Baja Den's way too early, worthless 2023 mock draft:

206Fan said:
I don't think 2nd round prospects going back to college has any effect on our 1st round pick. I think it does hurt our position at #38.. but it's still a good position to be picking.
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It might not but those teams in the 2nd round will have to look up potentially to find the talent they might be looking for.
 
iowamcnabb said:
I hope we make all our picks since we won’t likely have our first next year.
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Considering this, there's an interesting case to be made that we should go after developmental prospects. So far Monte has gone after only ready-to-play guys in the first round. But we have a playoff core, and a decent chance to add Vezenkov, and we can reasonably bring back all of our important free agents - or replace them in free agency where we may actually be a somewhat desirable destination for once.

We don't need, or perhaps even have room for a rookie to develop on the main squad. If there's a guy who's not ready, but could play a year in Stockton and act as our "rookie" next year, not a bad call. So far I don't think I would characterize our known pre-draft workouts as leaning in that direction, but it seems like a reasonable strategy to me. Guys like Amari Bailey, Sidy Cissoko, Mojave King might not be ready to help out next year (throw in the injured Jaylen Clark on that as well) but could turn out to be nice pieces for a patient team. I think we can be patient now.

So TJD it is!
 
Jazian Gortman AKA Jay Gort would be absolutely insane at #57, thats my 2 cents on picking him there. Now I'm unsure if he's definitely in this draft IDK how withdrawals work for the OTE guys, cant find anything right now about it.
He's an OTE player so some college heads might not know about him much though he was a very highly rated recruit, but he's a 20 year old whos tough and brimming with confidence. He's an attack guard, a lead guard, whos able to absorb some contact and he can do some acrobatic finishes and he's got a solid frame to strengthen up quite a bit in the coming years. He's got solid burst on the perimeter with his first step and also at the rim he's pretty explosive.

In a draft where Scoot Henderson is gonna go 2 or 3, taking a flyer on this player down at the bottom of the 2nd almost seems like all reward and no risk.

Obviously he'd be more headed to Stockton to prove how he'd run the show.. But the idea we'd go from a wiley old vet 3rd string PG in Delly to a young kid like this whos sort of got a scrappy doo type of 'let me at em' boundless energy type of demeanor would be very entertaining far as im concerned. Given how our SG's have way above average PG skills theres not much importance in that 3rd string PG spot for the Kings so using it to develop a player liek this is an interesting proposition.

He's not redundant with Davion Mitchell either, Gortman's game is much more predicated on getting downhill, he's an attack guard, so totally different look and you could play them together I say. So like in a scenario where Fox is out, we'd have a chance where this kid comes off the bench in a blaze of glory, so maybe It's me being a fan but I'm all for that scenario.


HE MEASURED A 6'10 WINGSPAN BTW, 6'1" without shoes, so he's truly got elite length for his height, he also registered a 38.5" vert.. Plus he's still obviously got 20lbs to add to the frame at least, though he also measured a rediculous 3.6% bodyfat.
 
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If we take the best 3pt shooter on the board with all 3 picks does it look something like this?

24 - (CG) Brandin Podziemski
38 - (SG/SF) Ben Sheppard
54 - (SF) Hunter Tyson

Or I think maybe its;

24 - Podziemski
38 - Tristan Vukcevic
54 - Emoni Bates

Yeah that's a spicy trio for sure.

PG - Fox, Mitchell, Monk, Podziemski
SG - Huerter, Monk, TD, Podziemski, PJ Dozier/Bates
SF - Murray, Barnes, Huerter, Edwards, Bates/Dozier
PF - Barnes, Murray, Lyles, Edwards, Vukcevic
C - Sabonis, Lyles, Queta, Vukcevic

Cheerleader - Holmes

upgrade the depth at F with Keita Bates-Diop n thats a squad far as im concerned.

Full Disclosure -- I do think Hunter Tyson is probably a better fit, and certainly more ready to contribute immediately, than Bates
 
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Ozymandias said:
I want to log a guess that if Coulibaly does in fact have a lottery promise, its from Toronto at #13.
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my guess it’s Utah at 9….

