Welcome to the 2020 Kings Herald Community Draft Board, an annual tradition at our old digs. Last year we didn’t bother doing this as the Kings didn’t have a first round pick, but with just a few weeks until the draft we figured it would be a good time to start it back up again.
This is the readership’s opportunity to create a democratic draft board which represents the order in which we as a collective would like the Kings’ draft board to look like. It does not represent the desires of individual writers or fans, but some semblance of the community’s collective thinking.
When a choice comes up, pick who you’d want the Kings to pick given all the players remaining. Note: THIS IS NOT A MOCK DRAFT. This is a draft board, a ranked list of prospects you’d like to see the Kings pick. In other words, if we were the Kings front office, when our pick came up, we’d take the top name left on our board. So pick your choice, not who you think Monte McNair or anyone else would choose in a slot.
Explain your choice in the comments, and lobby for who should be added to the next pick’s choices.
This poll ends at 5 AM tomorrow. The next one will begin shortly thereafter. We will go roughly 15 picks deep.
I’m on record as not wanting the first pick in this draft, but I’d vote Edwards at the top of my board.
Oh yeah, if I have this pick I’m working pretty hard to trade it. And it wouldn’t take much to get me to move down 4 or 5 slots.
Sorry Deni?
The choices mostly concern me. My reasoning is the constant turmoil this franchise seems to be in, will make it hard to develop any player. My choice of Avdija is linked to the unfounded hope that he is more mature, and therefore most able to handle the shitshow that is the Sacramento Kings.
Sorry Deni!
This time you’ll know who downvoted you!
I’m going with Edwards.
I think he can be an explosive sidekick with Fox and frees us up to trade Hield while preventing us from committing big money to an aging Bogi. Trade Hield for a decent wing, and find a way to parlay Bogi into another pick or back up PG and I think it would be a successful start for the new regime
After a lot of going back and forth, which will continue, I chose Hayes. He’s like a younger, higher ceiling version of Halliburton to me with more self-creation chops (who is currently my #3, I think). I think his size and skill set makes him equally enticing regardless of what you want to do with Fox, Hield, and Bogdan this offseason.
I can get on board for this. The reasoning is sound.
What do you think of the ” lack of motor” tag on him though? If true in any substantial way do you change your mind?
The thing that scares me about Edwards is that you hear he might be the next Donovan Mitchell, but could also be the next Dion Waiters.
With that disclaimer out of the way, I voted Edwards. I just think that he has the best shot at becoming a star in today’s NBA.
Bold prediction: LeMelo will wind up on the board before I vote for him.
Yep, chances are I won’t be voting for Ball.
Would love to see him drop to 8 & the Knicks. Match made in heaven.
Comedy heaven?
If I had the #1, I’d be working pretty hard to convince the Knicks I was taking Ball, but would reluctantly trade it do them for the low low price of EVERYTHING!
Same here
Yep. This was going to be the year I decided to watch a lot of video, read a lot of scouting reports, really have an informed opinion on these young players so I could speak to it in an educated manner.
(And last year. And the year before…)
Normally March Madness, reading scouting reports & occasionally watching some videos helps me w/the prospects, but the cancellation of March Madness, the alleged strength of the NHL draft & the alleged weakness of this NBA draft made me spend more time researching the NHL draft than the NBA draft (which I don’t normally do since the NHL draft is usually much more of a crapshoot than the NBA draft). I’ve mainly spent my time looking at players the Kings could actually get instead of the top prospects.
I chose Wiseman, mainly out of sheer need for the Kings in regard to having a legit center who can provide rim protection. If Bagley is healthy, that is a quick, springy front court, and if Marvin is injured, we have a bigger version patrolling the paint and rim-running. Imagine a Willie Cauley-Stein who lives to block and alter shots.
His sample size of statistics from college is basically worthless, but he’s a physical freak, and nothing indicates that he can’t still improve.
I voted for wiseman for pretty much the same reasons. Personally, I’d rather be able to trade down and get okoro.
I have a feeling this year’s draft board is going to be all over the map. For the record, I don’t want the Kings to draft at #1 as I’d prefer they trade the pick, but if it has to be one of the players listed I pick Edwards because I really want nothing to do with Ball or Wiseman.
Is it just me, but would most of us be more comfortable making a pick outside of the top 3? I like the players around the 4-10 projections more than the ones in the top 3.
Lastly, could we get a lot more players listed in the poll? Otherwise, I really think there are going to be a lot of write-ins for this year.
Yeah, right now I’ll likely be writing in Haliburton next round or the one after. But once we hit somewhere around 8, I’m fairly certain my favorites won’t be especially close to the list.
