2014 Draft Prospects:

[Kingster]

http://hoopshype.com/draft.htm

Kyle Anderson at #5
Early in the top half of the 1st round (though they seem to indicate that he could be lower part of 1st round).

I like to look at these unconventional mock drafts. You know the draft is not going to go exactly as you think it is, so it gives you an idea of who might move up and down. It's not going to shock me if Anderson moves up (into the lottery), and Gordon moves down (out of the lottery).

 

[Hallama]

Sounds like Embiid will declare. Not a huge surprise, but he did leave the door open to a return to KU.

 

[The_Jamal]

http://hoopshype.com/draft.htm

Kyle Anderson at #5
Early in the top half of the 1st round (though they seem to indicate that he could be lower part of 1st round).

I like to look at these unconventional mock drafts. You know the draft is not going to go exactly as you think it is, so it gives you an idea of who might move up and down. It's not going to shock me if Anderson moves up (into the lottery), and Gordon moves down (out of the lottery).

I like Kyle Anderson a lot, but where do you play him in the NBA? Even though he has the insane size, I just don't see the athleticism to stay in front of NBA PG's. If you move him off-ball, you start to limit what makes him special as a shot-creator.

 

[The_Jamal]

Thanks. I just have a hard time getting on his bandwagon. He might become an adequate offensive player to allow a team to play him, but it might take years for that development to occur. I'd rather go the WCS for a defensive player who is a project offensively. I think you get more of an immediate bang for your buck.

I'm not on the Gordon band-wagon simply because we already have our mega-athletic tweener forward in D-Will, who we still are trying to develop. Drafting Gordon would make D-will completely obeslete

 

[Capt. Factorial]

I like Kyle Anderson a lot, but where do you play him in the NBA? Even though he has the insane size, I just don't see the athleticism to stay in front of NBA PG's. If you move him off-ball, you start to limit what makes him special as a shot-creator.

I think the general idea is that he'll have to have an offense/defense switch where he plays PG on offense but guards either SG/SF on defense. Anderson might make an interesting backcourt with McCallum, for instance, because McCallum should be able to D up the PG while Anderson would run the offense. Not advocating for Anderson on the Kings specifically, but if we were to be the team that drafts him, that's probably a way to make his unique skillset work.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

I'm not on the Gordon band-wagon simply because we already have our mega-athletic tweener forward in D-Will, who we still are trying to develop. Drafting Gordon would make D-will completely obeslete

If there's an upside to Gordon relative to Williams, it would presumably be his defense. Our team wants and needs defense, and if Gordon can do approximately the same things offensively that Williams can (obviously he'd have to improve on his jumper) then it seems reasonable to upgrade. It's not like Williams has been so great that we dare not think to improve on him. Of course, then the problem is whether we can actually get any value out of him, considering he's going to make over $6M next year.

 

[randymoss1881]

I'll say this if we are picking outside the top 5 I'd rather take my chance with LaVines upside. His quickness is elite as well as the crossover dudes lightening quick with a jump shot. He's also making plays for his teammates this game and played pg in high school.

 

[Gilles]

LaVine is probably less ready than McLemore was this season.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

What has Williams done, exactly, to prove he's even worth keeping here? He certainly wouldn't stop me from drafting Gordon if that's who we want.

Williams can and frequently will go entire weeks without impacting one game. He's so often forgettable out there. It's like he doesn't have a motor. He's missing passion, energy ... something. Gordon is impossible to miss out there. He doesn't take plays off, and unlike Williams who is sort of a one trick pony (offense SOMETIMES and not much of anything else) Gordon can give you contributions all over the court. He has a better head on his shoulders. I'd put him in a category with guys like Faried, Leonard, or Varajao before I compare him to Williams.

And I'm not necessarily advocating we draft him, but I do like him and he's growing on me as a player ... but I certainly wouldn't NOT draft him because Williams is here.

 

[Kingster]

If I had to guess one way or another, I'd guess D-Will is not going to be with the team next year. I agree with the viewpoint that his motor/energy/passion and consistency just aren't there on a nightly basis. I've seen him flatfooted far too many times.

 

[Gilles]

As often it's not either pick or Williams. It's total value. So if Kings had to choose between similar level prospects, one of which would make Williams and his $6 million contract worthless, I know, who I would choose. And for me similar level of prospects start outside of top-10.

 

[hrdboild]

Elfrid Payton has moved up into the first round, possibly even lottery in mock drafts. From what I can scrape together on Youtube he looks like a taller Brandon Jennings with much better defensive fundamentals. I don't really like Smart as a PG, I'm lukewarm on Ennis, and Exum may be gone before we pick so Payton is a possibility for us if we slip into the 8-10 range in the draft or trade down. I know he played on the U19 team this summer with Aaron Gordon and Marcus Smart. Has anyone here had a chance to watch him play? And if so, how would you rate his defense relative to other prospects in the draft?

