrage? Would that white player be suspended? Would black players in the nba be upset or offended? Would the black fans of the nba be offended?
Personally I think the answer is no to all of those.
And side note:
Is there actually an instance of a white player in the last 50 years being caught calling a black player the n word in the nba?
I don’t recall that ever happening and my google search only brought up non player related idiots
Wow, there are going to be so many big boards for this draft. It’s just all over the place. One thing I do feel, is it may be one entertaining draft night. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bunch of trades and surprises with so much uncertainty going forward with the league. It’s been argued that this is a weak draft, but get ready for one hell of a draft night.
Yeah, I think there are going to be a TON of trade. GSW is an obvious one, but MIN, ATL, NYK all look like clear candidates for movement. I expect NYK to go hard (meaning overpay) after either LaMelo or an NBA PG.
Yeah, I could see a NYK and Hornets pick swap if LaMelo is there at #3. NYK will give up a future asset to move up to #3, and the Hornets can still get near equal talent at #8. You are right, Knicks are likely to overpay.
My question is HOW MUCH would they need to overpay to make the Kings think about moving Fox?
I firmly believe no one on the Kings is untouchable, but I also believe moving Fox while on his rookie deal would be a mistake.
That being said, I might listen to to a deal that was something like Fox and Buddy for Mitchell Robinson, Randle, Ntilikina and their 2021 first rounder.
I’d think you’d probably get more value for Hield from sending him elsewhere. And I’d rather have a pick than Randle. Though we might be able to get that pick moving Randle as an expiring next season. His 21-22 salary is only $4MM guaranteed.
I actually think this is a pretty big underestimate of Fox’s worth. Randle and Ntilikina don’t have a ton of value at this point. Robinson does but not nearly as much Fox IMO. The 2021 first is by far the best asset the Knicks are giving up but I think if we shopped Fox around the league we could get a much better deal than this.
I think Minny would take Fox for the 1st pick this year. Thats his value
Yeah I wouldn’t trade Fox for any player in this draft.
This exactly. I’d rather have Robinson + the 2021 NYK 1st than the #1 this year.
And I think we could get more than that. Even if it’s just adding on the #27 this year.
My only concern is that nothing is guaranteed with future picks. Fox may make the Knicks good enough where their pick is in the 8-12 range rather than the 1-5 range.
Absolutely, but I’d rather have a likely top 10 pick next year with a chance at 1-4, than the #1 this year.
As I pointed out above, I think it’s unlikely any team ever trades future picks that are not top-3 or top-5 protected
Obviously, I can’t say for certain otherwise. But multiple teams have in the past couple/few seasons.
And, I’d be okay with very light protections. I think guys like LaMelo, Wiseman, and Edwards are roughly comparable to guys likely to go in the 10 range next season.
Also, I don’t think any team is trading future picks that aren’t top-5 or top-3 protected
Why not send Buddy. We can pick up another shooter in the draft.
Well, they’d have to want him. And I’d guess someone else would value him more. But that’s just a guess.
Hell no
I agree nobody should be untouchable. I actually feel the most prudent approach would be to maximize Fox’s value now. I think in this draft, we could get the 1st pick for him. I think Minny would make that trade.
Though I don’t that will happen
I’d only trade Fox in a package for a high 2021 pick. I think the Knicks 2021 will be a top 5 pick.
Thats tough to outlook though, because Fox would theoretically make that team better.
The knicks, as you say, may be the only one.
And, of course, all this is to say they don’t NEED to trade Fox, and shouldn’t for anything less than a Godfather offer.
This we agree on
As I’ve mentioned before, I think it’s possible Fox’s value may never be higher. Sure, he’s amazing on a rookie deal. But he’s eligible for an extension next year. And that extension is likely going to be very, very big. Are we still comfortable with Fox making around $30M/yr?
It’s always possible. There’s no guarantee that any player’s value is going to increase. We have a good example right in front of us with Heild. He held significantly more value before signing his extension. When he was coming of a historic shooting year and was still under team control for rookie contract $$. I think there is a decent chance Fox’s value is as high as it’s ever going to be, yes. But I also think there’s a good argument for letting him provide value on our roster rather than in a trade.
