Players to watch: 2016/17 college season.

[Sactown ExPat]

Monk is the truth. We will draft him if he's there, people will flip out because Vivek, and then Monk will tear the league up. You can't let past results affect future evals. Monk is a way better prospect than any of the guys who busted out for us.

Regarding Ball, his shot form is unspeakably bad for a prospect these days, not to mention a wunderkind from a basketball factory family. His shot will need to be rebuilt cause he will struggle to get it off inside of 30 feet, and trying to convince the family of that gives me pause. Also, with the possible exception of the Knicks and maybe Boston, you are just grooming him for the Lakers. Would be better to save time and swindle Magic on draft day.

 

[ParniValjak]

First, I'm not about to defend this trade. I don't understand it. It makes no sense based on what we've heard has been offered for Cousins in the past. Some information has to be missing from this equation. That said, I disagree totally on 2006's description of Hield. You throw out these crazy assessments of a player as though their written in stone. The dude is a freaking rookie, and almost every rookie that comes into the league struggles at first. The one's that don't, usually become superstars. Lebron, Jordan etc. Even Kobe struggled big time his rookie year. Dirk was almost booed out of town his rookie year. So give the kid a break, OK?

I understand your not liking the trade. I don't like it either. I think Hield will be fine, but he's hardly enough along with a couple of draft picks to acquire Cousins. Tyreke probably walks at the end of the year. To be honest, the trade looks more like a salary dump than anything else. One thing is for sure, the Kings have committed to a total rebuild of the team. My advice to them is, get rid of anyone on the team that could lead to winning for the rest of the season. We need to get a pick in the top five if possible and grab one of Tatum, Isaac, or Jackson, and then with the other pick in the lottery (hopefully) go after either Ntilikina or Fox. If the Kings can come out of the draft with two of those five, it will be a good start toward the future.

You would hope that Kings just hit absolute home runs with this draft. If the Kings are lucky to have two top 10 picks (the earlier the better obviously) they really need to hit two home runs with them. Even the 2nd rounder from Philadelphia needs to get a productive player.

Kings cannot afford to pick on positional basis. They need to go with the best talent available. Ideally that is a go to scorer and a PG. I wonder if Kings would entertain the idea of trading those two top 10 picks for a top 2 pick to grab a potential PG in Fultz or Ball. That might actually be worth consideration given that Kings are now in desperate need of a can't miss frachise player.

I am far from a draft expert. In fact all I have seen of the kids this draft is off the draftexpress videos and highlight videos but I do like Tatums ability to create a good shot for himself (something this team really needs now) and just the speed in the open court of Fox. He is really quick and can get into the paint. The shot needs some work.

One thing that the franchise has going for it is the coaching staff. They have done a really good job so far this season developing youngsters so what they might lack now, hopefully they can develop.

Ideally if you are building a team for the future, you want an elite talents at PG, SF and either C or PF. It gives you a nice balance on the court. If Kings can get a SF and a PG this draft, hopefully there is a Boogie/AD/KAT type big in next year's draft to round out the 3. Given their history and obsession with 3PT shooting, I can see the Kings drafting Malik Monk and another 3PT bomber. Kings need a LOT of luck and they need to absolutely nail their picks if they want to turn this around quickly.

 

[ParniValjak]

Okay, honest question. Which college prospect is most likely Vivek going to fall in love with this time? A flashy, good shooting guard who may or may not bring anything else to the table, who in Viveks mind would draw Curry or Klay comparisons.

Malik Monk

 

[kingsboi]

You would hope that Kings just hit absolute home runs with this draft. If the Kings are lucky to have two top 10 picks (the earlier the better obviously) they really need to hit two home runs with them. Even the 2nd rounder from Philadelphia needs to get a productive player.

Kings cannot afford to pick on positional basis. They need to go with the best talent available. Ideally that is a go to scorer and a PG. I wonder if Kings would entertain the idea of trading those two top 10 picks for a top 2 pick to grab a potential PG in Fultz or Ball. That might actually be worth consideration given that Kings are now in desperate need of a can't miss frachise player.

