Following 2019 draftees!!!

Well, the game is finally over and Morant ended up with the first trip double in the NCAA tournament since Draymond Green in 2012.

I’d say that’s a statement game. 17/16/11.
He did have 7 TO’s though. But still....

Murray State v Florida State should be a game.
 
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.
I think it’s be cool if the KINGS landed Windler if for no other reason to build an all-lefty team. LOL.

In all seriousness, the kid looks like he can really shoot it.
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
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
When our first pick is around #40, blue blood is not necessarily the most accessible route. If somehow a guy like Hagans (who, for now, isn't on all the mocks) declares and falls to #40, then sure. But right now I wouldn't expect any legit blue blood prospects to be left when we pick. Maybe Paschall (if you consider Villanova a blue blood), maybe Travis Reid at #60. But it seems to me that assuming we keep all three second-rounders we're likely to go digging into the Europe/International market a bit for a stashable player or two, and that barring Darius Bazley falling to us (I suspect the mocks are really cold on him relative to front offices), we're going to have to look for value from other places. Windler seems as good a bet as any at that point.
 
I can't help but think about the curious case of Moses Brown.... if a player like Mitchell Robinson could almost fall to 40 last year (and Robert Williams almost fall out of the 1st entirely) could Moses Brown be in the Kings range? He is very tall but not exactly a defensive dynamo, i think many here frustrated with willie would have same issues with him to put it bluntly but at that spot in the draft with his talent level,,, could be a match...
 
I can't help but think about the curious case of Moses Brown.... if a player like Mitchell Robinson could almost fall to 40 last year (and Robert Williams almost fall out of the 1st entirely) could Moses Brown be in the Kings range? He is very tall but not exactly a defensive dynamo, i think many here frustrated with willie would have same issues with him to put it bluntly but at that spot in the draft with his talent level,,, could be a match...
Absolutely if the Kings keep all three 2nd rounders. Dude has the tools to be a beast. Needs development.

That said, I'd prioritize Kris Wilkes over Brown. Wilkes has the game and the size to be a ten year 3 and D in the NBA. Same physical profile as Harrison Barnes with a better, smoother shot coming out of college.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Absolutely if the Kings keep all three 2nd rounders. Dude has the tools to be a beast. Needs development.

That said, I'd prioritize Kris Wilkes over Brown. Wilkes has the game and the size to be a ten year 3 and D in the NBA. Same physical profile as Harrison Barnes with a better, smoother shot coming out of college.
On a scale of 1 to 10, and using Dylan Windler as the top at 10, I would say that Wilkes is about a 4. Way too hot and cold for me. Doesn't play with the energy that Windler does. To my mind, there's no comparison between the two. I have a list of about 20 players I would take over Wilkes, and trust me, I've really tried to get myself enthused about Wilkes. I'm not a big fan of Brown either, but that team is a mess and has been poorly coached, so I'll give him a bit of a pass. But hey, I'd take a gamble on Bassey over Brown, and Bassey is a total mystery man.

You'll hear the TV commentators say that Bassey is the best player on the Western Kentucky team, but apparently they forgot to tell the rest of his teammates. No one passes him the ball, so it's been extremely difficult to get a read on him. He does block shots, and has a decent to good post game. he has a nice looking jump shot, and hits the occasional three. But if it wern't for putbacks etc. he would hardly touch the ball.

My hope for our first pick in the 2nd rd is for Bazley to slide to us. I agree with the Capt that it probably won't happen and that some team has their eye on him in the 1st rd, but hey miracles do happen. After that I'd be happy with Windler, Naz Reid, Cam Johnson, Ty Jerome, Bruno Fernando, Tucker-Horton, Admiral Schofield, Dedric Lawson, and Luguentz Dort. All these players can play in the NBA. Some of them could be taken in the bottom of the 1st rd, but some of them will be there when the Kings pick. Forgot to add Max Strus as well. Sorry amigo!
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
You have?!? I didn't notice! ;)
LOL!
Absolutely if the Kings keep all three 2nd rounders. Dude has the tools to be a beast. Needs development.

That said, I'd prioritize Kris Wilkes over Brown. Wilkes has the game and the size to be a ten year 3 and D in the NBA. Same physical profile as Harrison Barnes with a better, smoother shot coming out of college.
That's probably why Barnes was a lottery pick and Wilkes will go in the 2nd rd. Right!
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Arrrrgh! My gut kept telling me to take UC Irvine over Kansas St, and I talked myself out of it. UC Irvine had been on a role and was really playing well. Still undefeated in 2019. Go Ant Eaters!
 