As I said, I don’t think they need to or necessarily should trade him. But I’m certainly open to the idea because I think he’s a high value asset.
Agreed. I’d lean more toward trading him however than not trading him. Just based on the contract that’s coming, and I’m not sure if he’s worth it.
The Kings don’t have any other assets that could return a high 2021 or 2022 pick, in my opinion. And I would like as many of those as I could get.
Vlade screwed up this rebuild in my opinion. Our ceiling is limited so I’d like to start over with a competent GM.
Yeah, missing on draft picks and filling the salary space with a bunch role players on long deals isn’t really a recipe for success.
Theres always room to negotiate for a godfather/insane type offer that offers your franchise a very clear path to a very bright future. You can’t say no to that.
however. It’s likely not coming.
There is no better place to start than with a very young PG with all star level talent who is super clutch, seemingly a great person/face of the franchise and legitimately the fastest player in the best basketball league in the world. Sign me up.
Next GM: Fox is your foundation. Have fun.
Yes
An interesting trade was brought up by someone a few threads ago. Buddy Hield to Atlanta for the #6 pick. Not sure if ATL does that, but if so, we draft Halliburton and then deal Fox to NY for that Robinson/2021 pick package. I think that would be a nice start to a rebuild.
I saw that and wondered the same thing. Why would they want an older Buddy when they have the youth that fills the same need. I mean, Huerter is 21, on the rookie scale, and does basically the same thing Buddy does. They have time to evaluate their youth instead of locking up big money on a guy that will be past his prime when all of their youngsters hit theirs.
FYI, if they want Buddy, I’d insist on Huerter as part of the package.
Yeah personally I don’t see why they would want him. But at least his skillset suggests he should have several more years of good production. And if they don’t like anyone at the 6 spot, they could be open to it.
I think Halliburton might be the steal of this draft.
I don’t know why anyone on a .431 team without a single player that’s ever sniffed the top 30 or so would be untouchable.
Buddy and the NY media?!
side note: I was cracking up when I heard Ham say he’s already put out 14 separate mock drafts at this point. Like I know you gotta get them clicks, but that just seems excessive. 13 of them took place before the lottery, and the draft could be more than 2 months from now. He could run out of potential lottery permutations before the draft if he doesn’t pace himself.
This way, after the draft he could be like, “nailed it”.
it’s like when someone has a dozen different march madness brackets, so they can point out how they predicted every upset correctly.
Here is the story of this year’s draft. Half of the top 60 players should return to school to work on their game. They know next year is loaded and this year is weak so they are entering the draft to take the sure money. Meanwhile the basketball organizations are mining fool’s gold where they should be looking for copper.
Spot on – this will definitely be one of those drafts where someone like Patrick Williams or Nesmith gets taken at #4 and someone like Hayes or Okongwu goes 23rd. Some projected late first / early second rounder like Reed will go #14. And we see a bunch of trades as teams don’t place a lot of value on their picks.
And of course, despite it being a very flat draft, mediocre analysts will still give out draft grades based on where they had a player mocked acting as if a team reached on a player who might have been taken with the next pick if they hadn’t acted.
Patrick Williams, NICE! Just get me some players that can play 3/4. No more Bazemore SF, please. We also need value for Barnes and his contract..
Sidenote: I think we need a second round mock this year lol
I think Pat Williams is a 4 in the NBA. I don’t think he has the feet or quickness to guards NBA 3s. He also doesn’t have the technique, but that can be learned.
I just went back and watched a regular highlight vid of Williams after you mentioned his athleticism earlier. To me he looks a lot more like a 4/5 than a 3/4. He is absolutely jacked for an 18 year old. I think a smart coach could do some fun stuff with Williams as a playmaking big. On the other end of the floor, I don’t think he’d get bullied by some of the bigger centers in this league. That’s not to say I think he’ll be this amazing rim protector. I just don’t see his size holding him back like we do with Bagley/Giles. The dude’s just built like a tank.
I wonder about his playmaking. It’s a lot like, say, Barnes. If the pass is in his line of sight, he’s unselfish and will make the pass. But he doesn’t show much vision, anticipation, or ability to manipulate the defense to create opportunities.