I am far from a draft expert. In fact all I have seen of the kids this draft is off the draftexpress videos and highlight videos but I do like Tatums ability to create a good shot for himself (something this team really needs now) and just the speed in the open court of Fox. He is really quick and can get into the paint. The shot needs some work.

One thing that the franchise has going for it is the coaching staff. They have done a really good job so far this season developing youngsters so what they might lack now, hopefully they can develop.

Ideally if you are building a team for the future, you want an elite talents at PG, SF and either C or PF. It gives you a nice balance on the court. If Kings can get a SF and a PG this draft, hopefully there is a Boogie/AD/KAT type big in next year's draft to round out the 3. Given their history and obsession with 3PT shooting, I can see the Kings drafting Malik Monk and another 3PT bomber. Kings need a LOT of luck and they need to absolutely nail their picks if they want to turn this around quickly.

A quick rebuild for Sacramento is not realistic IMO. I do agree with you though about BPA, if it so happens to be Monk, then so be it.

 

[Glenn]

You would hope that Kings just hit absolute home runs with this draft. If the Kings are lucky to have two top 10 picks (the earlier the better obviously) they really need to hit two home runs with them. Even the 2nd rounder from Philadelphia needs to get a productive player.

Kings cannot afford to pick on positional basis. They need to go with the best talent available. Ideally that is a go to scorer and a PG. I wonder if Kings would entertain the idea of trading those two top 10 picks for a top 2 pick to grab a potential PG in Fultz or Ball. That might actually be worth consideration given that Kings are now in desperate need of a can't miss frachise player.

I am far from a draft expert. In fact all I have seen of the kids this draft is off the draftexpress videos and highlight videos but I do like Tatums ability to create a good shot for himself (something this team really needs now) and just the speed in the open court of Fox. He is really quick and can get into the paint. The shot needs some work.

One thing that the franchise has going for it is the coaching staff. They have done a really good job so far this season developing youngsters so what they might lack now, hopefully they can develop.

Ideally if you are building a team for the future, you want an elite talents at PG, SF and either C or PF. It gives you a nice balance on the court. If Kings can get a SF and a PG this draft, hopefully there is a Boogie/AD/KAT type big in next year's draft to round out the 3. Given their history and obsession with 3PT shooting, I can see the Kings drafting Malik Monk and another 3PT bomber. Kings need a LOT of luck and they need to absolutely nail their picks if they want to turn this around quickly.

I like the way you think. The idea of trading the two top picks of ours for a top 3 player crossed my mind. I don't think it could be criticized. Also you could trade a sg from our pantry full of sgs (Hield? I'd prefer McLemore) and a draft pick to get into the top three. The major problem is that the #7 pick for example might end up being the best pick. The ordering of 1 through 10 is not a science. I'd use both picks and pray we get an all star from one of them.

Unless Hield turns out to be Harden 2.0, I may never forgive the Kings for the trade. I picture Gay NOT opting out and us having two iso players and playing the type of game that would make me barf. Neither Gay nor Evans can shoot 3s and I am very disturbed. Gay doesn't have to opt out although people seem to be assuming he won't be with the team next year.

 

[ParniValjak]

A quick rebuild for Sacramento is not realistic IMO. I do agree with you though about BPA, if it so happens to be Monk, then so be it.

I probably didn't express my thoughts clearly. By turning it around quickly I was referring to actually having hope. At best, and I mean if everything goes right for the Kings, the earliest they can sniff the play offs is another 4-5 seasons away. What I really meant. y turning it around quickly is having the pieces in place and all it takes is maturation and development. A bit like Timberwolves. They have their big 3 and other nice pieces in place. All they need is development and rounding out the rosters with veterans and role players that fit.

At the moment, there is not a single all-star level talent on the Kings roster. Minny has 3, maybe 4. Kings need to take the same approach, get early picks, hit home runs with them and then let them develop together so when the likes of Warriors are on the decline, Kings are on the way up. It is the ONLY way forward.

 

[ParniValjak]

I like the way you think. The idea of trading the two top picks of ours for a top 3 player crossed my mind. I don't think it could be criticized. Also you could trade a sg from our pantry full of sgs (Hield? I'd prefer McLemore) and a draft pick to get into the top three. The major problem is that the #7 pick for example might end up being the best pick. The ordering of 1 through 10 is not a science. I'd use both picks and pray we get an all star from one of them.