KRis Wilkes isn;t half the shooter HArrison BArnes was coming out of UNC.... I can't let that fly... Kris Wilkes weakness in his scouting reports in HS was always his outside shot...

One of the main reasons UK prioritized Kevin Knox over Wilkes, was Wilkes lack of an outside shot...

Wilkes 3pt shooting at the start of his freshman year was anomalous.... sicne then he's a loe 30%'s guy and a mid 60% FT shooter, thats in part why his value has deteriorated to where it has,, so pls dontsay he's a better shoot than BArnes was, not even close..
 
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Joe Weiskamp was awesome for Iowa yesterday, they played a great half of basketball to win that game.

Weiskamp isn't on any mocks you'll find but it sorta reminds me of Kevin Huerter freshman year when everyone thought someone like Grayson Allen was much better prospect.

Just for the record I'd gladly take Weiskamp with one of the 2nd rd picks, would be a steal.
 
I agree that both those guys played well and Belmont had no one who could handle their size and athleticism. However, Windler was still the best player on the court during this game IMO.
Windler was excellent for sure, it's gotta be pretty helpless feeling to be playign that well but having ur bigs just get pulverized and create a hole too deep to climb out of...

Jalen Smith had 8 offensive rebounds in the game,, he went 8/9 from the field.. altered many shots... he was nearly flawless... i'd vote for him. He also just turned 19, like last week...!!!


Cannot WAIT for this first game today Smith and Fernando vs Reid in the trenches is gonna be war!! Hopefully the refs can let them play.

It is conceivable that Jalen Smith of MD could be one of the players who makes himself a pretty penny here in March, because he's got the talent to enter the top-25.

Smith could be squarely on the kings radar here too. Would make an interesting 4th big behind our 3 main guys for sure.
 
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I would definitely use one of the 2nd rd picks on Maryland's Aaron Wiggins. Hejust meets the qualifications for "taking a flier" at that point in the draft, 6'6" freshman with a sweeet shooting stroke. He's a project but perhaps one worth investing in.. The foundation with that jumpshot is good.
 
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bajaden

Hall of Famer
I would definitely use one of the 2nd rd picks on Maryland's Aaron Wiggins. Hejust meets the qualifications for "taking a flyer" at that point in the draft, 6'6" freshman with a sweeet shooting stroke. He's a project but perhaps one worth investing in.. The foundation with that jumpshot is good.
Man, Wiggins has been so inconsistent this season. Sorry, but he should stay in school for another year. There have been games where he was non-existent. Maybe with our 2nd or 3rd pick in the 2nd rd, but but not with our first pick. You said it yourself, he's a project. There will be better players available that are more ready to play. Maybe I'm having a hard time getting past his last name. I might have Wiggins bias!:p

I'm also afraid that I have to agree that Windler was the best player on the court in that game. That's not to take away from Fernando or Smith, who had a terrific game. Today's game going up against Reid will be a much better test for them. Belmont had no one that could match up against them. Despite that, and the size advantage, Windler still pulled down double digit rebounds against them.

A player I left off my list yesterday that I should be slapped around for forgetting is Matisse Thybulle of Washington. He may be the best defender in college, if not, he's certainly the best at stealing the ball. He had 5 steals yesterday and is averaging over 3 steals a game, which is unheard of. My knock on him this season has been his 3pt shot, but I don't think his shot is broken. He's a good free throw shooter, and has always been a good spot up shooter. He's certainly someone that you'd love on your team for his defensive abilities alone. At worse, I see him as a 3 and D player.
 
Wow, what a crazy finish that was. I was expecting more out of Fernando in the second half, that might have hurt his stock a little. Jalen Smith was more impressive in the second half, I thought.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Tough day for Fletcher Magee of Wofford. He's the best 3pt shooter on the team and he went 0 for 12 from the three today. Kentucky did a good job of making them tough shots, but he did miss some open one's as well. Kentucky dodged a bullet without Washington. Hopefully he'll back by next Thursday.
 