I know a person who worked for Danny. This person doesn’t any longer. Ainge believes you take big swings in the lottery because you can sign role players in free agency (partly why I didn’t like the Davion pick). Coulibaly fits right in with that belief system and is an area of need.
 
I think I'd augment my top 5 and put Rupert in and push Murray out. It's possible none of GG, Lewis, Whitehead, or Murray will even be there, nor Rupert, but I think Rupert's a pretty big box checker. On ball defender, long, athletic. Raw for sure, but could grow as the team does. Kris Murray is pretty much ready now and I'm not sure if Kris and Keegan aren't in danger of not being a full time type of combo considering the teams overall lack of athletic ability. It will put a lot of pressure on Keegan to take the quicker matchup.

I'm also really coming around to the idea of Jackson-Davis even as high as 24. I'm not sure he's a first round talent in this draft for many other teams but for Sac he would actually represent someone that can run the offense with Domas off the floor finally. He's a bit like a poor mans Domas in a lot of ways. I'm not sure if he and Domas would share much time but it's possible. The lack of shooting is a question obviously. The athleticism as a tandem is as well. I was never a fan of the Murray/Lyles/Domas lineup and come playoff time some of the worst net rating 5 man units were with Lyles and Murray at the F spot, although minutes were spotty, and a Murray/TJD/Domas one is probably is worse in shooting unless Jackson-Davis is hiding a 3 ball somewhere and less athletic. That's 2 guys that can get Murray and Huerter shots though.
 
So Marcus Bagley after not playing much in the past 2 seasons has chosen this draft to keep his name in.. odd.. must be headed for the g-league..
 
The player who kept his name in that catches my eye the most is 6'9" Sophomore Alex Fudge at Florida.

That dude hes dunking over in this highlight is a legit 7'4".

This is a guy whos really really athletic, highlight waiting to happen and certainly projects as an NBA level defender, so he could actually be a target for our Kings. In a world where Julian Phillips and Jordan Walsh are now projected top of the 2nd rd, Fudge represents a low-cost ultra athletic UDFA wing who can defend.

We all probably remember Derrick Jones Jr on the Heat years back somehow they get this ultra athletic 6'8 wingdefender in the UDFA pool, Fudge would represent a swing in that direction here in 2023.

Now I've been following Fudge from recruitment, to LSU and then on Florida, I mentioned him much more early in the season when his 3pt shooting was good early on --- It proceeded to fall off a cliff and he finished at 22%, he's a project but someone who has intriguing tools for the NBA.
 
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SacTownKid said:
I think I'd augment my top 5 and put Rupert in and push Murray out. It's possible none of GG, Lewis, Whitehead, or Murray will even be there, nor Rupert, but I think Rupert's a pretty big box checker. On ball defender, long, athletic. Raw for sure, but could grow as the team does. Kris Murray is pretty much ready now and I'm not sure if Kris and Keegan aren't in danger of not being a full time type of combo considering the teams overall lack of athletic ability. It will put a lot of pressure on Keegan to take the quicker matchup.

I'm also really coming around to the idea of Jackson-Davis even as high as 24. I'm not sure he's a first round talent in this draft for many other teams but for Sac he would actually represent someone that can run the offense with Domas off the floor finally. He's a bit like a poor mans Domas in a lot of ways. I'm not sure if he and Domas would share much time but it's possible. The lack of shooting is a question obviously. The athleticism as a tandem is as well. I was never a fan of the Murray/Lyles/Domas lineup and come playoff time some of the worst net rating 5 man units were with Lyles and Murray at the F spot, although minutes were spotty, and a Murray/TJD/Domas one is probably is worse in shooting unless Jackson-Davis is hiding a 3 ball somewhere and less athletic. That's 2 guys that can get Murray and Huerter shots though.
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One of the ideas with Rupert, so I've heard, is that his ability to handle the ball and pass it might be better than what we've seen.. There seems to be good reason to believe he's a tireless worker whos a safe bet to keep improving, so thats the stuff i'd be keeping an eye on if he lands in Sacramento.


