Links to my prospect profiles are included;
I love nearly everything about a potential Dunn/Kings pairing and will be crushed when Boston/Phoenix/Minnesota/New Orleans ruins that dream. With his great court awareness, passing skills, and NBA-level athleticism and length, I reiterate my expectation that he'll be a top-10 NBA point guard by the end of his rookie contract.
Murray gets the nod over Hield thanks to his secondary ball-handling skills and extra youth (19 vs 22). He's a smart player and an outstanding scorer, and handled the bright lights as the biggest name at the biggest school in the country. His defensive weaknesses have become overhyped—he doesn't have the size or quickness to be a lockdown defender, but he doesn't have the physical limitations of some guards in the class. If he puts as much dedication into learning defense as he does into offense, there's no reason why he can't be one of the more stable scoring guards in the association.
7. Timothe Luwawu, SG/SF, France
If I'm going to be wrong on any player this year, it'll probably be Luwawu. He only had one year of consistent production, and he has clear holes in his game, so drafting the 21-year-old Frenchman is a clear risk. But he's got NBA level athleticism, a developing jumpshot/three-point shot, and great defensive potential, and he plays with great confidence and swagger. I love the idea of Dave Joeger getting to work with Luwawu's range of skills. He's possesses multi-positional versatility and is developing rapidly at nearly every skill you want in 3-and-D guard. I'm going to go down with this ship - I really think he's this classes steal.
8. Jaylen Brown, SG/SF, California
9. Denzel Valentine, PG/SG/SF, Michigan State
10. Wade Baldwin, PG, Vanderbildt
Baldwin is a risk, but one I'm rationalizing myself into. He's not a great scorer, but he's a good shooter; he's not a great floor leader, but was asked to handle too much of the scoring; he's a below-average ball-handler without great court awareness, but he finished with very solid assist numbers. With his above-average physical gifts and youth, and you've got a high-potential prospect (albeit a risky one) who could become a very versatile, multi-talented NBA point in a few years.
11. Demetrius Jackson, PG, Notre Dame
12. Marquese Chriss, F, Washington
A future highlight-reel maker with all the raw talents of a stretch-four without the rebounding (11.8% defensive rebounding rate is really bad for a power forward) or the proven shooting (21 made three pointers inspires hope, not confidence). Chriss might make me look like a fool for doubting him in a few years, but I think he's a raw, raw prospect who will underwhelm if asked to contribute immediately. He'd be amazing for teams that can be patient (like Boston or Minnesota), but I don't know that the Kings will have that patience.
13. Skal Labissiere, C, Kentucky
Overshadowed by his disappointing season is the secret that Skal really does have a solid base of skills, but he'll need serious coaching before he'll be tough enough to utilize them in the NBA.
Chriss and Labissiere are neck-and-neck for me—both are serious project players, but Chriss gets the nod because he didn't show the deer-in-the-headlights look that Labissiere did at Kentucky. If these two swapped colleges, I think Labissiere would have been higher on this list; he would have developed much more broadly in a less-stressful/Kalipari-free environment.
14. Domantas Sabonis, F/C, Gonzaga
15. Furkan Korkmaz, G, Turkey
I regret not finding the time to do a full profile on Korkmaz, my highest ranked non-Simmons/Ingram player who I didn't review. But I'll also admit, unlike Luwawu, I didn't find full game footage to watch, so my opinion on Korkmaz is based mainly on others opinions and highlight clips. He's a very young player with an excellent shooting stroke and tons of room to grow, but aside from his success from three, he's proven little else. Korkmaz would fill a big need, but would come with major question marks.
On pure talent alone, Poeltl is a top 10 selection; he's an underrated scorer, a capable passer and a tough rebounder. He needs to improve his defensive fundamentals, but he'd be a great addition to a team with a proven defensive core (looking at you, New Orleans). I just don't think he fits in with the Kings current roster, with or without DeMarcus Cousins.
Davis is a multi-talented big man who could have a solid impact in the NBA. He's a smart defender, a great blocker (4.1 blocks per 40 minutes), and is a developing scorer with decent footwork and the beginnings of a jumpshot. I just don't believe in his offense like I do Poeltl's/Sabonis', and he doesn't have the insane ceiling that Labissiere or Chriss offer.
18. Henry Ellenson, F, Marquette
Ellenson has all the tools to be a new-age stretch four, with a versatile skill set and the size, strength, and mobility to adequately defend both big man positions. He's certainly a project player, and will need to show more commitment to defending consistently, but he's got natural scoring instincts beyond his age. I don't know that the Kings have the patience to wait him out, though.
19. Dejounte Murray PG/SG
At this point in the draft, I'm picking sheer potential over immediate impact. Murray has ideal size for his position (when he fills out), and is a capable NBA athlete with good quickness. Every aspect of his game is raw, but aside from his three-point range (29%), nothing is exceedingly worrying. Tyler Ullis deserves to be on this list, and far be it from a Kings fan to doubt an undersized firebrand point guard, but Murray gets the nod from me in the late teens.
Prince doesn't have the high ceiling of his peers, but he's got skills across the board and can provide an immediate impact. He's got the size to play both forward spots, is an NBA-level athlete, and provides shooting/rebounding/toughness in spades. He'll be transitioning from a zone-heavy system, so his defense instincts might take some time to convert.
In all, my final Big Board doesn't seem that far off from the official 2016 Sactown Royalty Big Board. Collective hive-mind brilliance, or are we all lemmings plunging to our watery deaths together? Big thanks to all the readers/commenters who listened to the ramblings of this armchair scout this summer.
Final prediction: I think the gentleman in the image above will be the next Sacramento King.
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