Unless Hield turns out to be Harden 2.0, I may never forgive the Kings for the trade. I picture Gay NOT opting out and us having two iso players and playing the type of game that would make me barf. Neither Gay nor Evans can shoot 3s and I am very disturbed. Gay doesn't have to opt out although people seem to be assuming he won't be with the team next year.

Do you trust the Kings to make the right draft choice? I have my reservations!

 

[Glenn]

Do you trust the Kings to make the right draft choice? I have my reservations!

Do you believe in god? It's very difficult to go wrong but now we are looking for a stud - kinda like we just traded away.

 

[kingsboi]

I probably didn't express my thoughts clearly. By turning it around quickly I was referring to actually having hope. At best, and I mean if everything goes right for the Kings, the earliest they can sniff the play offs is another 4-5 seasons away. What I really meant. y turning it around quickly is having the pieces in place and all it takes is maturation and development. A bit like Timberwolves. They have their big 3 and other nice pieces in place. All they need is development and rounding out the rosters with veterans and role players that fit.

At the moment, there is not a single all-star level talent on the Kings roster. Minny has 3, maybe 4. Kings need to take the same approach, get early picks, hit home runs with them and then let them develop together so when the likes of Warriors are on the decline, Kings are on the way up. It is the ONLY way forward.

It also helps that the Timberwolves have two number one overall picks on their roster to build around. LaVine is a nice 3rd or 4th option to have possibly if he continues developing.

 

[206Fan]

Malik Monk

A quick rebuild for Sacramento is not realistic IMO. I do agree with you though about BPA, if it so happens to be Monk, then so be it.

I like the way you think. The idea of trading the two top picks of ours for a top 3 player crossed my mind. I don't think it could be criticized. Also you could trade a sg from our pantry full of sgs (Hield? I'd prefer McLemore) and a draft pick to get into the top three. The major problem is that the #7 pick for example might end up being the best pick. The ordering of 1 through 10 is not a science. I'd use both picks and pray we get an all star from one of them.

Unless Hield turns out to be Harden 2.0, I may never forgive the Kings for the trade. I picture Gay NOT opting out and us having two iso players and playing the type of game that would make me barf. Neither Gay nor Evans can shoot 3s and I am very disturbed. Gay doesn't have to opt out although people seem to be assuming he won't be with the team next year.

I'm usually fine with BPA, but the Kings have an extreme rare case of being loaded at SG, assuming Bogdanovic comes over. We'll have Hield, Richardson, Bogdanovic, and Temple. Richardson might be able to play SF down the road, but definitely not next year.

Then we add Monk to the mix? It's hard for me to swallow. It really is. I think the biggest reason might be due to the fact that Hield is part of the piece that was used to trade for Cousins. So in my eyes, he should be a valuable player right? In theory, the Kings shouldn't need to draft a "just-in-case Buddy Hield doesn't pan out" right? However, in reality, it's not that way at all. Just picking on Hield, he has a lot of obstacles against him compared to someone like Monk. Hield's average athleticism and quickness have held his game back a lot in the NBA. Yes it's his rookie year, but we see it affect the way he drives to the basket. So it makes you wonder about his potential. What kind of player can he be with that non-fixable limitation? To add onto this, Hield is already older at 23 yearsold. He's only 1 year younger than Ben, whos' been on our team for 4 years now.
Compare this to Malik monk. Fresh 19yearold kid out of HS/college, with great athleticism. He lacks the length necessary, but there aren't a lot of holes in his game as it stands.

So it's hard for me to justify picking another SG when we have all this damn depth full of young potential, but at the other end of the spectrum, it's hard for me NOT to justify picking a player like Monk. The fact that he's only 19yearsold with athletcism+IQ makes him a great prospect. He has franchise-player type potential, and I honestly can't say that about any of our SGs.

So I guess I shift my stance back to BPA... I wish we didn't have all of these SGs.

 

[Glenn]

I'm usually fine with BPA, but the Kings have an extreme rare case of being loaded at SG, assuming Bogdanovic comes over. We'll have Hield, Richardson, Bogdanovic, and Temple. Richardson might be able to play SF down the road, but definitely not next year.

