Following 2019 draftees!!!

What is the consensus on Dylan Windler? Seems to have a nice build, nice stroke, and overall high IQ. With Belmont getting an at large bid, we should get a better look at him in the tourney. Possible candidate for one of our second round picks.
 
What is the consensus on Dylan Windler? Seems to have a nice build, nice stroke, and overall high IQ. With Belmont getting an at large bid, we should get a better look at him in the tourney. Possible candidate for one of our second round picks.
gOOD PLAYER. he is not one of these small school guys that might be a pro, he's a definite pro.

I have a feeling this Senior might be a better fit here in Sactown


This kid (and Windler) plays the game the right way...


When I look at the Kings i think we dont need to take any skinny guys who need to strengthen up and despite being a Sr Windler might fall in that category. I have a feeling the picks will be more beefed up frame guys who might have the skill to crack the rotation, I really think this is why trading up for Horton Tucker is a very real course of action.
 
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bajaden

Hall of Famer
What is the consensus on Dylan Windler? Seems to have a nice build, nice stroke, and overall high IQ. With Belmont getting an at large bid, we should get a better look at him in the tourney. Possible candidate for one of our second round picks.
Well, I've written about him several times this year. He's one of my favorite's for the Kings in the 2nd rd. Right now I'd say he's borderline bottom of the 1st rd talent, who will likely go in the first 10 picks of the 2nd rd. He's listed at 6'7", but that's the measurement given from his freshman year. I've seen him standing next to 6'9" players and there's not a lot of difference between them, so I'd say he's at least 6'8". Besides being a real hustle guy, he's very talented. He's a terrific rebounder and shoots around 40% from the three. He can put the ball on the floor, he's a very good passer, and finisher at the basket.

Why you ask yourself is he going in the 2nd rd if he's that talented? Well, first he plays in a lesser conference (Ohio Valley Conference), and he's a senior. Plus, I still think there's a chance he goes at the bottom of the 1st rd. I hope not, because I want the Kings to have a shot at him. Sorry Dylan!
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
gOOD PLAYER. he is not one of these small school guys that might be a pro, he's a definite pro.

I have a feeling this Senior might be a better fit here in Sactown


This kid (and Windler) plays the game the right way...


When I look at the Kings i think we dont need to take any skinny guys who need to strengthen up and despite being a Sr Windler might fall in that category. I have a feeling the picks will be more beefed up frame guys who might have the skill to crack the rotation, I really think this is why trading up for Horton Tucker is a very real course of action.
Well, I've seen every televised game that Belmont has played this year, which unfortunately wasn't that many, but I don't think Windler is skinny. Could he stand to get in the weight room and get a little more muscle definition? Yeah, of course, and he will. Sort of comes with the territory in the NBA. But he's certainly stronger than Justin Jackson, and he's certainly not afraid of contact. He's always in there fighting for the ball.

I like Max Strus, but in my humble opinion he's more of a SG than a SF. I'm sure he can play some SF at 6'6", but we already have one of those in Bogdanovic. Windler at 6'8" has legit height for the SF position, and I think the Kings need some depth at that position. Right now, Windler is the better player, and in fairness, he should be since he's a senior and Strus is a sophmore.

Max Strus: 18.8 ppg - 42.1% fgp - 36.9% 3pp - 6.0 rpg - 2.4 apg - 1.0 steals

Dylan Windler: 21.4 ppg - 54.8% fgp - 43.0% 3pp - 10.7 rpg - 2.6 apg - 1.4 steals

At the end of the day, I'm a results guy. Not that I ignore upside or potential, but I seldom let one players potential outweigh another's results. To quote the great Vince Lombardi. "The word potential means you haven't done anything yet". That's not to say that Strus hasn't done anything, he has, but I'm not drafting him over Windler simply because he outweighs him.:) See if Windler looks skinny in this video.


 
Well, I've seen every televised game that Belmont has played this year, which unfortunately wasn't that many, but I don't think Windler is skinny. Could he stand to get in the weight room and get a little more muscle definition? Yeah, of course, and he will. Sort of comes with the territory in the NBA. But he's certainly stronger than Justin Jackson, and he's certainly not afraid of contact. He's always in there fighting for the ball.

