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Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
PHX is wide-open with this pick to me. They already have a bunch invested in their wings with Josh Jackson and Booker as their core pieces. So unless they want to move Jackson or Doncic to Small-PF, or let Booker guard PGs while Doncic runs the offense, I think they heavily look towards Ayton.
I mean, they have a gaping big man/point guard sized hole in their roster.

Tyson Chandler/Bender/
Chriss/Dudley
Jackson/TJ Warren
Booker/Jackson/
Ulis/Crackerjacks

Doncic is big enough to play some four in the modern NBA but it certainly isn't ideal. Ayton is a semi-local guy (Arizona) so it seems almost a perfect match. But so does Luka so w/e
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
I mean, they have a gaping big man/point guard sized hole in their roster.

Tyson Chandler/Bender/
Chriss/Dudley
Jackson/TJ Warren
Booker/Jackson/
Ulis/Crackerjacks

Doncic is big enough to play some four in the modern NBA but it certainly isn't ideal. Ayton is a semi-local guy (Arizona) so it seems almost a perfect match. But so does Luka so w/e
Another point to be made is that it almost seems like the Suns' franchise has now put themselves at the beck and call of Booker, making it His team. I just wonder if Bender wants to play with Ayton or with Doncic?
 
I mean, they have a gaping big man/point guard sized hole in their roster.

Tyson Chandler/Bender/
Chriss/Dudley
Jackson/TJ Warren
Booker/Jackson/
Ulis/Crackerjacks

Doncic is big enough to play some four in the modern NBA but it certainly isn't ideal. Ayton is a semi-local guy (Arizona) so it seems almost a perfect match. But so does Luka so w/e
They also just hired a European coach who has a very close relationship with Doncic.
Adding Doncic as their point makes them very long defensively.
 
I love him too. He could become a great player. This choice could be a lot tougher than just Ayton-Doncic. I'm just glad we don't have to pick between Sexton, Carter, Bamba and Bridges!:)
To me Jackson's biggest wart is his shooting mechanics. But it also worries me a bit that he didn't get big minutes as a freshman. Bad memories of Marvin Williams maybe. But his metrics when he was on the court were fantastic.

Ayton's poor defense given his tools concerns me. And Bagley's concerns me even more. He looked lost in a 2-3 zone at times. Nevermind being a questionable positional fit in today's NBA.

Doncic's blemishes are his lack of quickness (especially laterally) and explosiveness. He'll need elite shooting to make up for that the same way Curry has but Doncic's outside shot has been good but not great this season. I think he could be a high floor low ceiling pick.

What the Kings really need is an elite, go-to scorer who can fill it up from outside. Ideally at the SF spot. That guy isn't really in this draft IMO though it's tempting to think Porter might be that guy. Personally he looks to me like an inefficient chucker more than a natural scorer. He could have a lot more to his game but what I see is a guy whose go-to move is just to pull up and shoot. He'll need a lot more tricks in his bag (post moves, tighter handle, some semblance of a passing game, counter moves etc) to be an all-star.

That said, he was who I was looking at for the 7th or 8th pick along with Bamba, Carter, and the Bridges with Troy Brown and Zhaire Smith as my sleepers.

Now I have to look much harder at Jackson, Ayton, & Doncic.
 
You hope for and take Luka and you don't look back.

I had the opportunity to watch him in person in Dec vs Olympiacos and his skill, his all around game jumps off the charts. There's a Rubio/Nash presence and flair to his vision and handle. There's a Kidd attribute in the way he attacks the defensive boards and looks to push. He's also got creative footwork to get his shot off, intelligent footwork. The kid can hit 23 foot fadeaways off a step-back crossover on his right foot.

Plus my son has the same name, same initials, Luka D.

I go Luka/Bogdan as the main ball handlers. Hope Giles impresses. Spend on a big with a real defensive/boarding presence. Willie still had ADHD. Can't be counted on.
 
<Ayton... Ayton... Ayton.>.....Ayton all the way unless the Suns pick him. Ayton reminds somehow of Kevin Willis who was a pretty good player in the league and that might be just the downside or average version. Instantupgrade on the front line with Cauley. From the clips of Luka, was not too keen on him - seemed kinda like a jack of all trades, master of none. No Bagley hopefully - the 2 games of him in the latter tournament, was not impressed. The Kings outdo their last draft in a big way!