Then we add Monk to the mix? It's hard for me to swallow. It really is. I think the biggest reason might be due to the fact that Hield is part of the piece that was used to trade for Cousins. So in my eyes, he should be a valuable player right? In theory, the Kings shouldn't need to draft a "just-in-case Buddy Hield doesn't pan out" right? However, in reality, it's not that way at all. Just picking on Hield, he has a lot of obstacles against him compared to someone like Monk. Hield's average athleticism and quickness have held his game back a lot in the NBA. Yes it's his rookie year, but we see it affect the way he drives to the basket. So it makes you wonder about his potential. What kind of player can he be with that non-fixable limitation? To add onto this, Hield is already older at 23 yearsold. He's only 1 year younger than Ben, whos' been on our team for 4 years now.
Compare this to Malik monk. Fresh 19yearold kid out of HS/college, with great athleticism. He lacks the length necessary, but there aren't a lot of holes in his game as it stands.

So it's hard for me to justify picking another SG when we have all this damn depth full of young potential, but at the other end of the spectrum, it's hard for me NOT to justify picking a player like Monk. The fact that he's only 19yearsold with athletcism+IQ makes him a great prospect. He has franchise-player type potential, and I honestly can't say that about any of our SGs.

So I guess I shift my stance back to BPA... I wish we didn't have all of these SGs.

A'ho. (Native American for "I agree", "amen," "right on, dude," or something of the sort.) Well said and as Sherlock would say, "there's the rub." If Hield can bomb away from distance, I am not concerned about his age. Everybody gets to 23 sooner or later. We need a shooter or two or three. Shooting is a big weakness in my opinion. He hit 50% in the last game which proves nothing, I suppose, except in a game of suckatude, he didn't suck. He just did his job and didn't get dragged into the morass of ineptitude.

If Monk is BPA or so our imperfect pre-draft evaluations place him, take him. We can straighten out the sg mess later after we have a little more knowledge of their skills and fit with Joerger and the team. All the problems need't be solved in one season or in one draft. I might say the same of Malikkanen, who impresses me. Just because we have a player of roughly similar skills in Skal, why not have another? I said "roughly" just to make a point.

There will probably be a pg available. Then what? BPA in an imperfect system or at the least a solid 2nd string pg? Argh! After all this chatter, Vlade will pull something out of his rear and we will all groan.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Could Monk play PG? Watching yesterday's game vs. Florida, there were a number of times where he would attract the defense's attention and then set up Adebayo for lobs at the rim. Not quite running an offense, but perhaps a start.

 

[206Fan]

Could Monk play PG? Watching yesterday's game vs. Florida, there were a number of times where he would attract the defense's attention and then set up Adebayo for lobs at the rim. Not quite running an offense, but perhaps a start.

Yeah, there's people speculating that he probably has the skills to play PG. I think he could definitely play PG when he tightens his handles and develops his PG skills. He would become more of a scoring-guard like Kyrie.
However, right now, he excels as a SG. He seems extremely comfortable running off screens and getting his shot off. The way he scores reminds me of Klay Thompson a bit.

He's more of a SG/PG than a PG/SG like D'Angelo Russell as a prospect.

Maybe he can turn into a Westbrook type player? Westbrook had more handles though.

 

[bajaden]

Could Monk play PG? Watching yesterday's game vs. Florida, there were a number of times where he would attract the defense's attention and then set up Adebayo for lobs at the rim. Not quite running an offense, but perhaps a start.

Well, I've already said that I think Monk has a little PG in him. I think it depends on what you want from your PG. If your looking for a Rubio or Rondo type PG, then no. But if your looking for a Mike Bibby type, then yes. Monk see's the floor well, and is a good passer. He already has good handles, that with a little more tweeking, should be good enough for the PG position. The League seems to be going back full circle to the 50's and 60"s where the so called PG and SG were interchangable. Technically, Walt Frazier and Pearl Monroe were both PG's, but they played together on the floor. Same with Bob Cousey and Bill Sharman.

Todays version of that would be Lillard and McCollum. There are others, but my point is, I think you could look at Monk as a PG if your drafting him. In his game against Florida, without Fox available, Monk essentially played the point and carried that team on his back along with Adebayo, who has been looking better and better as the season has gone on.