I like Max Strus, but in my humble opinion he's more of a SG than a SF. I'm sure he can play some SF at 6'6", but we already have one of those in Bogdanovic. Windler at 6'8" has legit height for the SF position, and I think the Kings need some depth at that position. Right now, Windler is the better player, and in fairness, he should be since he's a senior and Strus is a sophmore.

Max Strus: 18.8 ppg - 42.1% fgp - 36.9% 3pp - 6.0 rpg - 2.4 apg - 1.0 steals

Dylan Windler: 21.4 ppg - 54.8% fgp - 43.0% 3pp - 10.7 rpg - 2.6 apg - 1.4 steals

At the end of the day, I'm a results guy. Not that I ignore upside or potential, but I seldom let one players potential outweigh another's results. To quote the great Vince Lombardi. "The word potential means you haven't done anything yet". That's not to say that Strus hasn't done anything, he has, but I'm not drafting him over Windler simply because he outweighs him.:) See if Windler looks skinny in this video.


Strus is a Senior, he's a former Division 2player. Just turned 23 like 2 weeks ago. One thing I can tell u for sure is Strus is a much better 3pt shooter than 36.9% would indicate. He'll shoot lights out for teams in drills.

Strus has this sort of Dellavedova thing going IMO, thats why I'd gamble on him.. he's real tough and he's big-shot maker. Ice in the veins.

It's really the same thing with Windler(and THT..), cuz these players draw so much attention from the defense when you watch then, it's hard not to think "how would this look in Sacramento where these guys could pretty much roam free..."

For me personally, with us having just 2nd rd picks, I am weary about trying to draft players based on fit though at this point in the draft. I just feel like year after year throwing mocks together i've learned that lesson, to sick with my gut or kinda favorites, pretty much anywhere after the 'fringe 1st rd range'.

I'm not so sure the Kings/Vlade really prioritze having tall SF's, i mean, u saw the roster this season.. and now we have Barnes...

Thing is too, there's the case of Alec Burks....... What exactly do the Kings have planned for him? if they want him back, we should probably be drafting project wings instead of old ones...
 
So Daniel Gafford is done in college, wont be playing in the NIT. That sounds like he's gonna be in the field no matter what. He'd be a welcome addition here and excellent value if somehow he falls to 2nd rd.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Strus is a Senior, he's a former Division 2player. Just turned 23 like 2 weeks ago. One thing I can tell u for sure is Strus is a much better 3pt shooter than 36.9% would indicate. He'll shoot lights out for teams in drills.

Strus has this sort of Dellavedova thing going IMO, thats why I'd gamble on him.. he's real tough and he's big-shot maker. Ice in the veins.

It's really the same thing with Windler(and THT..), cuz these players draw so much attention from the defense when you watch then, it's hard not to think "how would this look in Sacramento where these guys could pretty much roam free..."

For me personally, with us having just 2nd rd picks, I am weary about trying to draft players based on fit though at this point in the draft. I just feel like year after year throwing mocks together i've learned that lesson, to sick with my gut or kinda favorites, pretty much anywhere after the 'fringe 1st rd range'.

I'm not so sure the Kings/Vlade really prioritze having tall SF's, i mean, u saw the roster this season.. and now we have Barnes...

Thing is too, there's the case of Alec Burks....... What exactly do the Kings have planned for him? if they want him back, we should probably be drafting project wings instead of old ones...
I agree on fit, but if a player you like also is a good fit, then so much the better. You may be right about Strus, and I didn't realize he was a senior. I agree that he has that Dellavedova toughness. I think it's great that he's a lights out shooter in drills, but I've seen a lot of good workout shooters that couldn't hit a thing once the lights went on. Not saying that's true of Strus. Matter of fact I don't think it is, I just happen to like Windler better. I also like Cam Johnson, but question how well he'll defend.

