The Kings need good wings…..if their pick comes up and there is equal talent on the board for bpa, it’s going to be a wing. I think it’s easier to plug in a defensive oriented low cost FA center if need be or to obtain one. Give me Damian Jones and a drafted wing, not a project center who is drafted and then need to go find a wing.
What’s your Mock?
- Thread starter sactowndog
- Start date
man this draft is all over the place beyond the top 6.
As of now still leaning towards Moody if he’s there although I like Jalen Johnson for his size and complete game… though limited season.
I dont hear much consideration for Kai Jones but hope we ain’t sleeping because for a big to be this quick and able to guard multiple positions is intriguing, especially if Holmes is moving on.
I’m glad I trust Monte’s ability to construct a team.
As of now still leaning towards Moody if he’s there although I like Jalen Johnson for his size and complete game… though limited season.
I dont hear much consideration for Kai Jones but hope we ain’t sleeping because for a big to be this quick and able to guard multiple positions is intriguing, especially if Holmes is moving on.
I’m glad I trust Monte’s ability to construct a team.
And right now with current league trends if you don't have good feet you can even be the defensive player of the year more than once and hurt your team bad enough to lose to an opponent with their main superstar out. Sengun has terrible foot work defensively and he's playing in a league where you can still get away with playing off pick and roll a bit since the paint is tighter, the 3 line isn't as deep, and you can body into guys defensively on help because they still care about physical play unlike the pillowy NBA game of today.
Last edited:
Yeah, those days are not here yet. Walton is probably using 4D thought process realizing with how the league is fazing out even traditional small ball for 3 wings and 2 guards it's only a matter of time before that 4 guard stuff is the go to, ha ha. Sorry Luke, not quite there yet and you got it handed to you almost every time you went there so....
Yeah those guys are better outright comps but that's essentially 3 players in the world that can sort of get away with it with varying levels. My Bagley comp is more about how you need to specifically build the team around him in order to even attempt to make it work. I think that's a losing proposition most of the time.
Would I draft a player who might project to put himself in that category? More than likely not. The odds are very low and they're even lower when he's projected to be a back end lottery pick. If he was in talks to go top 3, that would mean that there would be a lot more evidence available that he could be like those guys. Talking about him going 9th on back means there's a lot of wishful thinking there.
I personally wouldn't go down the road of offensively talented big man with poor defense again. If he looked like KAT in college I would go for it but KAT's college defense was much better than his NBA defense.
Would I draft a player who might project to put himself in that category? More than likely not. The odds are very low and they're even lower when he's projected to be a back end lottery pick. If he was in talks to go top 3, that would mean that there would be a lot more evidence available that he could be like those guys. Talking about him going 9th on back means there's a lot of wishful thinking there.
I personally wouldn't go down the road of offensively talented big man with poor defense again. If he looked like KAT in college I would go for it but KAT's college defense was much better than his NBA defense.
Right, I agree. Essentially I think you need to be an All-star offfensive big man for it to even be worth the investment of being an average or below defensive big. Certain teams could probably absorb it with a strong defensive wing core (Toronto? Magic?), but us coming off being the worst defensive team in NBA history... probably not the best thing to invest a lotto pick in a non-defending big. Especially when we know for a fact one of Johnson, Wagner, Moody, Barnes, Kuminga will be on the board when we pick.
I agree. I'm always about taking the BPA but even if some people think he is the BPA at 9, there's a lot of people that think a bunch of other players are as well. That's one good thing about the draft being deep. You don't have to choose between an ill fitting BPA and a low ceiling roleplayer that fits. Lots of options.
Ultimately it comes down to picking the right guy. If Sengun dominates the best basketball league in the world like he has the third best he will have been the right choice. If Johnson puts it all together maybe he is the one. Any of these guys could bust or underwhelm. All a GM can do is take a look at analytics, trust their scouts and instincts and frankly get lucky.
The two things that didn’t translate for Bagley was his motor and his rebounding. Both were assumed to be elite and thus far, they’re league average at best. I had dreams of him second jumping on offense and defense to 16 point, 16 rebound, 3 blocks per game nights. Motor and rebounding, most assume, would fit on any team.
The thing that no one could see was the inability to stay on the court.
The thing that no one could see was the inability to stay on the court.
I think it’s a little more than random chance or the same GM’s wouldn’t trend in the same direction. That said it’s clearly not a sure thing and this draft seems to be extra tough for lots of reasons.
some GM’s will certainly burnish their resume this year. Let’s hope we don’t think too short term and one of them is Monte.
some GM’s will certainly burnish their resume this year. Let’s hope we don’t think too short term and one of them is Monte.
Sorry, I am on vacation so sorry for the late response.
That are valid points and good descriptions/explanations. Of course we need to risk something at a certain point and you are right that it may be a good time for that. But in the end it always some kind of lottery and you do not know if players will develop like planned (that it why I also like the players of the other list). Nevertheless, looking for high upside is a fair point and maybe most important at the current state.