So, if Monk is the best player available when we pick, then I'm all for picking him and figuring out the rest later. Possibly we could use our first pick on Monk, and then offer our second 1st along with one of our SG's to move up and take a SF or a PF, like Markkanen. Until we know where we stand it's difficult to speculate what we might do.

 

[ParniValjak]

Could Monk play PG? Watching yesterday's game vs. Florida, there were a number of times where he would attract the defense's attention and then set up Adebayo for lobs at the rim. Not quite running an offense, but perhaps a start.

I was keen for Monk while Kings had Boogie. Me reasoning for it was that the offense would run through Cousins so what Kings really needed is more of a combo guard who can bring the ball up, pass to Boogie and then play a lot off the ball. In the meantime you work with the kid on developing his PG skills in the same manner that OKC worked with Westbrook who also had question marks about whether he would be a 1 o2 two in the NBA.

Now that the rest of your roster had a number of kids that cannot create their own shot, then this team needs more of a PG than a combo guard. It needs a genuine PG that can set up others and make them more effective. Fox is not perfect as his body size and shot makes me pause a bit. However, for what this team needs now, he seems to be a pretty good fit. He is really fast, can get to the paint and set up others. Given that on the current team, only maybe Richardson can create his own shot, a PG capable of setting up others is of real need.

If the Kings draft Fox, then they need to lock him up in the weight room and hire a top notch shooting coach to improve his jump shot. The mechanics of it look OK but it lacks arc and rotation seems inconsistent. Defensively, Fox will be an absolute pest.

 

[ParniValjak]

Yeah, there's people speculating that he probably has the skills to play PG. I think he could definitely play PG when he tightens his handles and develops his PG skills. He would become more of a scoring-guard like Kyrie.
However, right now, he excels as a SG. He seems extremely comfortable running off screens and getting his shot off. The way he scores reminds me of Klay Thompson a bit.

He's more of a SG/PG than a PG/SG like D'Angelo Russell as a prospect.

Maybe he can turn into a Westbrook type player? Westbrook had more handles though.

Careful with that around here. It will give Vivek ideas.

 

[kingsboi]

I'm usually fine with BPA, but the Kings have an extreme rare case of being loaded at SG, assuming Bogdanovic comes over. We'll have Hield, Richardson, Bogdanovic, and Temple. Richardson might be able to play SF down the road, but definitely not next year.

Then we add Monk to the mix? It's hard for me to swallow. It really is. I think the biggest reason might be due to the fact that Hield is part of the piece that was used to trade for Cousins. So in my eyes, he should be a valuable player right? In theory, the Kings shouldn't need to draft a "just-in-case Buddy Hield doesn't pan out" right? However, in reality, it's not that way at all. Just picking on Hield, he has a lot of obstacles against him compared to someone like Monk. Hield's average athleticism and quickness have held his game back a lot in the NBA. Yes it's his rookie year, but we see it affect the way he drives to the basket. So it makes you wonder about his potential. What kind of player can he be with that non-fixable limitation? To add onto this, Hield is already older at 23 yearsold. He's only 1 year younger than Ben, whos' been on our team for 4 years now.
Compare this to Malik monk. Fresh 19yearold kid out of HS/college, with great athleticism. He lacks the length necessary, but there aren't a lot of holes in his game as it stands.

So it's hard for me to justify picking another SG when we have all this damn depth full of young potential, but at the other end of the spectrum, it's hard for me NOT to justify picking a player like Monk. The fact that he's only 19yearsold with athletcism+IQ makes him a great prospect. He has franchise-player type potential, and I honestly can't say that about any of our SGs.

So I guess I shift my stance back to BPA... I wish we didn't have all of these SGs.

If it really boils down to having Bogdanovic or Monk I'll gladly ship Bogdanovic out of town, that's if he even commits to coming over this season, which is yet to be determined. Monk can create his own shot, he has a nice handle, sure...he doesn't have the ideal length, I'm sure he will do just fine in the NBA. IT is doing just fine with his handle and speed. Not comparing the players, simply showing an example. I understand we don't want to keep drafting SG every single draft, it does get annoying but when you're a rebuilding team, BPA is really the safest way to go when drafting in the lottery to give yourself a chance to get a star down the road hopefully.