Regardless of likes or dislikes, the Kings should be able to get a good player with their first pick in the 2nd round. My hope is that Bazley somehow slides down to us. I think that kid is very talented and a very good athlete.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
So Daniel Gafford is done in college, wont be playing in the NIT. That sounds like he's gonna be in the field no matter what. He'd be a welcome addition here and excellent value if somehow he falls to 2nd rd.
grabbing Gafford would give the Kings some flexibility at the center position going into freeagency. They might not pick up WCS option. My hope is that they make a run at Vucevic. Orlando might not be willing to pay the big bucks for him with Bamba sitting there.
 
I agree on fit, but if a player you like also is a good fit, then so much the better. You may be right about Strus, and I didn't realize he was a senior. I agree that he has that Dellavedova toughness. I think it's great that he's a lights out shooter in drills, but I've seen a lot of good workout shooters that couldn't hit a thing once the lights went on. Not saying that's true of Strus. Matter of fact I don't think it is, I just happen to like Windler better. I also like Cam Johnson, but question how well he'll defend.

Regardless of likes or dislikes, the Kings should be able to get a good player with their first pick in the 2nd round. My hope is that Bazley somehow slides down to us. I think that kid is very talented and a very good athlete.
I am convinced Strus is actually more like a 40% 3pt shooter but the super high volume he takes is what kills it, DePaul isn't that good (they should be better tbh --- totally not on Strus tho he's basically the whole team) so often he's firing up 3's late everyone knows are coming to try to get the back in the game. It just looks good comign out of his hand, has a kind of slow release but its high.

I nderstand what u mean with it being best to find a good player/project thats also a team fit, I've just noticed over the years that sorta thing has thrown me off the trail of a few promising scents... I am a bigtime advocate of drafting BPA over Need, and all the action we saw at this years trade deadline only reinforces that IMO.


Belmont - Temple is gonna be damn good tonight. Windler vs Quentin Rose!!!
 
grabbing Gafford would give the Kings some flexibility at the center position going into freeagency. They might not pick up WCS option. My hope is that they make a run at Vucevic. Orlando might not be willing to pay the big bucks for him with Bamba sitting there.
I would bet my account(and a whole lot more) here that they pick up Willies Q/O, tbh. (if anyone actually wants to bet and has paypal - PM me...)

Lotta sideways stuff is perpetuated around here about Willie, but I strongly suspect that its a subject most of the haters would start a full-speed back-pedal on before they got to the point of "put your money where your mouth is"... IMO would be like taking candy from a baby level ez...

Willie is everyone's favorite target to pass to on the team, clearly.... thats what I see and i watch everygame...... What about the chemistry between our franchise PG and Willie? Thats not easily replacable...

What did Joerger say after the trade deadline, we need 1½-2 seasons to get in rhythm.. The Kings are gonna have a +15 win uptick from last season and we're gonna run the starting C outa town?????? We're not even gonna pick up his Q/O?? Whatever happened to a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush?
 
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Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
So Daniel Gafford is done in college, wont be playing in the NIT. That sounds like he's gonna be in the field no matter what. He'd be a welcome addition here and excellent value if somehow he falls to 2nd rd.
I'm a little wary of picking a guy who sorta quit on his team early to get ready for the NBA draft but talent-wise if he's there for us in the second round I'd be hard pressed to not take him and sorta stash and develop him (the Geoff Petrie swingman strategy back in the glory years).

The Kings are in an interesting position in that they have no first round pick this season but have two 2nd rounders of yet undetermined value this year and a bajillion more over the next couple of seasons so I could see them being aggressive in selling 2nd rounders/ packaging picks to try to move higher up the draft boards to grab an impact role player at the end of the 1st round/ beginning of the 2nd.
 
I'm a little wary of picking a guy who sorta quit on his team early to get ready for the NBA draft but talent-wise if he's there for us in the second round I'd be hard pressed to not take him and sorta stash and develop him (the Geoff Petrie swingman strategy back in the glory years).