Another thing thats making the rounds is that Trayce Jackson Davis is shooting the ball from some sort of distance for teams in workouts, after not really doing that for Indiana. In regards to TJD I've been asking 'How would he perform playing with Trey Lyles?" if he can shoot it, if he can handle PF like duties that sure would make it a better fit.
 
SacTownKid said:
It's crazy how all over the board these mocks are. Whitehead is in the lottery in some I've seen, all the way down in the 2nd on others, lol. This could be one of those first rounds that has people wondering what the heck is going on.
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late lottery to mid 20’s is a big group in a similar tier. Why I don’t want to trade our pick. Get a decent prospect for cheap.
 
Ozymandias said:
One of the ideas with Rupert, so I've heard, is that his ability to handle the ball and pass it might be better than what we've seen.. There seems to be good reason to believe he's a tireless worker whos a safe bet to keep improving, so thats the stuff i'd be keeping an eye on if he lands in Sacramento.


Another thing thats making the rounds is that Trayce Jackson Davis is shooting the ball from some sort of distance for teams in workouts, after not really doing that for Indiana. In regards to TJD I've been asking 'How would he perform playing with Trey Lyles?" if he can shoot it, if he can handle PF like duties that sure would make it a better fit.
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I think if the Kings draft Jackson-Davis, Lyles is redundant based on positional need. Unless Jackson-Davis is not expected to play which is kind of a waste considering his age. If the Kings bring Sasha over, I think Lyles would be a bad use of cap space at that point unless it's a 1 year deal or easily tradable.
 
SacTownKid said:
Guards moving up, 2nd rounders moving up = good news for teams needing wings like the Kings.
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It's not surprising! The talent goes deep this year and some players that are taken in the 2nd round would have likely been 1st rd picks in last years draft, or next years. There's a glut of very talented seniors. No on has mentioned Keyontae Johnson who is one of those players that's ready to step in and play. He's the whole package who stands 6'6" in shoes with a 7 foot wingspan. He shot 40.5% from three while taking 3.2 attempts a game. He shot 51.6% overall and and make almost 80% of his shots at the basket if memory serves. The only reason he's not being talked about in the first round is that he's 24 years old due to collapsing on the court in 2020 with a heart problem. Jalen Slawson is another senior that I like a lot. He's a 6'8" wing with a 6'11.5" wingspan. He shot 55% overall and 39.4% from three on 3 attempts a game.

Kobe Brown should be a 1st rd pick. He did everything for Missouri this season. He ran the point at times. He guarded every position on the floor at times. At 6'8" and 252 Lb's and a 7'1" wingspan, he's surprisingly agile with a quick 1st step off the dribble. Like the others, he's ready to step in and play. Naturally Ben Sheppard is starting to rise up the boards after I finally became convinced that he was that good of a player. During the season I only saw Belmont play twice, and it wasn't to watch Belmont, but the team they were playing. I certainly noticed Sheppard, but apparently not enough to take extra looks, which I have done lately. I was hoping we might get him at 38, but that's starting to look like little to no chance.

For those that care, I'm currently working on my final mock draft of the season. I had to wait until I found out who was staying and who was going. This has been one of the toughest drafts to figure out, but it's also fun!
 
sactowndog said:
Believe it when I see it. Lots of smoke this time of year.
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True, the thing is though, look at teams like the Pels. Do they need wings? They're loaded as it is. The same teams the last few years have seemingly been hording all the wings they can. At some point it has to give, haha. Now, watch the Kings take a PG, hahaha.
 
SacTownKid said:
True, the thing is though, look at teams like the Pels. Do they need wings? They're loaded as it is. The same teams the last few years have seemingly been hording all the wings they can. At some point it has to give, haha. Now, watch the Kings take a PG, hahaha.
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They could use more of a SF/PF than a wing. They're definitely set at SG, and Zion sure was looking hefty on some commercial I saw the other day.