 

[206Fan]

If it really boils down to having Bogdanovic or Monk I'll gladly ship Bogdanovic out of town, that's if he even commits to coming over this season, which is yet to be determined. Monk can create his own shot, he has a nice handle, sure...he doesn't have the ideal length, I'm sure he will do just fine in the NBA. IT is doing just fine with his handle and speed. Not comparing the players, simply showing an example. I understand we don't want to keep drafting SG every single draft, it does get annoying but when you're a rebuilding team, BPA is really the safest way to when drafting in the lottery to give yourself a chance to get a star down the road hopefully.

I agree with you. If we had to pick between Bogdanovic and Monk, I'd pick Monk. I don't think a lot of people realize that Bogdanovic will be 25. That's young, but not young for a rookie. That's the age where players hit their prime.

I hope Kings lose out the rest of the season. The rest of the NBA is such a comic show. Everyone's fighting for bottom 10... All of the teams in the West look like they'd rather be fighting for the #14 pick than 8th seed...

 

[kingsboi]

I agree with you. If we had to pick between Bogdanovic and Monk, I'd pick Monk. I don't think a lot of people realize that Bogdanovic will be 25. That's young, but not young for a rookie. That's the age where players hit their prime.

I hope Kings lose out the rest of the season. The rest of the NBA is such a comic show. Everyone's fighting for bottom 10... All of the teams in the West look like they'd rather be fighting for the #14 pick than 8th seed...

In three years, we can look back on this draft and really see if it is as strong as advertised. If so, the Kings have no excuse to NOT potentially get themselves at the very least, a future all-star player.

 

[206Fan]

In three years, we can look back on this draft and really see if it is as strong as advertised. If so, the Kings have no excuse to NOT potentially get themselves at the very least, a future all-star player.

I think this draft class is strong in the sense that there's 4 guys who would all go #1 overall in a "normal" draft. Those 4 guys are Fultz, Ball, Jackson, and DSJ. I think people also rave about it due to the depth at PG.

Who you think are the players in this draft that have potential to become franchise players?

 

[kingsboi]

I think this draft class is strong in the sense that there's 4 guys who would all go #1 overall in a "normal" draft. Those 4 guys are Fultz, Ball, Jackson, and DSJ. I think people also rave about it due to the depth at PG.

Who you think are the players in this draft that have potential to become franchise players?

Do you remember the last draft class that was labeled as a strong PG draft? 2009...it had a decent amount of good PGs after Curry. Rubio, Lawson, Holiday, Teague, Collison. Even had Pat Beverly in the second round.

I see two potential franchise players in this draft, Fultz & Smith. Ball could be one, as could Jackson.

 

[Kingster]

In the order I would draft them, Fultz, Ball, Markkanen, and I don't think their being overlooked by anyone. After those three I would take Dillon Brooks, Ivan Rabb,, Zach Collins and with honorable mention going to T.J. Leaf, Jock Landale, Tyler Dorsey and Jordan Bell. As you might have figured, Oregon has a pretty good team when all cylinders are clicking.

I really get the sense that there is an awesome amount of talent in this draft, and that even in the 2nd round there should be some good players available. Is that your sense also?

 

[bajaden]

Do you remember the last draft class that was labeled as a strong PG draft? 2009...it had a decent amount of good PGs after Curry. Rubio, Lawson, Holiday, Teague, Collison. Even had Pat Beverly in the second round.

I see two potential franchise players in this draft, Fultz & Smith. Ball could be one, as could Jackson.

I don't like the term franchise player, especially when its used as the measuring stick for a successful draft. Let me put it this way, I prefer to look at players as either starters, or bench rotational players. And then break down the starters as a first, second, third, etc. option. I think that if you can acquire a legit NBA starter in the draft, and by that I mean a player that would start for just about any team in the NBA, you've had a good draft. If you acquire a star player, or a franchise player, then you've hit the jackpot.