Tough day for Fletcher Magee of Wofford. He's the best 3pt shooter on the team and he went 0 for 12 from the three today. Kentucky did a good job of making them tough shots, but he did miss some open one's as well. Kentucky dodged a bullet without Washington. Hopefully he'll back by next Thursday.
Very rough night at the office for him, I felt bad for him to go out with a dud like that. Still, some of them were bad shots to take.

Any prospects worth keeping an eye on in Michigan/Florida? Surprised neither team has a highly ranked guy given their own team rankings.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Wow, what a crazy finish that was. I was expecting more out of Fernando in the second half, that might have hurt his stock a little. Jalen Smith was more impressive in the second half, I thought.
Yeah, exciting game. So far the SEC is doing well in the competition. I think Jalen Smith needs to stay in school, and he likely will. His defensive potential is his calling card. That said, he has some serious holes in his game that need patching. Naz Reid had a less than stellar game. Only 4 boards and something like 4 of 12 from the floor. Say what you want about Fernando, but he did pull down 15 boards. I like players that find a way to contribute when one part of their game isn't working.

I suspect that Smith had a little something to do with Reid's game.. Good learning experience.
 
Yeah, exciting game. So far the SEC is doing well in the competition. I think Jalen Smith needs to stay in school, and he likely will. His defensive potential is his calling card. That said, he has some serious holes in his game that need patching. Naz Reid had a less than stellar game. Only 4 boards and something like 4 of 12 from the floor. Say what you want about Fernando, but he did pull down 15 boards. I like players that find a way to contribute when one part of their game isn't working.

I suspect that Smith had a little something to do with Reid's game.. Good learning experience.
I'm not really down on Fernando, I just haven't seen enough of him. I love his physical profile and rebounding. I'm hoping he slips to the 2nd but that seems unrealistic. Smith definitely has some potential and is a high-energy guy. Interested to see what he can develop into.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Very rough night at the office for him, I felt bad for him to go out with a dud like that. Still, some of them were bad shots to take.

Any prospects worth keeping an eye on in Michigan/Florida? Surprised neither team has a highly ranked guy given their own team rankings.
Michigan has a couple of players to keep an eye on. One, Charles Mathews, #1 a 6'6" SG/SF, is a player that likely will be there when the Kings pick in the 2nd rd. The other, Ignas Brazdeikis, #13 a 6'7" SF is a 1st rd talent, who may not declare.

Florida is a team made up of Juniors and seniors and no 5 star recruits. Although the team may lack some of the star quality of other teams, it makes up for it with experience. They do have a few freshmen that have shown potential, especially their PG Andrew Nembhard #2, who has great size for the PG position at 6'5". I think he has some NBA potential. Keyontae Johnson #1 looks like a prospect as well.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
I'm not really down on Fernando, I just haven't seen enough of him. I love his physical profile and rebounding. I'm hoping he slips to the 2nd but that seems unrealistic. Smith definitely has some potential and is a high-energy guy. Interested to see what he can develop into.
Yeah, Smith is someone that I can see a future for in the NBA, but he needs to work on his game, and, of course get stronger. He has good defensive instincts that I think have gotten better as the season progressed. When I look at Fernando, I see a future Capella type player. I like that his game improved from his freshman season, which is something I look for. With a lot of work, he could eventually fill the stretch four/five roll.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
This is going to be a tough game for Ja Morant and Murray St. Florida St. is one of the best defensive teams in college, and they have serious height to go along with that defense. If Morant's teammates can't hit their shots, Murray St. is going to lose. Players to watch on Florida St. are Mfiondu Kabengele #25 a 6'10" PF/SF, and Terance Mann #14, a 6'7" SF/SG who has been hitting the three this season. Florida St. starts a 7'4" senior Christ Koumadje # 21 at center.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Well, so far it's the Ja Morant show. Murray St. up early with Morant going to the line. I don't think he's as quick as Fox, but he's quick. 5 minutes into the game and Morant already has 11 points.
 
Tough day for Fletcher Magee of Wofford. He's the best 3pt shooter on the team and he went 0 for 12 from the three today. Kentucky did a good job of making them tough shots, but he did miss some open one's as well. Kentucky dodged a bullet without Washington. Hopefully he'll back by next Thursday.
Those shots he took towards the end of the game was just... rough. Nathan Hoover should've touched the ball, he was red hot today. Ahh, you live and die by Fletcher Magee. I feel bad to see his last game go out the way it did.. but making it to the 2nd round of the tournament is a very good accomplishment.