But I absolutely agree about his position. I think he’s a 4 that leans more towards the 5 than he does towards the 3.
Not a true 3 and much better suited at a different position, eh? Sounds like the perfect SF for the Kings liking.
We did do a full mock draft at Kings Pulse, both rounds. This is the link for Round 2 including Sacramento’s three picks: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2020-nba-mock-draft-pt-2/id1456035236?i=1000487164479
I’m a sucker for a mock draft. But there are some I just don’t see here. Not that anybody cares, but if I’m doing a no-trade mock it probably goes:
MIN – Edwards
GSW – Wiseman (or Okongwu. Either work really.)
CHA – Ball (There’s zero reason Graham and Ball wouldn’t work together. Ball isn’t going to defend PGs anyway, and Graham is a good off-ball shooter. They need EVERYTHING, so there’s no reason not to take the best player on the board.)
CHI – Avdija
CLE – Toppin
ATL – Haliburton (Spot up shooter to work off Young, can take some playmaking off his shoulders, defensive versatility and length to cover for him).
DET – Okoro (this is the first real slot where I don’t see a best option. Detroit really doesn’t have anything in place. Wood is a FA. Griffin is obviously not a consideration at this point. This is a tank year if I’ve ever seen one. It was a tossed up between Okoro and Okongwu for me.)
NYK – Anthony (and it will be a hilariously bad choice enabling us to continue to thank the Knicks for being the only thing standing between us and undisputed ownership of the worst franchise slot).
WAS – Vassell
PHX – Hayes
SAS – Okongwu (As I’ve said before, the Spurs are hard to read for me because so much of their decision making seems to be personality-based. And I don’t really have the access to judge much of that.)
SAC – Bey (Hard to say what the new front office will value. With the old FO I’d say Williams because physical talent seemed to significantly out weight basketball talent with them. But now? I can see a new FO drafting a guy that could contribute faster so they can have more immediate flexibility with the roster for trades. Bey would enable them to move Barnes. Nesmith, as noted, would give them more of a rationale to move Hield.)
NOP – Lewis Jr.
BOS – Tillman
If the Hornets take Ball, what do you think they do with Rozier?
I think he’ll probably start at the beginning of the season at least. They’d probably play a lot of 3 guard lineups, which works to some degree with Roziers defense and Ball’s size. Probably look to trade him at the deadline or in the offseason. The Hornets (like the Kings but to an even greater degree) need to be looking further down the road and not worrying too much about immediate fit.
That said, I don’t think they’ll actually end up with him. I think there are going to be enough trades that any mock drafts based on the current order will be moot.
Tangent:
Watching Colangelo and Brand spend the past 3 seasons tearing down the house that Hinkie built has been truly magical.
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I’m sorry for your pain. It’s just mind-boggling watching their decisions. It’s like I felt watching Hennigan’s moves for the Magic.
Out of town hedge fund owners have the fan base really down. Not a lot of folks outside of Philly know the Colangelo’s underlings are still in the front office. Things are pretty bleak for one of the most passionate fan bases in the country. Sound familiar?
Me? I’d trade Embiid right now. I don’t want to see back-to-the-basket big men taking 20 seconds to shoot an eight foot jumper, while the opponent takes 50 threes at under ten seconds each.
rant over.
Yeah, I’m with you. I don’t really like Embiid’s style. He’s great, but his style, IMO limits the team’s overall offense. I’m also not high on his ability to stay healthy. Honestly, if I’m making big moves over there, I’m selling Embiid for a Kings ransom and seeing what I can get for Harris.
I say we should be the ones to give Hinkie a shot to see his plan all the way through.
Hire Hinkie then have him swindle the 76ers in trades. I like it.
Nothing would bring us more full circle than us hiring Hinke and having him get 3-4 unprotected picks and Smith from the 76ers in exchange for taking on Horford’s contract in exchange for Barnes’ contract.
I’d be interested in his plan. Were I the owner, I’d like to hear if and how he would do, say, Hinkie-lite.
That said, he’s isn’t my top choice. Though it would be really interesting to give him the “senior advisor” type of role ala West/Dumars. Put him on a retainer and ask for opinions and proposals every so often.