That are valid points and good descriptions/explanations. Of course we need to risk something at a certain point and you are right that it may be a good time for that. But in the end it always some kind of lottery and you do not know if players will develop like planned (that it why I also like the players of the other list). Nevertheless, looking for high upside is a fair point and maybe most important at the current state.
He had all the signs of doing that on offense but he didn't show any signs in college of being able to hold it down defensively. Coach K had to implement a zone defense, largely because of Bagley. Thinking he would become an average defender was a pipe dream from the start, considering he showed zero signs of ever being able to do it.
I can get on board with hoping a player can develop a shot in the future because that happens fairly often but hoping that defense comes out of thin air is a losing proposition most of the time and I wouldn't draft a player if that was an improvement that needed to be made in order to be a good NBA player.
I can get on board with hoping a player can develop a shot in the future because that happens fairly often but hoping that defense comes out of thin air is a losing proposition most of the time and I wouldn't draft a player if that was an improvement that needed to be made in order to be a good NBA player.
My issue though is that even if Sengun hits his top 3-5% outcome (so Sabonis/KAT, etc), you STILL need to have the right defensive personal around him to make him work as a foundational piece as a serious playoff team. You just can't hide average-bad defensive bigs in the playoffs; guards and wings are too good at exposing them in the PnR and they just get played off the floor. Hell, even Rudy Gobert gets attacked in the playoffs and has had several series the last few years where he almost became a liability.
It'd be one thing if we had a strong defensive foundation like Toronto or Orlando, but we were just the worst defensive team in NBA history. Investing a top 10 pick in a non-defending big just seems like dumb process to me.
It'd be one thing if we had a strong defensive foundation like Toronto or Orlando, but we were just the worst defensive team in NBA history. Investing a top 10 pick in a non-defending big just seems like dumb process to me.
If Sengun becomes a Sabonis type you find a way to make it work. He doesn’t have to be the best player on the team like KAT or Domantas. He might be the second or even third best guy on your roster if Hali reaches his potential. I’d be surprised if the board would be unwilling to trade the 9th pick for Sabonis.
Oh, I'd trade the 9th pick for Sabonis no doubt. Even if he's not a perfect fit and you need to do a bit more roster adjustment following such a move, you do it and then figure out the rest. The question on drafting Sengun is what are the odds he turns out that good? Obviously there's no good method of answering that question. I wouldn't be offended if we drafted Sengun, but I suspect that there are going to be a couple of "better gambles" on the board.
That's not what Im saying. The issue is that even if Sengun hits, your core is now Fox-Hali-Sengun... which is a really desperate situation on defense although that easily could be a top offensive trio in the NBA if things broke super well in our favor. So your 3/4 better be all-world defenders or we're just capping how far we get to go in the playoffs. And that's the best case scenario where Hali/Sengun become all-star or near all-star level. When the best case scenario outcome STILL has major issues with the team construction, I'm not a fan of taking that path.
It'd be one thing if this draft didn't have any wings, but that's the strength of this class. An incredibly valuable archetype is going to be available at 9. If Sengun was so far ahead talent wise of the Moody-Wagner-Johnson-Barnes tier, but that just isn't the case. I hope the Kings prioritize a defensive wing (which all these dudes can be) and the archetype of a 3/4 flex wing (or 2/3 wing in Moody's case) that every good team needs. If going a big, I'd much rather swing on Kai Jones who has shown a lot of the valuable tools needed to be a good big man defender, some spacing potential and excellent physical tools with wingspan/athleticism. To me, he's the same kind of upside swing, but with more valuable tools that directly address the weakness of the team.
It'd be one thing if this draft didn't have any wings, but that's the strength of this class. An incredibly valuable archetype is going to be available at 9. If Sengun was so far ahead talent wise of the Moody-Wagner-Johnson-Barnes tier, but that just isn't the case. I hope the Kings prioritize a defensive wing (which all these dudes can be) and the archetype of a 3/4 flex wing (or 2/3 wing in Moody's case) that every good team needs. If going a big, I'd much rather swing on Kai Jones who has shown a lot of the valuable tools needed to be a good big man defender, some spacing potential and excellent physical tools with wingspan/athleticism. To me, he's the same kind of upside swing, but with more valuable tools that directly address the weakness of the team.
Last edited:
Perhaps a mega hot-take alert, but if PHX offered us Mikal Bridges for 9 and Indy offered us Sabonis for 9, I'd take Bridges. The archetype is too valuable and the fit is so good next to Fox/Hali on the wing while directly addressing the biggest team weakness. Sabonis is "better" but I think Mikal is more valuable to actually building a winning team, assuming you have established lead options in place.
Not being available to play is the #1 issue with MBIII IMO.I do have a problem with people assuming Sengun is going to be a bad defender. Until I see his official measurements, I won’t be all in on him. But having someone who plays tough on the floor and rebounds generally helps the defense. I hear the switching argument - but having a high bbiq and good anticipation can make someone a good defender (like slomo on Memphis). Jumping really high is way overrated compared to strength and knowing how to position yourself on the court.