Bajaden's early 2022 Mock Draft: Don't bet money on it!

[bajaden]

I have to admit, this is a hard draft to predict once you get past the first 9 or 10 picks. After that, it becomes a crap shoot. I couldn't guarantee you that a player taken at pick 35 won't be better than a player taken at 15. In a draft like this, I think a team is better off taking seniors and juniors over a bunch of athletic, but inexperienced freshmen. But that's just me! For the most part this mock is based on what I've seen. I'm a results guy and I don't give a tinkers dam about a players press clippings coming into this year. That's not to say that I don't take potential into consideration. It's probably about 75% what I've seen from the player this season, and 25% potential. With that said:

1. Jabari Smith: PF, 6'10", Auburn: I've struggled back and forth between Smith and Holmgren. I think Smith will go number one though.
2. Chet Holmgren: C, 7'0", Gonzaga: He's gotten better as he's learned Gonzaga's system. He's shooting over 40% from three and is a shot blocking machine.
3. Jaden Ivey: PG/SG, 6'4", Purdue: Jumped him up to 3. I just like him better than Banchero. I'd be surprised, but not shocked if a team took him number 1.
4. Paolo Banchero: PF, 6'10", Duke: Of the top four players, I think Banchero has the lowest ceiling. Thus the drop! He's still going to be a very good player.
5. Johnny Davis: SG, 6'5", Wisconsin I struggled with this on a bit, but in the end, I can't ignore what Davis has accomplished. He's smart a Leader and a winner.
6. A.J. Griffin: SF, 6'6", Duke: Griffin is here because I think he has a higher ceiling and is a little better athlete than Murray, but it was a close call.
7. Keegan Murray: SF/PF, 6'8", Iowa: Solid player who can do a little bit of everything. Hi IQ player who knows how to play. Solid defender at college level.
8. Benedict Mathurin: SF, 6'7", Arizona: Terrific athlete who plays both ends of the floor. Doesn't get a lot of press, but don't sleep on him. Great upside.
9. Ty Ty Washington: PG/SG, 6'3", Kentucky: Combo guard who can shoot the 3 and defend. Underrated passer. Smart player who can definitely play the point.
10. Jalen Duren: C/PF, 6'11", Memphis: Duren has been playing better lately. Memphis has been a hot mess this year, so that, with potential landed him here.

This is where it starts to get tricky. You can look at just about any mock draft, and see a different grouping from this point one. That's not to say there aren't any good players. It's just difficult to define who is better than who. So mine will likely have some surprises compared to some others. Or, maybe not!

11. Tari Eason: PF/SF, 6'8", LSU: He needs to work on his jumpshot, but he's a terrific defensive player. He has a non stop motor. Great potential. Love him!
12. Jeremy Sochan: SF, 6'9", Baylor: Solid smart player on both ends of the floor. Out plays Kendall Brown on most nights. Late bloomer from England.
13. Kendall Brown: SF, 6'8", Baylor: If Brown was more aggressive offensively, he'd be a top 8 pick. Very good defender but no clue how good he is offensively.
14. Ochai Agbaji: SG, 6'5.5", Kansas: If he was a freshman, he'd be a top five pick. Terrific athlete who is shooting 43.7% from three. 3 level scorer who defends!
15. Dyson Daniels: SG/PG, 6'6", Ignite: Needs to improve his shot, but love the confidence he plays with. great upside and only 18 years old.
16. Nikola Jovic: PF/SF, 6'10", KK Mega: I like everything about him except his 3pt %. I have to believe that will come. Great passer w/good handles for his size.
17. Jaden Hardy: SG, 6'5", Ignite: His stats aren't good, but considering he played against other professionals along with his occasional flashes, I see potential.
18. Wendall Moore: SG, 6'5", Duke: Good athlete who plays both ends. Shooting over 40% from three. Very good passer. Ready to play.
19. Mark Williams: C, 7'0", Duke: Terrific rim protector who can defend on the perimeter. No offense away from the basket, but he can score at the rim
20. E.J. Liddell: SF/PF/?, 6'7", Ohio St.: I just love Liddell's game. He's the best player on Ohio St.. Solid two way player who can score, rebound, and defend.
21. Patrick Baldwin: SF, 6'10", Milwaukee: I reluctantly put him here based totally on press clippings and potential. Hope I'm wrong about him!
22. Jean Montero: PG, 6'3", Gran Canaria: Montero is one of those players that could rise up the board in a re-draft 3 years later. He can score!!
23. Harrison Ingram: SF/PG, 6'8", Stanford: Good handles, excellent passer, improving 3pt shooter, and good defender. Don't sleep on Ingram! Knows how to play.
24. Trevor Keels: SG, 6'5", Duke: Built like a linebacker but very skilled. He's struggled with his shot, but shot the ball well in highschool. Excellent athlete.
25. Marjon Beauchamp: SF, 6'7", Ignite: Struggled at times, but showed flashes of what he could be. Was the best player on the ignite team in some games.
26. Blake Wesley: SG, 6'5", Notre Dame: Great upside! Good athlete that struggled with his shot at times. Could return for another year to improve his draft stock.
27. Hyunjung Lee: SF/SG, 6'7", Davidson: If your looking for a player to come off your bench and destroy the dreams of the other team, Lee is your guy! He can score.
28. Jordan Hall: SF/PG, 6'7", St. Josephs: Terrific passer with good handles. Average athlete, who will remind you of Kyle Anderson. Knows how to play the game.
29. Christian Koloko: C, 7'1", Arizona: Excellent athlete who runs the floor, rebounds, and protects the rim. Has shown occasional potential away from the basket.
30. Alondes Williams: PG, 6'5", Wake Forest: Best PG in the class in my opinion, and most entertaining. Good athlete with terrific court vision. Shot needs to improve.