I just don’t want too many chefs in the kitchen. Give all the power to a competent individual, and let them work. We’ve had too much confusion in our FO for too long.
I’m hoping it’s Hinkie. I’d be good with Webster or Zarren. I don’t know too much about anybody else to make a statement one way or the other.
I do. I want as many smart people as possible with as broad a range of experience as possible. And a GM/BBops President that knows how to manage them. Webster is an absolute contract genius. I’d love it if he brought in a high level analysts (McNair?) and a high level guy with a scouting background (Tolzman?).
Yeah that’s the thing about the “too many chefs” saying. Any 5 star restaurant will have multiple chefs in a kitchen. It’s just that they have defined roles and all report to the executive chef.
Yeah I’ll put it this way. I don’t want there being any confusion about who the *Head Chef* is.
It’s Matina on even days unless she wears heels higher than an inch. Otherwise it’s Vivek as long as he can prove he’s a mumbling doofus.
It’s anyone guess, it seems like.
guys im right here lol
it is a bit refreshing watching this from afar for a change, I must admit.
I don’t understand what is keeping GSW from keeping Wiseman? He seems like a perfect project big to put next to Draymond Green, who will stay on his ass to keep the effort up.
Obviously it depends on what they can get in a trade, and Wiggins can be thrown in to match salary with pretty much anyone.
I hear you but I also hear the doubt. No one knows if Wiseman will be any better than a journeyman, it is a wing league, and lateral quickness issues are a real red flag 2020 and beyond. He might be DMC all star too, but like you said they are 90% trading out for Vet help. the Minny 2021 is at least as valuable.
The point is they have all the wings they need. They need a big. He offers the most potential among the bigs
The question is if they need to spend a #2 pick (and even the $7+MM per year contract it comes with) to get the production they need out of a big? Can they get what they need from Noel or O’Quinn on something close to the minimum? Or Mason Plumlee on a team friend deal (who I could see them being into)? Or even talking about draftees, does trading down (or up into the 2nd) for someone like Smith, Oturu, Tillman, do just as much for their overall team/system performance?
For sure. I fully expect them to trade the pick. But if they keep it, I could see them going for the highest potential so they can think about life beyond their big three. Thats my thought with them picking Weismen.
On a side not, Plumlee is one of my favorite FA targets for the Kings
Yup, I could see them trading the #2 to the Knicks for a future 1st. Knicks take LaMelo and the Warriors kick the asset can down the road. They then fill the roster with cheap vets
the pricetag of the pick makes some sense. I wonder if they could pry Mitchell Robinson from the Knicks?
If they want a big who can fit in their offense, Obi Toppin works fine. he shot 70% on 2s and has range out to 3. great lob target. runs like a deer. As a rookie he could be given the role that Marreese Speights had several years ago. bring him off the bench.
I think, looking back at Bogut, Pachulia, and McGee, people are presuming they prioritize low usage, solid team defender Cs. Whether that’s true or not I have no idea.
Yeah, I think that is why they went with WCS. They definitely have a system C they prioritize. It is also a C on the cheap.
I think this mock proves that this draft is all over the place. We are going to see a million different draft boards. I agree with some comments above there will be a number of trades this year.
My hot take on this class is that if I had the 1st pick, I would take Deni Adjva. I think his playmaking potential is off the charts. I am also higher on Killian Hayes than most it seems.
Another group I really like in this draft are some of the older guys. Vassell, Haliburton, Nesmith, etc. Good wings that could fit on any team.
Yeah, anybody that hits on the mock draft for this one is a witch.
Deni Avdija to the Spurs would be my dream scenario. Make it happen!
I think he offers the most potential in this draft, given his playmaking potential
People have to understand that he’s not a 6’9 Luka; he is a secondary playmaker and should never be the guy bringing up the ball every possession. He is skilled, though, is reasonably fast and athletic and has a “Spurs”mentality, IMO.
Lateral quickness and reliability of his shot (mainly based on his poor FT%) are the big concerns. Other than that, he has most of the skills and court vision, on O and D, to have a productive career.
Agreed. That secondary ball-handler is so important these days.