With that said, I think there are a lot of players in this draft that have starter potential, and several that have star potential. Players that I think can be stars in the league are: Fultz, Ball, Jackson, Smith Jr., Tatum, Monk, and maybe Markkanen. If I were to add in those that I think can be legit starters in the NBA, I would add the names of: Isaac, Fox, Ntilikina, Bridges, and Anunoby. Players that I think are on the edge of the bubble, that with hard work could be starters, but are more likely to be rotational players are: Justin Patton, Dillon Brooks, Ivan Rabb, T.J. Leaf, Jonathan Motley, Jarrett Allen, Dwayne Bacon, Tyler Lydon, Robert Williams, Zach Collins, Jawun Evans, Caleb Swanigan, and Bam Adebayo.

As you can see there's a big group of players that are on the bubble, but I consider good enough to be NBA players. Of course it depends on how bad they want it, and how much growth they have left in their genetic bag. I can almost guarantee you that there will be a couple of surprises in that last group. I didn't even add some players that I really like. I love how Luke Kennard plays the game, and I will be shocked if he doesn't make an NBA team at some point. I think someone will take a hard look at Grayson Allen, who might shoot his way into the NBA, despite his lack of athleticism. Isaiah Briscoe is just one consistent jumpshot away from being an NBA player. In short, there's a lot of talent in this draft if you choose wisely.

 

[Dime Dropper]

I'm really nervous about Vlade's drafting here. Ntilikina is the only Euro I'd consider with a top 10 pick and even he wouldn't be my first choice depending on who is left on the board. I would not be shocked at all if Vlade reached on a European player. Hartenstein is a good prospect by the way but there are going to be better prospects on the board.

If we manage to come out of this draft with two of Tatum/Monk/Isaac/Fox then I would be extremely happy. Markkanen and Ntilikina are two other options although I prefer the first four (in that order). That's presuming that we don't land a top 3 pick along with Philly, and that Fultz/Ball/Jackson/Smith are all gone.

I know we have an abundance of SGs but I think Monk is a big time prospect and I wouldn't pass on a potential star when none of Hield/Richardson/Bogdan are proven yet. He also might be able to play some PG. I think Tatum has star written all over him, his personality/confidence is extremely attractive in a prospect that young, especially when you consider his size/athleticism and skill level. Isaac is a bit more raw but he also has a tantalizing combination of physical and athletic traits and a budding skillset. Fox' shooting is worrying but his ability to get into the lane is impressive and he is extremely quick. In a few years he may end up surpassing some of the more highly touted PGs, who knows.

Excited for this draft presuming we actually get two picks, I just don't trust Vlade at all at the moment. He is not going to care about fan reaction as he wants to go down his way if he goes down at all, unfortunately that means he may pass on a better talent just so he feels more comfortable.

 

[bajaden]

I'm really nervous about Vlade's drafting here. Ntilikina is the only Euro I'd consider with a top 10 pick and even he wouldn't be my first choice depending on who is left on the board. I would not be shocked at all if Vlade reached on a European player. Hartenstein is a good prospect by the way but there are going to be better prospects on the board.

If we manage to come out of this draft with two of Tatum/Monk/Isaac/Fox then I would be extremely happy. Markkanen and Ntilikina are two other options although I prefer the first four (in that order). That's presuming that we don't land a top 3 pick along with Philly, and that Fultz/Ball/Jackson/Smith are all gone.

I know we have an abundance of SGs but I think Monk is a big time prospect and I wouldn't pass on a potential star when none of Hield/Richardson/Bogdan are proven yet. He also might be able to play some PG. I think Tatum has star written all over him, his personality/confidence is extremely attractive in a prospect that young, especially when you consider his size/athleticism and skill level. Isaac is a bit more raw but he also has a tantalizing combination of physical and athletic traits and a budding skillset. Fox' shooting is worrying but his ability to get into the lane is impressive and he is extremely quick. In a few years he may end up surpassing some of the more highly touted PGs, who knows.

Excited for this draft presuming we actually get two picks, I just don't trust Vlade at all at the moment. He is not going to care about fan reaction as he wants to go down his way if he goes down at all, unfortunately that means he may pass on a better talent just so he feels more comfortable.