I'm sure I have some players in the top 30 that some other mocks have in the 2nd rd. Hey, it took all my will power not to move Oscar Tshiebwe into the 1st rd. Who by the way may be returning to Kentucky for another year. Not sure it will help his draft stock, but it will certainly help Kentucky. Oscar pulls down 14 to 15 boards every single game and it doesn't matter who the other teams center is or how tall and big he is. All this is subject to change by the time of the draft of course.

 

[funkykingston]

Jabari Smith would be an ideal fit with Fox & Sabonis. Holmgren could also work since he'd add the rim protection that Sabonis lacks while still being able to spread the floor. I don't know if he'll be able to guard big wings on the perimeter in the NBA though.

If the Kings don't jump to the top of the lottery I like Murray, Mathurin, Eason and Brown. Kendall Brown definitely needs to be more assertive/effective on offense, but he's a low usage cutter with playmaking who is a very good defender. He'd fit well with Fox, Barnes, & Sabonis if he can start hitting threes at a decent clip on higher volume.

Griffin didn't stand out to me in the Duke games I saw, but I haven't watched a ton of college basketball this year so I may just need to take another look.

So you think Shaedon Sharpe will return to Kentucky next year rather than enter the draft? I can see arguments for either decision for him.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I've got my Arizona blinders on for Benn assuming we play ourselves out of any realistic chance at a top 5.

If we got another Barnes type 3/4 player who can shoot via trade and Benn can swing the 2/3 I really like the shape of the roster.

If we get a top 4 or 5 I just hope we don't draft the Dukie.

 

[bajaden]

Jabari Smith would be an ideal fit with Fox & Sabonis. Holmgren could also work since he'd add the rim protection that Sabonis lacks while still being able to spread the floor. I don't know if he'll be able to guard big wings on the perimeter in the NBA though.

If the Kings don't jump to the top of the lottery I like Murray, Mathurin, Eason and Brown. Kendall Brown definitely needs to be more assertive/effective on offense, but he's a low usage cutter with playmaking who is a very good defender. He'd fit well with Fox, Barnes, & Sabonis if he can start hitting threes at a decent clip on higher volume.

Griffin didn't stand out to me in the Duke games I saw, but I haven't watched a ton of college basketball this year so I may just need to take another look.

So you think Shaedon Sharpe will return to Kentucky next year rather than enter the draft? I can see arguments for either decision for him.

I'm taking Sharpe at his word. He and his family made a very strong statement countering the rumors that were out there floating around. And Calipari made the same statement. So until we hear something different, I'm going to believe him.

Sorry you missed some of Griffin's games. He had a stretch a few games ago where he was the best player on the floor. If the games you saw were the games when he was returning from his injury, then I understand, but he's been shooting lights out since then. He's shooting 48.5% from three and taking just under 4 a game.

 

[bajaden]

I've got my Arizona blinders on for Benn assuming we play ourselves out of any realistic chance at a top 5.