Ben Sheppard is a legit 6'6 in shoes with a 6'8 wingspan so its reasonable to think we'd be playing him at SF when we could. He could play next to Monk like that. So maybe not the best news for the Kings honestly as he was looking like one of the best shooting options with the early 2rp.
 
bajaden said:
Kobe Brown should be a 1st rd pick. He did everything for Missouri this season. He ran the point at times. He guarded every position on the floor at times. At 6'8" and 252 Lb's and a 7'1" wingspan, he's surprisingly agile with a quick 1st step off the dribble. Like the others, he's ready to step in and play.
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I kind of am greedily hoping that Kobe Brown falls to us in the late 2nd. He'd be fun to watch on this team but it might be best for us if he lost like 10 lbs.

Having a pick near the top of the 2nd and near the bottom of the 2nd just makes ya wonder whats gonna happen with some of these players projected dead in the middle of the 2nd, and who will fall.
 
SacTownKid said:
I think if the Kings draft Jackson-Davis, Lyles is redundant based on positional need. Unless Jackson-Davis is not expected to play which is kind of a waste considering his age. If the Kings bring Sasha over, I think Lyles would be a bad use of cap space at that point unless it's a 1 year deal or easily tradable.
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I think this sounds like a total fiasco and if thats anywhere close to the case, hope we avoid every bit of it.

To be blunt if we're gonna run one of our bigs out of town to replace them it should be Richaun Holmes.

Trey Lyles was worth his weight in gold for this 2022-2023 playoff team far as im concerned, he wants to return here, I dont think he can give any other team what he can give us as a smallball 5 and lockerroom presence. If we're bringing Vezenkov over I'd sure like to see him and Lyles at the 4 and 5 just bombing away off the bench.
 
Ozymandias said:
I think this sounds like a total fiasco and if thats anywhere close to the case, hope we avoid every bit of it.

To be blunt if we're gonna run one of our bigs out of town to replace them it should be Richaun Holmes.

Trey Lyles was worth his weight in gold for this 2022-2023 playoff team far as im concerned, he wants to return here, I dont think he can give any other team what he can give us as a smallball 5 and lockerroom presence. If we're bringing Vezenkov over I'd sure like to see him and Lyles at the 4 and 5 just bombing away off the bench.
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I'm sure Monte has tried and will try his best but it might not be possible. Lyles had an impact but pretty much anytime a GM puts a gold standard next to someone like Lyles they end up regretting it unless that player has a guaranteed role and position. JT, K9, and Holmes himself are the prime examples of the downside should it not work. 6 ppg, 5 rpg, and 42% shooting wasn't gold standard IMO. If Lyles is going to be the backup 5 from here on it changes everything in terms of his value for sure, but if he's fighting with Murray, Sasha, Edwards, potential pick, another big, etc. for minutes he's very much capped on value. Do not overpay. You can stockpile Lyles types to until the end of time but if you're actually lacking in talent at the top of your rotation it does nothing but make darn sure you probably won't have the assets (trade wise and cap space wise) to ever fill that hole.
 
Ozymandias said:
They could use more of a SF/PF than a wing. They're definitely set at SG, and Zion sure was looking hefty on some commercial I saw the other day.

Ben Sheppard is a legit 6'6 in shoes with a 6'8 wingspan so its reasonable to think we'd be playing him at SF when we could. He could play next to Monk like that. So maybe not the best news for the Kings honestly as he was looking like one of the best shooting options with the early 2rp.
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Do they? Ingram plays as much PF as anything now. Zion, Ingram, Murphy III, Jones, Marshall. That's pretty stacked at F and Richardson is a FA. I think a SG is exactly what they need.
 
I admit that I don't follow college ball at all, but I do enjoy coming to these threads and looking through the top names that could be available in the spots we draft. The guys I like so far are Leonard Miller, Maxwell Lewis, and Bilal Coulibaly. I've added Kobe Brown to the list now. He loves to bully ball, it's impressive how the ball seems to stick to his hands. His handles are really good. He shot 46% from three his last season, but shot terribly his first three. But he shot 80% from the FT the last two years, so the truth of his three is probably somewhere in the middle at 35/36%. He is a good defender in the post and on the perimeter. But what I like most about him is that he seems to be a pretty gifted passer. From touchdown passes, to cross court passes, to no-look interior passes, he can do it all. He very much reminds me of someone like Draymond green.
 
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