The Kings are in an interesting position in that they have no first round pick this season but have two 2nd rounders of yet undetermined value this year and a bajillion more over the next couple of seasons so I could see them being aggressive in selling 2nd rounders/ packaging picks to try to move higher up the draft boards to grab an impact role player at the end of the 1st round/ beginning of the 2nd.
Speaking of, I'm all for trading up for Coby White to take over the backup PG spot if we're lucky enough to be able to swing it. He'd fit right in here with the fast pace, and he's 6'5" which offers us some nice flexibility. He plays a very similar style of ball as what we ask of Yogi/Frank
 
Actually Baja is right. Windler over Strus all day everyday more I think of it. I like guys who dribble low and Windler does that, and does it with more burst than you'd expect, and keeps his head up scanning floor for open teammates, Kings can use more guys liek that.

Strus is really not bad, he's just lower down the foodchain at this point.
 
Where does Wenyen Gabriel fit into the Kings equation after a slow start from 3 in the G-League he finished at 37%. 2.4 Orebs per game in 20 minutes is pretty dang good... stats are solid across the board tbh.

This is the kinda stuff i have issues with when trying to figure out team needs.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
I would bet my account(and a whole lot more) here that they pick up Willies Q/O, tbh. (if anyone actually wants to bet and has paypal - PM me...)

Lotta sideways stuff is perpetuated around here about Willie, but I strongly suspect that its a subject most of the haters would start a full-speed back-pedal on before they got to the point of "put your money where your mouth is"... IMO would be like taking candy from a baby level ez...

Willie is everyone's favorite target to pass to on the team, clearly.... thats what I see and i watch everygame...... What about the chemistry between our franchise PG and Willie? Thats not easily replacable...

What did Joerger say after the trade deadline, we need 1½-2 seasons to get in rhythm.. The Kings are gonna have a +15 win uptick from last season and we're gonna run the starting C outa town?????? We're not even gonna pick up his Q/O?? Whatever happened to a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush?
Well no one has defended Willie more than me. That doesn't make me ignorant of his flaws. I just try to keep the punishment equal to the crime. King's fans seem to need a whipping boy, and right now, it's Willie. For a while it was McLemore, and before that JT. If you asked anyone with basketball knowledge who would you rather have, Willie or JT, most would certainly say Willie, but JT was our starting PF and sometime center for about 7 years.

You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned chemistry. Willie does a lot of little things that don't show up in the stat sheet. You can run the ball through him out of the high post, and that's more valuable than people think. His ability to stop the P&R in it's tracks is priceless. That's one of the area's where Barnes has really helped with switching. Having someone who knows how to play that type of defense on the floor with Willie has really improved the teams defense.

Does Willie frustrate me at times? Dam right! There are moments where he appears to be frozen in place for that tenth of a second where he should be moving toward the ball, whether it's on the floor at his feet or coming off the rim. It's as though he loses focus for a split second. But that's not enough for me to dump him, not when you consider team chemistry and the pluses he brings. Is he good enough to be the center on a championship team? Don't know! Probably depends on the makeup of the rest of the team. Could the Kings use an upgrade at the center position? Sure, but it would have to be a legit upgrade, and not just changing centers for the sake of change.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Where does Wenyen Gabriel fit into the Kings equation after a slow start from 3 in the G-League he finished at 37%. 2.4 Orebs per game in 20 minutes is pretty dang good... stats are solid across the board tbh.

This is the kinda stuff i have issues with when trying to figure out team needs.
I'm a big Gabriel fan. I thought he got lost in the crowd at Kentucky, although he was one of their better defenders and rebounders per minute. He was a bit raw when he arrived, and became the victim of kentucky's recruiting a lot of big men. When you add in that he seemed to be stuck between positions (SF&PF) he ended up sitting near the end of the bench. He's an excellent athlete and he has an NBA body. He shot the three well at Kentucky, although I felt his shot was a little slow and needed a little tweaking.