If we got another Barnes type 3/4 player who can shoot via trade and Benn can swing the 2/3 I really like the shape of the roster.

If we get a top 4 or 5 I just hope we don't draft the Dukie.

I really really like Mathurin and would be happy as a clam if we walk away with him. Why he doesn't get more press is beyond me. He reminds me a bit of Moses Moody from last years draft. He can shoot, defend, handle the ball and is a good passer. I loved Moody and I love Mathurin more. I think he could go anywhere from 5 to 10.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I really really like Mathurin and would be happy as a clam if we walk away with him. Why he doesn't get more press is beyond me. He reminds me a bit of Moses Moody from last years draft. He can shoot, defend, handle the ball and is a good passer. I loved Moody and I love Mathurin more. I think he could go anywhere from 5 to 10.

I don't know if it was a Sean Miller thing or if the media just wanted to dance on the graves of Arizona and the Pac 12 as a whole when Lute retired but I am sure that has to do with why he is flying under the radar. If he enjoys success in the NBA and Tommy Lloyd proves himself as a recruiter I don't think that's going to be a long term problem for my NCAA program of choice.

 

[Dime Dropper]

I think Mathurin is on a completely different level than Moody as a prospect. I was luke-warm on Moody coming out and am sky-high on Mathurin. He just has more athletic tools, a skillset that will translate better at the next level (IMO of course), and he appears to have the alpha mentality and confidence that stars have. For me the only players I have ahead of him right now are Ivey, Smith, and Holmgren. I'd take him over Banchero, Davis and Murray.

 

[The_Jamal]

I think Mathurin is on a completely different level than Moody as a prospect. I was luke-warm on Moody coming out and am sky-high on Mathurin. He just has more athletic tools, a skillset that will translate better at the next level (IMO of course), and he appears to have the alpha mentality and confidence that stars have. For me the only players I have ahead of him right now are Ivey, Smith, and Holmgren. I'd take him over Banchero, Davis and Murray.

Oh interesting.

From the Kings perspective or pure BPA over Paolo?

 

[SacTownKid]

I think Mathurin is on a completely different level than Moody as a prospect. I was luke-warm on Moody coming out and am sky-high on Mathurin. He just has more athletic tools, a skillset that will translate better at the next level (IMO of course), and he appears to have the alpha mentality and confidence that stars have. For me the only players I have ahead of him right now are Ivey, Smith, and Holmgren. I'd take him over Banchero, Davis and Murray.

There are so many good G/F types in this draft. Monte might have known exactly what he was doing at the deadline. I would have moved that pick probably but since he didn't, there are so many options for his team now that that roster is re-balanced.

 

[miltonap]

Saw a lot of comments on Mathurin, so I checked out a vid on his.

Definitely seems explosive, didn't catch any of his defense but he seemed fiery which is a great trait to have.

Seems like a dude that can get buckets

The part that made me cringe was his shot mechanics. I was surprised to see that his 3pt percentages last year and this year were pretty high.

 

[The_Jamal]

There are so many good G/F types in this draft. Monte might have known exactly what he was doing at the deadline. I would have moved that pick probably but since he didn't, there are so many options for his team now that that roster is re-balanced.

Yeah agreed. While last year was more 3/4 flex, this year seems like more guys who shade 2/3. Murray being the exception who is probably pretty firmly stuck as a small-ball 4. But I actually like almost all of the the archetype that are being projected in the lottery: Davis, Mathurin, Murray, Brown, Eason, Griffin. Kings should be in position to grab a super valuable archetype core piece as long as they don't screw it up with like Jalen Duren

 

[bajaden]

I think Mathurin is on a completely different level than Moody as a prospect. I was luke-warm on Moody coming out and am sky-high on Mathurin. He just has more athletic tools, a skillset that will translate better at the next level (IMO of course), and he appears to have the alpha mentality and confidence that stars have. For me the only players I have ahead of him right now are Ivey, Smith, and Holmgren. I'd take him over Banchero, Davis and Murray.

As I said, I like Mathurin better than Moody at the same point in time. But remember, Moody was essentially the PG by default, and played with the ball in his hands more than Mathurin. My point is they had different responsibilities. Moody was also the focal point of the other team's defense for the most part. But I agree I think that Mathurin is a little better athlete than Moody. That said, I wouldn't take him over Murray or Davis, and probably not Banchero either. I'm not as big a fan of Banchero as some others, but he's going to be a very good player in the NBA. He can play a role on whatever team he lands on similar to the role Sabonis will play on the Kings.