He actually reminds me of Hedo in many ways
Yeah, I think that’s one of the better comps.
When looking at a 3 minute highlight clip, I can see a Hedo upside, but keep watching, find a longer video, like 15 or 30 minutes, and I see a player a mile below Hedo. Horrendous shot. Sort gets away with stuff that works against the JV team but not the varsity team. then I think, am I missing something? let’s look at the stats again. hmmm. not a lot of data to work with. It’s not like Doncic or Rubio or even Dario Saric who had a ton of exposure for years, and lots of data. So unless we’ve got the inside scoop from some trustworthy source (i.e., not the Papagianis scout), he’s at best a draft n stash, and I think the Kings can do better at #12.
I mean, clearly we’re talking about a high end comp. Another is someone like Gordon Hayward. Either way, I don’t see a horrendous shot. He has clean mechanics, easy range and nice touch on his shot. He has to get more consistent with his lower body mechanics, but he’s already successful refined his shot over the course of this season. I’m confident, given the chance, he’ll be an above average NBA 3pt shooter.
yes, he has improved from three … so maybe I used the wrong word. I do like his playmaking, his passes seem very accurate and his height allows him to see over the defender. he makes quick decisions, high IQ. so overall I like him as a prospect. I think a Dario Saric comp at this point is pretty fair. That is a player who played overseas a couple years longer before entering the draft and then was a draft n stash playing a couple more years overseas. If the Kings drafted him, I could easily get behind the pick. I value passing, IQ, team basketball and he brings those things. Some more improvement in his shooting percentage could make him even better.
If the Kings are actually going to make a pick at 12 I’m fine with somebody like Patrick Williams. I think there needs to be acknowledgment that this team is probably going to be really bad next season and they need to be drafting for the future not to try to get a contributor this year. Take a big swing on a player and if you miss this year, so be it. I still prefer either a trade down or moving this years pick for a 2021 first. I would be loading up on as many picks in the 2021 and 22 drafts as possible because there’s going to be a lot more talent available.
If I’m drafting a guy like Patrick Williams (which I probably wouldn’t), I want him to be an elite athlete. Which he isn’t.
Okay Dave Kingman. Have fun with the farm team.
I’d say “farm team” is a pretty accurate description for the Kings during the vast majority of their time in Sacramento.
Not really. Farm Team implies they develop talent that goes on to contribute to other teams. The Kings are far more likely to hold onto players for too long than to sell them too early.
Can you let me get my jokes off please?
I’m the guy that closes-out aggressively, blocks shots, and screens out at the team shoot around, aren’t I?
Sorry.
Not to mention sticking your foot in the star point guard’s landing spot, thereby badly twisting his ankle!
LOL
I’m not criticizing Patrick Williams here. I like his talent. I’m criticizing the Dave Kingman swing approach when the Kings could get a solid single at #12 if they do their homework.
A solid single means nothing until they hit a home run at some point. One single per inning still leaves you with no runs.
I prefer to live reality rather than on the farm. The team is bad and has minimal talent. Whether you agree or not is sort of irrelevant.
Shouldn’t we be doing a mock GM draft for the Kings first?
They should! We all know someone from the organization keeps tabs on this site. Whoever you are THESE ARE MY TOP 3 CHOICES:
1- Webster,
2- Simon
3- Redden
If we can’t get those 3 then Brent Barry would be my next choice..
We’ve spent the last five years mocking our GM.
It’s a shame there is only 7 rec’s for this.
If the draft goes that way, I think only three of those players will earn their rookie contracts.
Probably not a surprise that Williams is raw. And this in a vacuum isn’t a reason not to draft someone, but worth noting, this is his performance against 5 ranked teams this year:
FG: 41%
3P: 0%
FT: 30%
Points: 6.4
Rebounds: 3.2
Assists: 0.6
Steals: 1.4
Blocks: 1.6
Turnovers: 1.8
A/T: 0.33
I don’t even know if you can play him against NBA competition as a rookie unless he has Kawhi Leonard-like development over the summer.
Not the end of the world given we are likely to be bad next year barring a miracle by the new front office; however, if we go this route and decide to take a “big swing” with Williams, we need to be prepared for the fact our rookie might spend most of his rookie season in the G-League.