I was hopeful that he might get some burn with the parent team this season, but it was not to be. The King's should have some open roster spots this offseason, so maybe Gabriel will benefit from that.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Speaking of, I'm all for trading up for Coby White to take over the backup PG spot if we're lucky enough to be able to swing it. He'd fit right in here with the fast pace, and he's 6'5" which offers us some nice flexibility. He plays a very similar style of ball as what we ask of Yogi/Frank
I like White, but I'm fairly sure he'll go somewhere between 20 and 30 in the 1st rd. I'd like him for the same reasons I like Ty Jerome, except that White is a little better than Jerome. However Jerome is probably going to be there when we pick in the 2nd rd. If we could move up into the bottom of the 1st rd, that would open up a lot of other possibilities as well.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
I'm a little wary of picking a guy who sorta quit on his team early to get ready for the NBA draft but talent-wise if he's there for us in the second round I'd be hard pressed to not take him and sorta stash and develop him (the Geoff Petrie swingman strategy back in the glory years).

The Kings are in an interesting position in that they have no first round pick this season but have two 2nd rounders of yet undetermined value this year and a bajillion more over the next couple of seasons so I could see them being aggressive in selling 2nd rounders/ packaging picks to try to move higher up the draft boards to grab an impact role player at the end of the 1st round/ beginning of the 2nd.
I totally agree with you, and would like to remind everyone that when, and it's a big question mark as to when, the league makes the G-League more like the Minor league system of baseball, those 2nd rd picks will become more valuable. There are rumors that the NBA may go back to a 3 or 4 rd draft similar to the NFL. That's the NBA's ultimate goal for the G-League, and after this next off season I believe every team will have it's own G-League team, which is necessary for it to work.
 
Lu Dort is really quite interesting for the Kings.. with him and this roster, it would be fairly straightforward if his 3pt shot improves along with ability to finish around the rim, a pick on him would payoff in spades.

I definitely like Talen Horton Tucker better, but Lu might be next best option after, tho they are different positionally. Also worth noting Dort is almost 2 full years older than THT despite them both being Freshman.


Neither of these guyys are Marcus Smart defensively, they could function as sort of a bulldozer(with some finesse) style wing for us. which could really provide an interesting look.

Dort's game seems like it can plug in here, i dont think he'd drain the shotclock or anything like that.
 
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Last nights debacle left me thinking that I might trade Bogdan(plus more) for the rights to Tyler Herro
I would hope not. The Kings should/will be making a playoff push, and I don't think Tyler Herro can contribute day 1. I'm all for trading Bogdan if it makes us better, but Herro would be a step back imo.
 
I would hope not. The Kings should/will be making a playoff push, and I don't think Tyler Herro can contribute day 1. I'm all for trading Bogdan if it makes us better, but Herro would be a step back imo.
I don't like watching assets you've been investing in for years walk away for free, as the years pass the Kings are gonna have to hustle to obviate these situations. I don't think it's as cut and dry.

They have Bogey's rights but who knows what the price will be summer of 2020, he'll also be near 28 years old by then. Herro on a 4 year rookie deal would be a most excellent return for him I think. Those last years on Herro's rookie deal are key for the Kings we need to allocate that $$$ to retain key pieces..

Lets say Bogey plays great next year... what are the Kings gonna do? pay him and buddy big bucks??? We just watched the 2 of them get torched by 1 star, D'Angelo Russell... Is the Kings throwing Buddy and Bogdan big dollars really our path to the championship? i dont think so..
 
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bajaden

Hall of Famer
I don't like watching assets you've been investing in for years walk away for free, as the years pass the Kings are gonna have to hustle to obviate these situations. I don't think it's as cut and dry.

They have Bogey's rights but who knows what the price will be summer of 2020, he'll also be near 28 years old by then. Herro on a 4 year rookie deal would be a most excellent return for him I think. Those last years on Herro's rookie deal are key for the Kings we need to allocate that $$$ to retain key pieces..

Lets say Bogey plays great next year... what are the Kings gonna do? pay him and buddy big bucks??? We just watched the 2 of them get torched by 1 star, D'Angelo Russell... Is the Kings throwing Buddy and Bogdan big dollars really our path to the championship? i dont think so..
I get where your coming from, and I'm a firm believer that you do have to plan for the future. However, at some point, you have to embrace the now, and that's especially true for the Kings, whose fans have been chanting, there's always next year, for the last 10 years. Last year, one could have made the argument that Bogdanovic was the best player on the team. This year, not so much, and Bog's is obviously having a down year compared to the year before.

