With 35.5% of the vote, Memphis’ James Wiseman is next on the list for Sacramento Kings fans. He joins Anthony Edwards on the board.
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.
VOTE!
Please don’t boo, VOTE!
(Cropped to hide my owner’s hideous features. Meow.)
Once again, going with Haliburton
Cool new badge you got there Adamsite.
Sweet! Thanks for acknowledging my awesome dumbassness!
!!!!!!
I just saw this after I commented. These are awesome!!!!!
Does anyone remember who won in 2016 and 2017?
OnTheBandwagon and Slam Dunk. OnTheBandwagon should have his since he’s registered but he hasn’t logged on for a while.
No badge for High-Point Homer!?
This makes me miss JLV so much
I’m voting for Isaac Okoro here, who I honestly think is a jumper away from being the most complete player in the lottery.
As for Wiseman at #2, I disagree with the voters on this one. Wiseman is currently 9th on my Kings Centric big board, but I’ll admit that as I’m not privy to his 9-month workout plan in Miami, it’s hard to have any strong takes about his long-term potential.
I may have watched Wiseman’s three game career too many times to be overly optimistic about his desired offensive role at the next level – dude plays like he wants to have some hybrid of Dirk’s turnaround + Giannis’ ballhandling, when he’s likely most optimized as a top-flight pick & dive guy. And I think he’s more limited defensive than most expect – great rim protector, but was terrible in space.
That said, if he’d played 30 games instead of 3, maybe he shows incredible growth over that time period. And if he’s gotta go in the top half of the lottery, I hope it’s Golden State, because they’d optimize the hell out of him. But in Sac? He’d be an excellent player, but he could also end up a weird combo of Willie’s refusal to optimize/Bagley’s insistence that he is what he isn’t.
I agree that he would be excellent in Golden State’s system. If they don’t trade the pick, I think they select either Wiseman, Avdija, or Okoro
I don’t understand the Okoro hype. The steals and blocks don’t support his reputation as an elite defender. Above average defender, maybe. Not a shooter. In the highlights he looks good. In the lowlights he looks like a spaz. Everybody has bad lowlights, some sloppiness, some lazy plays on D, some bad decisions, I get it, but I can’t reconcile the spazziness.
That’s the thing about this draft, at times Okoro can look like Iguodala and at other times like Coke Machine. Same for someone like Edwards. Is he the nex Donovan Mitchell or the next Dion Waiters. It’s gonna be a crazy draft night with players sliding down and moving up the draft.
I don’t know that I agree with this for Okoro. Coke Machine’s problem was a lack of consistency and effort. That is not a concern I have for Okoro at all. Dude has one of the better motors in a high-motor draft.
I think Okoro is a ways off of Iggy. While I understand the comparison, aside from similar struggles with their jumper – Iggy was far more elite at basically every skill in college (even as a freshman).
Okoro reminds me more of the player Jaylen Brown has developed into, except with potentially better handles / passing, though still far from an Iggy level. But he seems like a strong, swithable defender, who can hit open shots (if he develops), and can cut and drive opportunistically. But I’m not sure you’d want to run your offense through either as a primary ball handler for too long of a stretch.
This is the coach that decided that Buddy Hield ought to run the offense.
My bad: Isaac Okoro – full time PG with Fox at PF could certainly happen this season
His pie-in-the-sky ceiling comp is probably Butler. Which is a nice comp to have, but Butler also showed outlier development over his first few seasons.
I actually really like that comparison. Butler probably a better passer coming out of school, but I see it as “pie in the sky.”
Love that Coke Machine is still used around here. I miss seeing that photo of CM with the rebound, but I do not miss the player.
Here’s the best example (from one of the best armchair scouts out there) on why Okoro’s STOCK numbers don’t properly catch why he’s the draft’s top defenders. https://twitter.com/SKPearlman/status/1320014743260758016?s=20
Okoro’s on and off-ball defense are fantastic, but are also somewhat hidden given how Auburn uses him/approaches team defense.
I know this is a weak draft, but I feel like he’ll get a lot of “why was he taken this early?” criticisms, similar to what WCS got when the Kings drafted him.
possibly. Most elite defensive players still find a way to get their hands on the ball. Stanley Johnson comes to mind as a guy whose defense stood out more than his 1.7 steals, but something definitely was missing on offense (no impact, a bit lost, always looking to the coaches during the game). He had a rep as a great kid, very coachable. Kidd-Gilchrist had that rep also, such a great kid, very coachable, always hustling, lock down defender, and his numbers were like Okoro. Those guys have underperformed in the pros, and had better touch (per BHE) than Okoro. I don’t see Igoudala at all in any of them. DeAnthony Melton is the only player I’ve seen come even close to Iggy, albeit a few inches shorter.