Edit: Adding, this isn’t a shot at Fippin’s selection – love the write up and this is 100% in-line with his strategy of taking a big swing for a potential home run, which is perfectly valid. It’s just this swing is an Adam Dunn type of swing that gets a HR or a strikeout.
A big fear for me is that Williams feels a lot like a guy that, if he develops and becomes the next Kawhi, he very well may not do it while on his rookie deal.
And Adam Dunn walked A TON. This is more of a …. wait for it… Dave Kingman approach.
Ha! One draft site made a Marcus Morris comp for Patrick Williams, who played three years in college, didn’t really play as a rookie, 20 minutes per game in his second year and didn’t really become the player we know now much later. Their foot speed, body language, and reasonably skilled offense seem comparable. Although Patrick Williams is a better leaper and shot blocker and dunker. I read in a couple places that Patrick Williams needs to be told to be more assertive (going back to high school), and almost every draft site sees him as a guy who fits in, takes what the defense gives him, sometimes drifts off the ball, not really being proactive, which is not bad, but it is not Kawhi. Also, defense and rebounding not even close to Kawhi. If we have Kawhi in mind when looking at Williams I am sorry for all of us. Big whiff. If we are a little more realistic approach and have a good eye, this could be more like a Jack Cust walk (or Adam Dunn walk).
I’d love to see Brett Brown coach this team.
He’s an upgrade from Walton. I’m not sure he’s especially good. Solidly in the fat part of the coaching curve.
Am I the only one who’s not super impressed by a lot of the wings projected to go our pick range? A lot of them seem to need quite a bit of development and I’m not confident in our staff to do that well.
I do however, LOVE this class of point guards. I’ve been trying to evaluate Riller, Terry, Lewis Jr, Flynn, Maledon, etc. and it’s tough to rank these guys. Lewis Jr would probably be my favorite pick at 12 barring one of the bigger names dropping. One of the things I like about this guard class is I think a lot of these guys can and will be able to contribute at a pretty high level right away. A lot of mocks have guys like Flynn and Riller going as late as the second round but I really don’t understand why. If say the Kings took Riller at 12, I think people would freak out but I personally don’t really see that as being a reach. Now whether or not you could trade down and still get him is probably a different story.
I think the Kings FO (whoever the hell that may be), should take a hard look at this guard class. A spark plug alongside Fox and to sub in for him when he needs a rest I think would do wonders for this team.
I’m with you on the wings.
Maybe not a HR per se, but I do think Kings fans tend to sleep on Nesmith because of Buddy.
We have a 6’6” wing with a 6’10” wingspan who is a lights out shooter, move extremely well without the ball, and is already a solid defender with the upside to be a switchy defender on the perimeter (with plus, though not elite athleticism) – but a lot of people just see him as “another Buddy.”
I do think if we could get a Buddy-like shooter at 12, who can guard wings, make 20% of Buddy’s salary, avoid controversy, and is 7 years younger than Buddy – that would be a pretty big win.
Totally agree. Buddy’s skillset can be found on the cheap these days, whether through the draft, free agency, or G-League level. See: Duncan Robinson.
I think this is too much of a generalization and I don’t think you’re giving Robinson the credit he deserves. Shooting is still a much needed asset all over the league and doing it at the level Buddy and Robinson have done, isn’t easy to find.
I think that trend is beginning to change. We are near a decade in on valuing outside shooting as a premium. The young guys coming out of high school or at the college level have been taking more 3pt shots than 2pt shots for damn near their entire childhood. The NBA has more 40% 3pt shooters then ever before. I really feel those kinds of players will be in abundance now.
To you and BHE, I agree to some extent- there are definitely more high level shooters in today’s league than a decade ago or even 5 years ago. But the type of shooter matters. A guy like Robinson is waaaay more valuable than say Bjelica to me. Shooters like Bjelica are almost a dime a dozen in today’s league, but shooters who are as versatile and elite as a guy like Robinson or JJ Redick are not.
Hmmm. I’d say Bjelica is more versatile than either of them considering his facilitating ability and size. The major difference is volume. Redick and Robinson are constantly running off screens and spotting up. But they aren’t creating anything for themselves or others. They are absolutely elite in their volume and percentage, but I’m missing the versatility part of the equation.