I'm not a knee jerk person. I like to sit down and think things through before making a decision, and on that note, I agree with the 206. I'm not against trading Bog's, but if we do, I want it to improve the team now, not 2 or 3 years from now. Bogdanovic has a lot of value to the team. He can play the SG or the PG position. He can guard the SG or the SF position. Plus he's our insurance policy against anything happening to Buddy. For instance, what if the Pel's called and said they would trade AD to the Kings for Buddy, Willie and our 2021 1st rd pick. Without Bog's sitting there, you probably don't make that deal, but with him there, you could afford to let Buddy go.

Now I know that's not going to happen, even though I pray every night that it will, but I think you get my point. Don't get me wrong, I like Hero, but he's been extremely inconsistent this season, and right now, Bogdanovic is a far better player in almost every aspect of the game. And, if I might bring up something you pointed out, and that's chemistry. I think Bogdanovic is a huge part of the chemistry of the team, maybe even more so than Willie.

The Kings have all of next season to decide how valuable Bog's is to the team, The cap is going up to 109 mil, and is projected to go up to 118 mil the following year, so to some extent, inflation will cover some of Bogdanovic's future salary. Plus, Bjelica is signed for two more years, but the last year in non-guaranteed, so the King could just let him walk, and probably will with the emergence of both Bagley and Giles. So removing his salary off the books the same year you have to resign Bogdanovic helps.

I have to hope that Vivek and the other owners are putting money into a piggy bank somewhere to deal with future salaries. As long as ownership is willing to foot the bill, then we'll be able to retain everyone. We hold the Bird rights on all our core players, and so far, they all seem to like it here.
 
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I don't like watching assets you've been investing in for years walk away for free, as the years pass the Kings are gonna have to hustle to obviate these situations. I don't think it's as cut and dry.

They have Bogey's rights but who knows what the price will be summer of 2020, he'll also be near 28 years old by then. Herro on a 4 year rookie deal would be a most excellent return for him I think. Those last years on Herro's rookie deal are key for the Kings we need to allocate that $$$ to retain key pieces..

Lets say Bogey plays great next year... what are the Kings gonna do? pay him and buddy big bucks??? We just watched the 2 of them get torched by 1 star, D'Angelo Russell... Is the Kings throwing Buddy and Bogdan big dollars really our path to the championship? i dont think so..
I have no problem with trading Bogdan.. I would actually prefer it for the contractual reasons and the fact that his play has pretty much been bad since the LAL game. However, I wouldn't be comfortable trading him for Tyler Herro. I'm not entirely sold on him as a prospect and I really don't see him contributing day 1 on a playoff team. Give me Jarrett Culver instead.
 
Welp, looks like Dylan Windler's next game now will definitely be in the NBA Summer League. Could it be with the Kings?
A common trend we've seen from Vlade is that he drafts primarily from blue bloods. 2015: WCS, 2016: Skal, 2017: Fox, Jackson, Giles, and Mason. 2018: Bagley.

I don't see that changing this year. Be prepared for a blue blood lol
 
I’m watching this Murray State v Marquette game. I’ve seen Ja Morant play here and there, but his performance today is solidifying my opinion that he just might be the best NBA prospect in the upcoming draft.

Yeah, I know, that’s a ridiculous opinion given the great Zion Williamson, among others are in the class. But with Zion being a bit of a tweener despite all his amazing athleticism and skill and Morant being a lead guard in what’s become a mostly guard dominated NBA — I think he could develop into the more impactful player.

Zion, to me, may be a cross between Blake Griffin and Sir Charles Barkley, which would be great. But Ja Morant might be an even better version of De’Aaron Fox meets Kyrie Irving. Like Zion, his athleticism is off the charts. He’s skilled with both hands, has excellent handles, can shoot, create for others and play defense. He’s intense and has a mamba mentality.

I absolutely love this kids game. If I was picking #1, I’d have a tough choice.

FWIW, I’d hate to see PHX, LAL or DAL end up with this kid.
 
Ja Morant is going to be a very special player in the NBA. I have him ranked #2 behind Zion Williamson. He's phenomenal, he's like Fox out of Kentucky, but much better.