Sure, but there are still different systems and types of players. I think his 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per 40 are pretty good when combined.
For example, Leonard averaged 1.7 steals and 0.7 blocks per 40.
So 2.3 versus 2.4 stocks per 40. I think Okoro has the right applied athleticism stats (steals, blocks, oboards). I’d also love to see them higher, but he hits the threshold to show he has some very good NBA athleticism.
He’s clearly got some holes in his game. This is an odd draft, but the upside is clearly there.
Kawhi could always get buckets. I think he was the best player in the entire Los Angeles area. Just unorthodox. But maybe you’re right on Okoro. I’ve never seen him play. Iggy, yes, courtside, wow. Holy crap, wow. There was no doubt about Iggy.
Yeah to be clear Okoro is not even close to Leonard as an overall player. And I don’t really see the Iggy comparison. I see more Jaylen Brown and agree with BHE that maybe Caron Butler is his outlier development outcome.
Just that while I agree you want to see a supposed elite defender get good steals – he did get good stocks (steals + blocks) in-line with some other great defenders. That said, if I did have a concern related to that, it’s his low Steals / personal foul and Stocks / personal foul.
It’s one thing to play safer and not get as many steals and blocks, but normally that comes with a lower foul rate as well. Suffice it to say that it’s fair to ask some questions.
I agree, Okoro definitely has everything he needs to evolve into a solid NBA player. It’s always a crapshoot, but he seems like a guy that will still be playing meaningful minutes 5-10 years from now.
I want to like Okoro and there are things I love about him. But that shot. And I don’t mean the mechanics or even results. He just seems to have zero touch at all. But I love his defensive effort and impact. I like his aggression to the rim and he definitely shows some passing ability. That complete lack of touch just makes it hard for me to see him ever becoming a guy you have to respect on the perimeter.
This is one of the most bizarre drafts given the amount of very strong prospects who have very poor shots.
Okoro, Ball, Avdija, Oknogwu, and Achiuwa – you are looking at 5 potential lottery prospects, 4 of whom could be top 5 picks who all shot extremely poorly and have some mechanical issues. Ball being the highest FT shooter and 72% and the rest are all below 70%.
Given the importance of shooting in the league, that’s a pretty wild number. But if any of those guys became an advanced shooter, it would really open up their game and justify their draft slot (or higher).
It’s not unusual for younger college players to have some kinks in their shot or to need to improve their jumper. But it’s been awhile since I think we’ve had this many top prospects where their shots are this broken and we are hoping they can become average in-rhythm shooters early in their careers.
Based on mechanics and touch, I’d bet on Avdija’s shot. Ball has good touch but he’s going to have to rebuild his shot a decent amount before he’s a real threat from range. Achiuwa and Okoro have major touch issues. Okongwu, well, he has a decent way to go, but I can see him being a non-zero shooter in a few years.
Fully agree – though even for Avdija, his FT issues are worrisome. But I think he gets there as a spot up shooter. But that’s almost table stakes. Not sure how special that is in the NBA anymore, especially for a potential #2 pick.
As for Wiseman, he’s fine. He’s Mitchell Robinson. Most likely comps are probably guys like Drummond and Whiteside. He’s a guy that can play a nice rim-runner/protector+ role on a team with playmakers, but you’re never going to run your offense through him and don’t want to be the team paying him too much on his second contract.
Deniiiiiiiiiiiii
Also picked Deni. Kings need playmaking at the wing more than another PG, which puts him slightly above Hayes for me.
FIWI, I’m not really sure Deni is a wing. He may be able to play on the perimeter, but I get a feeling he’s going to be more of a PF in the NBA. Could be wrong here, but I’m just dubious he has the quickness to guard SFs or to really gain an advantage driving on SFs.
And given how the NBA has already morphed, he would seem to fit well with the sort of hybrid SF/PF players most teams are playing at PF nowadays.
I agree he will eventually be a PF. But to start out, he will be a nice pairing with a guy like Barnes who is basically interchangeable between the two forward positions.
Went with Toppin here. I think that he has the tool kit to become the new prototype NBA 4.
I’m with you, although I might wait til 4 or 5, but I agree, he seems like a guy who will be a reliable scorer in the NBA. If he can become an adequate defender, he ought to have a nice career.
Besides, everyone knows that he would have been named Most Outstanding Player when Dayton won the NCAA tournament last spring.
He is basically Bagley’s upside. Not the upside people like to dream for him. But the actual incarnation of Bagley’s realistic ceiling.
I think Bagley’s defensive potential is higher than Obi’s, mainly based on athleticism, but as ever, there are a lot of things that can happen.
Bagley has better agility. Toppin has better awareness. Whether either is more likely to make up the difference is debatable.