I’m talking versatility specifically as a shooter. Bjelica can really only shoot in catch and shoot situations. Where as Robinson or Redick can run off screens and have those plays ran for them, they can catch and shoot, and even shoot off the dribble a little bit.
And then to your point about overall versatility, sure Robinson and Redick don’t have the facilitating ability that Bjelica does but how often is he able to even use that? And Bjelica is an absolute liability on the defensive end and I wouldn’t say that about Robinson or Redick.
And to add on, Buddy’s versatility as a shooter is my biggest concern with him as a player because he doesn’t seem all that comfortable coming off picks and shooting and that’s what separates Redick and Robinson as shooters and puts them in a higher category as a shooter than Buddy IMO.
Hield took more shots coming off screens and hit them at a higher rate than Robinson this season. He also shot more pull-ups. Robinson has been more of a one-dimensional spot up shooter than Hield his year.
I haven’t taken the time to look up how Redick or Bjelica compare this year. Obviously, Bjelica’s volume is much lower, so it isn’t really apple to apples, but I’ll be interested to see what his frequencies of different shots looks like.
It depends what is considered “coming off a screen”. Hield shoots what seems like a pretty high clip off on-ball screens but I feel like he’s awful in those Ray Allen/Redick/Rip Hamilton type plays where he’s running around and shooting immediately off the catch curling a screen.
Different conversation, but Buddy is also more of a rhythm shooter than the rest of these guys mentioned. Joerger seemed to know how to get Buddy easy, comfortable looks without having to dribble much which allowed him to see the ball go through the basket early and often. Walton makes him do a lot more on his own and that’s just not his game.
I do think there is a difference between guys who can sit on the wings and hit 40% of their wide open threes in rhythm. And guys who can hit 40% of their threes while rolling off a screen, off the dribble, relocating on the move to give shooters an empty pocket, etc.
They’re great shooters. But that really depends on where you want to draw the line at good shooter. I mean, this season there were roughly 30 guys that hit 39% or better on 5+ 3s per game.
I beat you with that thought by 30 seconds.
Story of my life.
Nesmith is actually one of the guys I really like in this draft. He reminds me a lot of Klay and I think he has the potential to be on that level as a two way player. But if we draft him at 12, we’d really need to sign some shot creators in free agency, cause I think that might be this teams biggest weakness.
This is generally my rant:
We have recently built a team full of useful role players without the elite players to tie them together and allow them to focus on playing those roles. Personally, I think every move should be held up the filter of “how will this get us closer to acquiring those difference makers.” And I don’t think free agency is a real answer.
Free agency could be the answer to some of our problems, but yeah definitely not the answer to getting an elite player.
Which I think is really our limiting problem.
One thing I was thinking about is the idea of drafting a raw player like Pat Williams in the lottery, then giving the Stockton coaching staff a full season to foster his development. They’ve already shown an ability to consistently develop undrafted guys into NBA-level rotation players. I don’t think it’s crazy to think they could take a raw lottery talent, and turn him into a starter-level player. Technically, they’ve already helped an undrafted free agent (Wenyen) develop into a starter on a playoff team.
Just in general, it would be great if Stockton could evolve into a true farm system. Imagine a world in which the front office targeted players that fit a system/philosophy. Stockton taught those players the system and developed their skills, and Sacramento was fed a steady stream of young talent that’s familiar with the system and filled specific roles. Maybe they could even promote someone like Anthony McClish to run the player development program to help build a bridge between the two teams.
Anyways, hopefully that’s the type of thing the new GM would implement. If the Kings became a team that had a reputation for developing players it would go a long way to attract the type of players worth developing.
I love the idea of Stockton as a true farm system in-line with teams like the Raptors.
However, I much prefer the idea of taking a raw second rounder or undrafted player and letting then VanVleet him than our lottery pick. Given how mediocre our team is – I would really hope anyone we can draft at 12 could step in and play a role / develop with the NBA organization next season.
And given we have 3 second round picks – I would imagine we could send them some players like Dotson, Reed, and Hagans and let them try to work some magic.
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