I'm a huge fan of Murray's. His basketball IQ is off the charts. He does all the little things that help you win games. He knows when to cut or find the open spot on the floor. He's a very good defender and he can shoot and score from anywhere on the floor. And contrary to what some think, he's quite capable of playing the three. Regardless, put him on the floor with Barnes and call either of them what you want. What I want, is players that know how to play, and who can defend. I want smart basketball players.

 

[Dime Dropper]

As I said, I like Mathurin better than Moody at the same point in time. But remember, Moody was essentially the PG by default, and played with the ball in his hands more than Mathurin. My point is they had different responsibilities. Moody was also the focal point of the other team's defense for the most part. But I agree I think that Mathurin is a little better athlete than Moody. That said, I wouldn't take him over Murray or Davis, and probably not Banchero either. I'm not as big a fan of Banchero as some others, but he's going to be a very good player in the NBA. He can play a role on whatever team he lands on similar to the role Sabonis will play on the Kings.

I'm a huge fan of Murray's. His basketball IQ is off the charts. He does all the little things that help you win games. He knows when to cut or find the open spot on the floor. He's a very good defender and he can shoot and score from anywhere on the floor. And contrary to what some think, he's quite capable of playing the three. Regardless, put him on the floor with Barnes and call either of them what you want. What I want, is players that know how to play, and who can defend. I want smart basketball players.

Sure, I'm not saying you're wrong. You watch a hell of a lot more college ball than I do these days, so I value your opinion highly. I'm just saying on a personal level there was something about Moody that didn't excite me as a prospect. He's still super young so I could be wrong on him. Whereas with Mathurin, he jumps off the screen to me as a prospect and has the measurables and athleticism to match what my brain is telling me.

Re Banchero, he is clearly very talented. My only worry about him is his style of game. I'm not saying he's not skilled, he is. But I'm not sure how valuable he is going to be in the league. I'm on the fence, he could be prime Blake Griffin or Bagley part 2. That's why I'd take Mathurin over him at this point.

I haven't commented on Murray as I haven't seen enough to form a strong opinion. I've watched some videos and yes, he definitely looks capable of playing the 3 to me. He looks versatile and a smart player. I'm not crazy about his age however, but at the end of the day, if he's a baller then he's a baller.

Kendall Brown is very fun to watch with his energy and crazy athleticism. He can pass the rock too. Poor man's Scottie Barnes at this point? Definitely want to see more of him.

Ivey is awesome but unless we move into the top 3 we're not going to have a shot at him. I'm very interested in Johnny Davis also, he could be a potent third weapon.

 

[ESP47]

Who are the player comps for Mathurin? I haven't had the time to watch any clips lately.

He sort of a Mikal Bridges with average defense but better offensive potential?

 

[Dime Dropper]

I see similarities to a bigger version of Oladipo.

Comparisons in general are junk though.

 

[bajaden]

Who are the player comps for Mathurin? I haven't had the time to watch any clips lately.

He sort of a Mikal Bridges with average defense but better offensive potential?

Bridges isn't a bad comp, but I can't think of a pure comp for him because I think Mathurin is better or at least projects to be better than most of the comps the pop into my mind, like John Salmons in his prime.. I think Mathurin is a little better athlete than Bridges, but Bridges is a little better shooter at the same point in time. But Mathurin projects to a similar style player as Bridges. The third or fourth best option on the floor offensively, but a very good defensive player. And he could end up being better. Who thought Kawhi Leonard would be as good as he turned out. So maybe he's the next Leonard?

 

[ockingsfan]

Keegan Murray seems like a Monte draft pick to me. If the Kings stay in the #6-8 range and Murray is still on the board, I think Monte takes him.

Monte seems to like the more mature and polished college player who puts up solid stats in college, than a GM who likes to select players based on just upside and potential. He took 2 upper classmen (Haliburton and Mitchell) with his first two first round draft picks and I can see him doing it again, if we stay in our slotted range. Murray seems to fit the bill as a solid college player, mature, with high BBIQ and will be able to contribute day one in the league. Murray's floor is very high, much like Haliburton and Mitchell, but his ceiling may not be as high as some of the other swing for the fences players.

If we stay in our #6-8 draft slot, I think Keegan would be a great pick up. He looks like a full sized SF with long arms and will step right in and contribute day one. I can see him slotting in as a legit 3rd scoring option along side Fox and Sabonis. He reminds me of a bigger Paul Pierce.

