Porter will 20ppg walking into this league and will have more of an impact over the first four years than any other rookie in this draft. That’s what the Kings need right now. Doncic won’t be that in this league ever.
Porter gives us the Iso option mid post, stretches he floor when Fox is running pick and rolls with Giles, he allows us to play fast while still having the height to defend the perimeter shooters.
I say take Porter over Doncic if Ayton goes #1.
We already have one of the brightest PGs in the league and definitely don’t need Doncic as another Boggie/Buddy as they are already too similar. JJ comes off the bench as a spot up 3pt shooter. Trade WCS and Skal now as you’ll only get diminishing returns the longer we hang onto them. They both believe they are alpha scoring options but are far from it. Sign athletic defenders, rim protectors and rebounders.
Shumpert then fits into the rotation perfectly and becomes more than useful over the next season if healthy.
I’ve changed my view since we received the #2 pick and believe need wins now to become a desired destination like Philly has. No one thought LeBron would ever consider playing there when they had a 27 win season but now they are a top 4 likely destination.
Porter and his scoring power will give us the best chance of doing this.
I understand the concerns about Porter’s back injury and his longevity. At the end of the day doesn’t matter who will become the greastest ever out of the draft what matters is who is going to be have the biggest impact and give their team most improvement now.
It was Mitchell this year even though Tatum may prove to be the better player long term. We can all agree it’s never going to be the #2 popular choice Lonzo Ball.
Let’s not make the same mistake as the Lakers. 2018-19 it’s Porter for me hands down as the biggest instant impact that the Kings need
If Porter can come good on his potential coming out of high school then he could end up being the best player in this year's draft class. However, I am not totally sold on him at #2. It's a bit risky for my liking because of that recent back injury and the fact that he is not known for his defensive contributions. That's why I see more Michael Beasley in his game than Kevin Durant. On his night Beasley can score and go toe-to-toe with the best players in the league, but he's far to inconsistent and doesn't contribute enough defensively to make him a centerpiece on a good team.
At #2 if we aren't going for Ayton or Doncic, I would give serious consideration to Jaren Jackson and Marvin Bagley...
Jackson brings athleticism, shot blocking, rebounding, and shooting treys to the table. He would be an ideal fit at PF or C in today's NBA. My concern with Jackson is that he didn't dominate in college offensively and projects to be a third or fourth option unless he puts it together offensively in the NBA. The foul trouble can be coached out of him, but that would be another concern if that continued.
Bagley would be a safer selection than Porter if what we are looking for is a potential go to scorer. Bagley brings athleticism and has enough size to play PF or C, though his best fit is certainly PF. He is pretty well rounded and if he is coached up and committed enough the defensive end should improve. I see him Bagley as a first or second option scoring wise. The concern with this selection is that if we pair him and Willie together, neither are particularly prolific shot blockers, which would be problematic and might mean we have to assess who we pair Bagley with in the starting line up.
For me, I would go Ayton or Doncic with the second pick, but I can see the appeal of the other prospects.
If we can somehow get a 2019 draft pick and still get Porter, that would be ideal.
If we trade with Atlanta, Dallas, Memphis or Orlando. Kings can get another Top 10 pick next year.
The concern with this is will those teams necessarily be in the lottery next season?
It all depends on how their off seasons work out. Dallas don't intend to tank. Atlanta don't stay bad for long and have enough draft picks and assets to get better. Memphis will want to bounce back unless they trade Conley, Parsons and Gasol to go into full on tank mode. And Orlando will want to start getting better and with the right moves could be a fringe contender for a play off spot, because last season they were one of the teams hurt most by injuries and had they stayed healthy they would likely have won more games.
If we aren't sold on Ayton and Doncic, then I'd be fine trading back with any of those teams to acquire their pick this year and another pick next year. In fact based on a trade value chart #3 and #30 is roughly the same as #2. So we could move back one spot and let Atlanta pick who they want, then we get the guy we want, and then pick up someone at the end of the first round. But I wouldn't try and get fancy at this point and would just select the BPA at 2 unless we got a deal too good to turn down.