Though now that I think about it, I’ll probably be voting for Hayes for at least the next few rounds.
Same, I’m between Haliburton, Deni, Okoro, and Hayes for my next pick and frankly could be talked into making any of them my #1.
I mean, he’d vote for you.
that kind of talk is exactly how an Anthony Bennett gets picked #1.
Ugh…that 2013 draft. Yikes.
Man, there was no one on that board that I wanted less than Bennett. Was so relieved (and confused) when he went #1. And was ecstatic when McLemore fell to us at 7. The next Ray Allen, baby!!!
Same, I was on an Alaska cruise at the time of the draft. Was stoked on Pete and Vivek and went bonkers when McLemore “fell” to the Kings. Ending up having too much too drink in celebration. Nothing like a bit of motion sickness and a hangover the next day.
I also remember wanting to steer clear of Shabazz Muhammad.
If only there was the possibility that this draft had that much talent. How did Gobert go so low?
Gobert was extremely raw coming into the draft, and there were tons of issues about his body filling out. Really a testimate to himself and the Jazz staff for developing him.
He also spent a good chunk of his first year in the G-League.
Adding…his development, including strength and muscle, is was gives me hope for Poku. If the Kings took Poku, I’d be totally fine with him spending the first year learning and developing in Stockton.
I’m cool with Poku playing for Olympiacos for another season or two. Meanwhile we’ll send crates of protein powder.
Hayes. I think he will be special. The size and playmaking, along with defense…fit well with Fox.
Company firewall is keeping me from seeing the poll so here’s my absentee ballot for the 1st pick:
Wiseman.
Hayes seems to be skyrocketing up the mock draft boards in the last couple of days, and Kira Lewis has also seen his stock rise, but for my money I’m going with an athletic bruiser with a proven track record of rebounding and rim protecting (2 areas the Kings were sorely lacking at times last season.) Even if the Kings were able to snag this pick somehow, I’m not worried about fit, as I’ve no doubt McNair will either figure out a rotational balance or move pieces as needed while he implements his blue print on this team, and a Fox / Wiseman core could be a nice starting point to a rebuild.
I’m a terrible Kings fan.
I’m so much more excited about the 7 seconds or less reunion going on in Brooklyn than the Kings draft pick. That Brooklyn team is going to be entertaining to watch this year as that set of characters has got to be combustible and will play really fun to watch basketball.
I just want the guy who is a good playmaker with a high BBIQ and a decent to good defender. That is all. Is that so much to ask?
The Celtics will draft that guy (whoever it is) at 14.
I’m so confused about what the Kings are going to do with the draft. The reports say we’re interested in people we can actually get (Hayes, Lewis) but the Kings social media is putting stuff out about the top picks (Edwards, Ball, Wiseman).
In the top 5, I’m more curious about who the Warriors will pick. Thoughts?
assuming they don’t trade it? I’m about 95% confident they trade it. Even just to trade down to 3-5 and take Deni.
Both Wiseman and Edwards would be excellent fits there. Wiseman would back up Looney for awhile, and they’d have some actual size available. All Edwards would need to do is defend well, and hit a decent percentage of the many open looks he’s going to get.
The Warriors are in such a good position right now.
assuming they end up picking somewhere in the top 10, at 2 or lower. Who do they end up with?
I’m thinking the Warriors want completely out of the first round. They don’t want the guaranteed deal and would rather spend their space on veterans to win now.
Voted Wiseman, think he’ll fall somewhere between Robinson and Whiteside.
Lobbying for Devin Vassell to be added.
Lobbying for some defense.
Which Robinson? Also, have you seen what happened to Vassell’s shot?
This is a pretty much a shot in the dark since I haven’t done much research on the top prospects, but it sounds like Hayes has the best skill set.
Hayes – High ceiling, high BBIQ, good ball handler, 87% FT, creates for others…count me in (and being a good fit with Fox doesn’t hurt).
Like many others, I would very much rather not have a top 5 pick in this draft and would be trying to trade down. Feels like wasting an asset to just use it to pick one player when the first 10 off the board won’t have much room between them.
I think Hayes and Edwards are the two players with the highest ceilings but the difference between the rest is minor. 3-8 are all in the same tier IMO, with Vassell, Okoro, Okongwu as my 3-5 and Advija, Wiseman, Haliburton as my 6-8. Toppin and Maxey round out my top 10 (although I would also take a flyer on Poku after 8 since why the hell not, its 2020)
I’m not sure if anyone in this draft can really be an all-nba player, but Okungwu is going to be a monster.
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