 

[Kingster]

As I said, I like Mathurin better than Moody at the same point in time. But remember, Moody was essentially the PG by default, and played with the ball in his hands more than Mathurin. My point is they had different responsibilities. Moody was also the focal point of the other team's defense for the most part. But I agree I think that Mathurin is a little better athlete than Moody. That said, I wouldn't take him over Murray or Davis, and probably not Banchero either. I'm not as big a fan of Banchero as some others, but he's going to be a very good player in the NBA. He can play a role on whatever team he lands on similar to the role Sabonis will play on the Kings.

I'm a huge fan of Murray's. His basketball IQ is off the charts. He does all the little things that help you win games. He knows when to cut or find the open spot on the floor. He's a very good defender and he can shoot and score from anywhere on the floor. And contrary to what some think, he's quite capable of playing the three. Regardless, put him on the floor with Barnes and call either of them what you want. What I want, is players that know how to play, and who can defend. I want smart basketball players.

How does Murray compare with Mikal Bridges?

 

[bajaden]

How does Murray compare with Mikal Bridges?

Totally different kind of player. Murray is a much more physical player. He's a little talller and has already has the makings of an NBA body. But, like Bridges, he's a high IQ player that's very skilled. As I've said before. Murray isn't super, or really great at any one thing, but he's good at almost everything. Most importantly, he knows how to play the game. Personally, I'm tired of drafting one and done players that are extremely raw, but are freak athlete's with so called great upside. Give me a little less athletic players, that perhaps are a bit older, but know how to play.

Of course if you can draft a freak athlete that knows how to play, then that's great, but they're usually at the top of the draft. One of the reasons I love Ochai Agbaji is because not only is he a terrific athlete, but the dude can really ball. Terrific shooter who can score from anywhere on the floor, but he's also a very good defender who can defend three, maybe even four positions. Of course he's a senior, who at the beginning of the year was projected to go in the 2nd rd. Now, a lot of the mock drafts have him in the bottom of the lottery and rightfully so. He's ready to step in and play right now.

Didn't mean to go off on a different tangent, but Murray also fits that description just to a lesser degree. Murray did what several of the Sophomore's did this year, took a big leap from their freshman year, and that's what your looking for, a player that improves from year to year. Shows that they're coachable, and willing to put in the work, and that putting in the work translates in improvement. The main debate with Murray is whether he's a SF or a PF? Personally I think he can play either position, but that his best position was be at PF. Just put him on the floor with Barnes and call either of them what you want.

 

[Kingster]

Totally different kind of player. Murray is a much more physical player. He's a little talller and has already has the makings of an NBA body. But, like Bridges, he's a high IQ player that's very skilled. As I've said before. Murray isn't super, or really great at any one thing, but he's good at almost everything. Most importantly, he knows how to play the game. Personally, I'm tired of drafting one and done players that are extremely raw, but are freak athlete's with so called great upside. Give me a little less athletic players, that perhaps are a bit older, but know how to play.

Of course if you can draft a freak athlete that knows how to play, then that's great, but they're usually at the top of the draft. One of the reasons I love Ochai Agbaji is because not only is he a terrific athlete, but the dude can really ball. Terrific shooter who can score from anywhere on the floor, but he's also a very good defender who can defend three, maybe even four positions. Of course he's a senior, who at the beginning of the year was projected to go in the 2nd rd. Now, a lot of the mock drafts have him in the bottom of the lottery and rightfully so. He's ready to step in and play right now.

Didn't mean to go off on a different tangent, but Murray also fits that description just to a lesser degree. Murray did what several of the Sophomore's did this year, took a big leap from their freshman year, and that's what your looking for, a player that improves from year to year. Shows that they're coachable, and willing to put in the work, and that putting in the work translates in improvement. The main debate with Murray is whether he's a SF or a PF? Personally I think he can play either position, but that his best position was be at PF. Just put him on the floor with Barnes and call either of them what you want.

From your description of the players in the draft and my reading on the subject I'm getting the feeling that the Kings could find some gold in the 2nd round this year.

 

[206Fan]

With Agbaji, the only thing I wish was that he was a more consistent career shooter. I'm worried that his 41.1% shooting is an outlier year like Davion's was. His FT % isn't much to write about either: 69.4>67.3>68.9>76.7. Agbaji reminds me of Just Holiday with the intensity he plays and the creative ways he's able to launch 3s.