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

If Payton shot average on his jumpers he's star material. He looks to pass, is absolutely a lethal weapon around the basket and D's up like one's business, which is noticeable against the weak competition he faces. It's just that I don't ever think he'll get that jumper up to snuff. I think he'll eke out a role just by virtue of how elite everything else is, but man.

As for Early, he might move like a SF, but he doesn't have the ball skills of one. Everything he does is set up for him--a bit like Antawn Jamison--or gasp! Joey Graham. Don't forget, Early's age is a concern, and it was only this year where his shooting numbers really hit that uptick. Lest we forget, Joey shot 47.1% from triple and 88% from the line the year he declared for the draft.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

If I had to guess one way or another, I'd guess D-Will is not going to be with the team next year. I agree with the viewpoint that his motor/energy/passion and consistency just aren't there on a nightly basis. I've seen him flatfooted far too many times.

I specifically hate the games where he gets 32 minutes and only takes like 3 or 4 shots. Considering he certainly isn't on the floor for his defense, he's got to pull his weight somewhere, right?

As for Gordon--I like him in the eye test. He passes well, dunks obviously, is an underrated defender, great character--and we need more of those. Everyone raves about the character. He's a great fill in the blanks guy, but I think his jumper is broken. There are so many fronts--mid-range J, three point shot, free throw shot, where we can see this, and he's stymied on all fronts by awful percentages or small sample sizes. I think, provided you have floor spacers around him, and a real patrol-the-paint big, he's good. I can see him as a PF because I don't think his jumper's respectable enough to be a SF, FYI. But his case to be optimized is pretty situational. We don't have that patrol-the-paint aspect and we're really lacking for shooters, so we're exactly the wrong sort of team that would optimize Gordon, even though is leadership would be helpful. It also doesn't help that my other test hates him, largely because of those shooting woes, but he's better than that. He'll be a good cog guy, and if he lands in a less than optimal situation, his mental make up is good enough that he'll work around it.

 

[stevetaebo]

I'm watching the Arizona-Wisconsin game to watch Gordon, but I've been more impressed with this Frank Kaminsky kid. He passes the eyeball test with his 7-0 body.
He's got great footwork and he's developed 3 pt range this past year. I guess the only thing is athletism and lack of rebounding. But I'm thinking the lack of rebounding might be due to the long rebounds from Wisconsin's 3 pt happy offense.

I'm impressed.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Finally! Someone talking about Frank Kaminsky. This kid is awesome.

 

[Kingster]

I specifically hate the games where he gets 32 minutes and only takes like 3 or 4 shots. Considering he certainly isn't on the floor for his defense, he's got to pull his weight somewhere, right?

As for Gordon--I like him in the eye test. He passes well, dunks obviously, is an underrated defender, great character--and we need more of those. Everyone raves about the character. He's a great fill in the blanks guy, but I think his jumper is broken. There are so many fronts--mid-range J, three point shot, free throw shot, where we can see this, and he's stymied on all fronts by awful percentages or small sample sizes. I think, provided you have floor spacers around him, and a real patrol-the-paint big, he's good. I can see him as a PF because I don't think his jumper's respectable enough to be a SF, FYI. But his case to be optimized is pretty situational. We don't have that patrol-the-paint aspect and we're really lacking for shooters, so we're exactly the wrong sort of team that would optimize Gordon, even though is leadership would be helpful. It also doesn't help that my other test hates him, largely because of those shooting woes, but he's better than that. He'll be a good cog guy, and if he lands in a less than optimal situation, his mental make up is good enough that he'll work around it.

I think the bottom line with Gordon is that he's going to take quite a while to develop his shot, probably some years. Just not my cup of tea for a high draft pick.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

aaron gordon = brandon wright

athletic twig. no thanks. he's supposedly to be down in the trenches trying to get post position with players 30-70 lbs heavier than him?

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Wright doesn't even defensive board. At least Gordon does that. Gordon's a much better passer, Wright has the better mid-range J and personal offense.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

Wright doesn't even defensive board. At least Gordon does that. Gordon's a much better passer, Wright has the better mid-range J and personal offense.

tweener; derrick williams, trob, aaron gordon, brandon wright, ike diogu, sean may, anthony randolph, tyrus thomas, . my gut tells me we'll pick gordon since mully will have input. his fetish for tweeners is apparent.

 

[Gilles]

Wright is not tweener: he has very good length, but is a twig. Gordon is neither long, nor big.

 

[Kingster]

LaVine is probably less ready than McLemore was this season.

Totally agree. I've thought the same thing. He needs at least two more years of college. One more year wouldn't be enough.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

LaVine's going to be drafted high based on hype. He's a dunker, but an awful finisher, relies on set-up shots at rim, and doesn't draw fouls whatsoever. In other words, he's Shannon Brown at the rim--no backbone beyond dunking. He's supposedly a good shooter from deep, but I'd prefer a second year of data after seeing poor free throw percentages. And in general, he's often passive on offense--unselfish yeah, but to the point of passivity. And just a poor defender but who can't even make plays on this end or even rebound. At this point, I'm very skeptical about his game, and I think there's major bust potentialif he's drafted high. He really needs that second year, otherwise in the wrong situation, he might expose the wrongs in his game too much to be out of the league soon.