I don't disagree with much of what you wrote, nor about Vlade saying that if he's going to go down, he'll go down his way. I would echo that same sentiment if I were in his shoes. Where I disagree is the assumption you made that doing it his way means he'll pass on talent. I see no evidence of that so far. Yes, he did trade down and pass on the PG that most thought we should take, but so far that player hasn't done anything earth shattering and perhaps Vlade was looking ahead knowing that he wanted to trade Cousins. Thus the drafting of Papagiannis. On whom the jury is still out.

At the moment, it looks like he did just fine with the 22nd and 28th picks in the draft. So until I have evidence to the contrary, I'm going to trust in Vlade to make the right choices. I'm hoping that the basketball god's smile on us for a change, and like you, I think Tatum is going to be a star in the league. We need to have one of our choices as close to the top five, if not in the top five as possible.

 

[funkykingston]

I've said it before but Monk is an ideal fit for Philly and I think they grab them if their pick falls outside the top 3.

He'd play PG on defense but on offense function like a SG with Simmons as the primary ball handler/playmaker. He'd also provide spacing for Embiid to operate.

If they get the Lakers pick then Monk and a stretch 4 like Markkanen makes a lot of sense.

 

[funkykingston]

I really get the sense that there is an awesome amount of talent in this draft, and that even in the 2nd round there should be some good players available. Is that your sense also?

Not mine. I think this draft is really top heavy but falls off after the 10-12 range.

Usually it would be the case that so many strong top prospects would push good players further down than normal but I think after the top 10 or so this draft is very similar to last year's. Maybe slightly better but that's not saying much.

 

[funkykingston]

I'm a big fan of Jonathan Isaac. I don't think he'll be a star or "Durant-lite" but I like his tools and his fight. He's already a good rebounder and defender despite being so slight, he's good with the ball for someone so big and his shot is slow but looks good. I think he's a versatile 3&D guy who could be much more.

Monk makes sense if Joerger wants to run a pseudo Princeton offense and could play him at the point. If not Monk I also like Ntikikina and Bridges.

Fox, Smith Jr and Tatum are all consensus top 10 picks and sometimes I really like them but all three have warts that concern me a good deal.

 

[hrdboild]

Uggh, the last thing this franchise needs is another undersized SG who could "maybe convert to PG in the NBA". It seems like we draft one of these college superstars every year and then we're shocked when they don't pan out. Basketball players aren't divided into offensive and defensive units. Just looking at them in terms of who has the most scoring potential is missing 3/4 of the game. Do we really need another scoring guard right now? First it was Tyreke who was going to save us then Jimmer, Isaiah, Ben, Nik, Bogdan, Buddy. We haven't even seen Bogdan in a Kings uniform yet! If we're late lottery and everyone else is off the board, maybe. Otherwise we need a true PG or a multi-dimensional forward. Fox, Ntilikina, Smith, Isaac, Jackson, Tatum. If we have an actual PG or a wing who is not just passable but a dominant defender I will care not a lick if Monk scores 30 points per game for some other team.

 

[bajaden]

Uggh, the last thing this franchise needs is another undersized SG who could "maybe convert to PG in the NBA". It seems like we draft one of these college superstars every year and then we're shocked when they don't pan out. Basketball players aren't divided into offensive and defensive units. Just looking at them in terms of who has the most scoring potential is missing 3/4 of the game. Do we really need another scoring guard right now? First it was Tyreke who was going to save us then Jimmer, Isaiah, Ben, Nik, Bogdan, Buddy. We haven't even seen Bogdan in a Kings uniform yet! If we're late lottery and everyone else is off the board, maybe. Otherwise we need a true PG or a multi-dimensional forward. Fox, Ntilikina, Smith, Isaac, Jackson, Tatum. If we have an actual PG or a wing who is not just passable but a dominant defender I will care not a lick if Monk scores 30 points per game for some other team.

You see an undersized SG, and I see a player that has that "IT" factor. Some players have it, and some don't. Would you take C.J. McCullum on our team right now despite who we already have. He's an undersized SG. Monk isn't just a player that can score in bunches, he's an elite athlete who does defend. He plays with tremendous confidence. When you have a player like Monk sitting in front of you, and he's the best choice on the board, I don't think you can pass just because you have a bunch of unproven SG's on your team. Add Hield to your second 1st round pick and move up in the 1st round.