 

[ESP47]

I've got Mathurin ahead of Griffin, Murray, and Davis at this point.

I like his all around game. Griffin may be a better shooter but Mathurin will still shoot a high percentage while having more layers to his game. I've got Davis as the best defender with Mathurin 2nd. Davis just doesn't do it for me on offense. I feel like he's going to be inefficient against NBA defenders.

Mathurin just seems like the most complete player of the bunch. Might not have the ceiling of some other players but has a high probability of reaching his own ceiling. I can see him putting up Desmond Bane type numbers.

 

[Tetsujin]

I've got Mathurin ahead of Griffin, Murray, and Davis at this point.

Hard for me to put any of those guys above Murray at this point.

 

[ESP47]

Hard for me to put any of those guys above Murray at this point.

Not in college but the NBA may be a different story for Murray. He might wind up being a slightly more rich man's Bagley. Maybe a poor mans Zion?

His outside shot is low and slow. Kind of like Haliburton without the elite % guarantee. His foot speed on defense leaves a bit to be desired. I think he'll be able to score down low but if teams throw a double at him, he's not very good at passing out of it. Might wind up forcing the issue the same way Bagley would once he had his mind made up. I'm just not sure if adding him to our current core does much to change the glaring issues at the moment.

I think Mathurin just has way less question marks. He's got clearly transferrable modern NBA skills. Just looks like more of a complete NBA player who doesn't need a bunch of variables to happen in order to be a successful player.

 

[hrdboild]

I've got Mathurin ahead of Griffin, Murray, and Davis at this point.

I like his all around game. Griffin may be a better shooter but Mathurin will still shoot a high percentage while having more layers to his game. I've got Davis as the best defender with Mathurin 2nd. Davis just doesn't do it for me on offense. I feel like he's going to be inefficient against NBA defenders.

Mathurin just seems like the most complete player of the bunch. Might not have the ceiling but has a high probability of reaching his own ceiling. I can see him putting up Desmond Bane type numbers.

Hard for me to put any of those guys above Murray at this point.

I really like Mathurin so it's still a close call for me (which is why I liked both comments), but Keegan Murray has replaced Jaden Ivey as my favorite prospect in this draft for the time being. Mathurin is a bit of a better shooter and playmaker right now and has ideal size for a 2 guard while Murray is more of a SF/PF tweener so logically I should have him ranked above Murray but I just love Murray's energy on the floor. I also think Tari Eason is really going to surprise people and jump into the high lottery -- maybe even top 5. His only weakness is shooting and he's rapidly improving.

 

[Tetsujin]

Not in college but the NBA may be a different story for Murray. He might wind up being a slightly more rich man's Bagley. Maybe a poor mans Zion?

His outside shot is low and slow. Kind of like Haliburton without the elite % guarantee. His foot speed on defense leaves a bit to be desired. I think he'll be able to score down low but if teams throw a double at him, he's not very good at passing out of it. Might wind up forcing the issue the same way Bagley would once he had his mind made up. I'm just not sure if adding him to our current core does much to change the glaring issues at the moment.

I think Mathurin just has way less question marks. He's got clearly transferrable modern NBA skills. Just looks like more of a complete NBA player who doesn't need a bunch of variables to happen in order to be a successful player.

Murray's much more of a 3/4 than a 4/5 like those guys were though and a much more fundamentally sound defender than either guy with increasingly solid film as a rim protector. He might not be an elite athlete or anything but he's probably interchangeable on defense with Harrison Barnes. The double team thing is an interesting point, however, he probably won't be facing too many of those next to Sabonis, Fox, and Barnes, and he's another guy who's going to benefit immensely from NBA spacing/defensive rules. Also having him/Fox/Sabonis/Barnes all able to run the break interchangeably would be fun as hell.

We're currently starting Trey Lyles at the four next to Barnes and Sabonis and Murray would give us the solid offensive spacing (and much more on that end) of Trey with the backside defensive capabilities needed next to Sabonis. I get the concerns about his ceiling or whatever but Murray might be the most NBA ready of any of these lotto guys aside from Johnny Davis.