Yeah, I understand the macro point BHE was making, so don’t mean to nitpick (even though I will), but they are two different sides of the same coin.
Neither really fits what a traditional modern big man does, but they have some different strengths and weaknesses.
Obi has a far more developed offensive arsenal than Bagley did coming out of school (though to be fair BHE may have just been talking about defense). But Bagley was basically all straight line drives, assisted dunks / layups, and offensive rebounds. Obi can create, pass, and shoot – though it’s an open question how some of that translates to the NBA.
Bagley has far better lateral speed though and in theory could be a much better perimeter defender. He just lacks some of the defensive awareness and patience (or having the game slow down for him).
Topping is actually my faller due to age and my perceived holes in his game
I can see him potentially available to us (and hope we don’t pick)
The “Age Argument.”
If Toppin stays healthy, he’s only got, what? 10-15 years left in his career?
By all means, let’s focus exclusively on teenagers who will need several years of polishing, instead of a player who is basically ready to play meaningful minutes.
So many of the all-time great NBA players had three or four seasons of college ball before they started on their Hall of Fame careers. The hyper-emphasis on youth rarely seems to provide quick dividends, as the vast majority of them require a minimum of 2-3 years before they can meaningfully contribute.
I understand that it’s a rebuild, but I don’t see how drafting a guy in his early twenties interferes with a youth movement.
I agree that age is often over-rated. And present skills are often underrated.
For the record, my issue with Toppin isn’t his age. It’s his lack of lateral quickness and how it will make him a pretty easy mark on defense. He’ll be a guy that will struggle to wrangle with Cs and struggle to keep up with Fs.
He will be hunted. I also am a bit concerned not so much by his age alone, but he was very physically developed and able to punish players in the NCAA.
He has the skill to still be effective offensively in the NBA, but maybe pretty close to physical maturity and I’m not sure he’s going to be able to punish NBA players like in college.
This could bring down his offensive ceiling some. And if his offensive ceiling comes down – how far does it need to drop before his defensive shortcoming relegate him to a role player or bench player?
I’m sure teams will attack him defensively, which isn’t a terribly uncommon experience for rookies. But how many guys come out of college and are able to dominate the same way in the NBA? You have generational physical phenoms like Zion, or Lebron, but rookies that punish opposing players? It just doesn’t happen very often.
Just to be clear, I think it goes beyond being a rookie. To your point, if the concern is he’d be hunted as a rookie, but after a year or two he’d be at least an average NBA defender – I wouldn’t be too concerned. Most rookies are not good defenders and all have development areas.
I think the overall concern is he may always be hunted. I take Synergy defensive stats in particular with a heaping grain of salt – but it does back up what scouts say and my eye test that he was the 2nd percentile (like 2nd worst) guarding the P&R. And that’s as a physically mature 22 year old.
There is a real possibility that his defense is akin to Thomas Robinson, but with better offense. To balance out the former, the latter would need to be fairly special.
I think the hope would be for a modern day Carlos Boozer (with a 3 point shot).
Once again… Okongwu.
Awesome masthead graphic!
Yes everyone, please go vote if you haven’t already.
Went with Deni. He ain’t gonna be Luka, but there are enough similarities to strongly consider him at three.
And as others have said, if you’ve voted already, thank you. If you haven’t, why are you just sitting there?
I assume that you’re just sitting there. I sure as hell am.
Hayes again. I hope he drops far enough that the Kings can trade up a little to get him.
Still going with Haliburton!
I feel like Hayes and Haliburton are going to split the “big playmaking on&off ball guard” vote and end up falling down our list because of it.
Yeah just like you I’m expecting to vote for Haliburton at least 3-4 times more before he goes off the board. Got a feeling Deni will be the next one to go.
Hey peeps, VOTE!
Love you all. Stay safe.
Just wondering, in years past at the old mother ship, did we see the results of the votes each day? Would it be possible to see those percentages to kind of get a pulse on who our community is voting? I think it would be intersted to see the write-ins as well. It makes me wonder if there are currently votes for guys like Poku or Patrick Williams.
I’m appealing to not count draft votes after today.
To be fair, the Kings have been mailing it in for years.
It would be more accurate than polling where you miss a silent vote. Kind of like IMO the firing Grant discussion
We did but people would mess with it and flood votes. By making people enter their screen name we keep the results more accurate.
FRAUD
Voted for Hayes again – High BBIQ, good PnR’er, ball handler, shot creator, decent 3pt%, high FT%…a lot to like.
#1 Hayes,
#2 Edwards, #3 Vassell, #4 Okoro, #5 Okongwu,#6 Advija,
#7 Wiseman, #8 Haliburton, #9 Toppin, #10 MaxeyHonorable Mention Poku
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