 

[Trueblood]

I didn't realize that Xavier Thames, the SDSU pg, was a Sacramento native. If he's on the board in the 2nd round, he'd be a good pick regardless of where he's from. The Sacramento angle just makes it an even better fit.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Thames has a great knack of scoring and drawing fouls in his jumpers. And some untapped combo guard like passing ability. He doesn't have a nose for the ball on defense whether in making plays or rebounding, but at 6'3" being an off-bench sparkplug that matters less. He can be a good 2nd round buy.

 

[Gilles]

Kings don't have second-rounder, but it seems this draft gets more crowded by the minute, so there will be some undrafted seniors, who will make NBA rosters.

 

[Trueblood]

Kings don't have second-rounder, but it seems this draft gets more crowded by the minute, so there will be some undrafted seniors, who will make NBA rosters.

Here's to hoping he's a summer league invite. I'd think that playing for the Kings would appeal to him. Or so I hope. Then again, if they take Smart or Exum and then IT is resigned, I don't see a spot for him assuming McCallum is still the 3rd stringer.

OTOH, if you go Vonleh or Randle then he would seem to fit as a 3rd stringer.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Wright is not tweener: he has very good length, but is a twig. Gordon is neither long, nor big.

Indeed. And not all tweeners are created equal.

Although he's an inch shorter, Gordon has similar wingspan and standing reach as Blake Griffin, to whom he is often compared because of their athleticism. (That's according to the current measurements on DX, at least. I think the combine is going to move Gordon's momentum one way or another once those measurements are updated). The question is whether Gordon has the frame to add the 30 or so pounds that Griffin has on him.

I've seen some compare Gordon's game to AK47, and while maybe in terms of role (ability to impact with defense and passing) I think that's optimistic given that Gordon is nowhere close to AK47's freakish wingspan. That said, a tweener that is at least good at being a "glue" guy is still much more useful than the tweener that can't do anything but score, and then can't score in the NBA (Beasley, unfortunately Derrick Williams it seems).

 

[Kingster]

I saw Kaminsky play against AZ. It was the first time I've seen him. I've watched the top guys like Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, Randle, but none have dominated offensively like Kaminsky did against elite competition. It's interesting that out of all the guys I've seen this year with all the pub they get the one that has affected the offensive game the most is Kaminsky. I haven't seen one game where one of those other guys totally changed the character of the game against elite competition because of his offense, where he totally changed the way the other team guarded him and his teammates like Kaminsky did in the AZ game. This is the problem with college ball - too much hype for too little performance. Maybe if the kids had to stay at least 3 years in college the hype would match the performance, but we are left to try to "project" what these kids "might" turn out like in the future. With Kaminsky, you've got it gift-wrapped right in front of you. What you see is what you're going to get.

What makes Kaminsy's performance even more impressive is that AZ has got to be in the top 5 in defense in college, if not #1 (their center whose name is will not attempt is no slouch; he's going to be a pro, no doubt). The mistake that Wisconsin made was they went away from Kaminky in the second half. If they would have stayed with him he would have scored 40+ like Barkley said and they wouldn't have had to go to overtime. Maybe Embiid is the difference maker on defense, but Kaminsky looks to be the difference maker on offense.

 

[HighFlyingMonkey]

Gordon is certainly a unique nut to crack when it comes to prognosticating for the NBA. I don't like the Blake Griffin comparison because its lazy and based only on skin tone and their ability to dunk. I don't like the AK-47 comparison because AK moved like a wing and played on the perimeter whereas Gordon is clearly a smallish PF. Josh Smith is a better comparison physically but Smith is a relentless chucker and Gordon will likely be filling into a low usage role in the NBA.

If I had to hazard a comparison for Gordon, I would take Joakim Noah's skills and motor, and shrink him down to Taj Gibson's size. I love his fit on the Kings as a low usage passing hub next to IT, Gay and Cousins. Defensively, he's going to be an impact defender but I'm not convinced he'll be an elite rim protecting type. Short, bouncy bigs don't usually become that.

One more thing is that I don't see the conflict between Gordon and Williams. I view Derrick as more of a big, beatdown SF and Aaron as a smallish roleplaying PF. If Rudy walks, I could envision a lineup where Derrick and Aaron play together as interchangeable forwards. Skillwise, Derrick is a good post defender but struggles in containing the perimeter, while Aaron can defend the perimeter against bigger SFs and is an excellent help defender with terrific instincts but his bulk will be an issue against bigger postup PFs. If Rudy resigns, I'm not sure Derrick has much of a role on the team anyways.