 

[Tetsujin]

I really like Mathurin so it's still a close call for me (which is why I liked both comments), but Keegan Murray has replaced Jaden Ivey as my favorite prospect in this draft for the time being. Mathurin is a bit of a better shooter and playmaker right now and has ideal size for a 2 guard while Murray is more of a SF/PF tweener so logically I should have him ranked above Murray but I just love Murray's energy on the floor. I also think Tari Eason is really going to surprise people and jump into the high lottery -- maybe even top 5. His only weakness is shooting and he's rapidly improving.

Yeah, by no means do I want to sound like I'm taking a dump on Mathurin, who I think can have a Mikal Bridges-esque impact for a team. I just think Murray might be a better fit for this Kings roster as currently constructed (and as a guy who can play 3/4 on a team with a whole lot of guards and centers but not many forwards). I'm sure Monte will go with whoever he thinks is BPA and work from there though.


I'm also all in on the Tari Eason love. If we somehow got a second late-lotto/mid-teens pick I'd absolutely be fine with picking him.

 

[The_Jamal]

Not in college but the NBA may be a different story for Murray. He might wind up being a slightly more rich man's Bagley. Maybe a poor mans Zion?

His outside shot is low and slow. Kind of like Haliburton without the elite % guarantee. His foot speed on defense leaves a bit to be desired. I think he'll be able to score down low but if teams throw a double at him, he's not very good at passing out of it. Might wind up forcing the issue the same way Bagley would once he had his mind made up. I'm just not sure if adding him to our current core does much to change the glaring issues at the moment.

I think Mathurin just has way less question marks. He's got clearly transferrable modern NBA skills. Just looks like more of a complete NBA player who doesn't need a bunch of variables to happen in order to be a successful player.

Im not worried there. He should be a viable defender at the 4 at the very least and if he hits his upside at the 3 too. And he's just shown significantly more on-ball skill with his shot creation than Bagley.

The shot is a bit of a concern, but I'd also like to see what happens when he's not the sole focus of the defense. With him and Johnny Davis, we have to use a bit of our imagination and use their offensive IQ to project some good off-ball/shooting numbers since their teams rely on them so much to score on-ball.

 

[bajaden]

With Agbaji, the only thing I wish was that he was a more consistent career shooter. I'm worried that his 41.1% shooting is an outlier year like Davion's was. His FT % isn't much to write about either: 69.4>67.3>68.9>76.7. Agbaji reminds me of Just Holiday with the intensity he plays and the creative ways he's able to launch 3s.

Agbaji is exactly what your looking for if your a scout. His three point shot got better every year. His freshman year he shot 30.7% from three on 3.4 attempts. His Sophomore year he shot 33.8% on 4.4 attempts. His Junior year, he shot 37.7% on 6.9 attempts, and his Senior year, so far, he's shooting 41.1% on 7.0 attempts. Matter he got better in every single category across the board. That's not luck when your taking 7 attempts a game, and it's not luck when you get better every single year. That's called hard work!!!!

And outlier is when a player shoots 29 or30 percent from three for three years, and then suddenly shoots 40 percent his Senior year. Yeah, when that happens, I get concerned. Agbaji is also a very good defensive player. I'm normally suspicious of Kansas players, but I feel pretty confident about Agbaji. I also like Christian Bruan, who will likely be a 2nd rd pick, but he can play. Great trash talker as well.

 

[bajaden]

I really like Mathurin so it's still a close call for me (which is why I liked both comments), but Keegan Murray has replaced Jaden Ivey as my favorite prospect in this draft for the time being. Mathurin is a bit of a better shooter and playmaker right now and has ideal size for a 2 guard while Murray is more of a SF/PF tweener so logically I should have him ranked above Murray but I just love Murray's energy on the floor. I also think Tari Eason is really going to surprise people and jump into the high lottery -- maybe even top 5. His only weakness is shooting and he's rapidly improving.

I really like Eason, but I'll be stunned if he ends up in the top five. His outside shot has improved as the year has gone on, but he still has a lot of work to do in that area. There's no way I would take him over any of the players I have in my top eight. Smith, Holmgrem, Banchero, Ivey, Davis, Griffin, Murray, and Mathurin. However, I can see him going as high as nine. It's all in the eye of the beholder and the team needs. There's always a couple of surprises every year. I think Jemery Sochan will surprise some people. He knows how to play the game. Not flashy, but always in the right place. That's what I love about Murray. He is such a smart player. Great help defender. Knows when to cut. Sets great picks. Is a good passer and has decent to good handles. Murray is one of those players that will be a better NBA player than he was a college player. But I digress!