Welcome Davion Mitchell

Turgenev said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1420931846142005250

Surprise pick for me but I'll go with it. We do need guards that are willing and able to play D. Don't know much else about him.
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Stop me if you've heard this one already: the Kings played "historically bad" defense last year. And, IMO, the worst part of that defense was on the perimeter. Davion Mitchell isn't simply a great one-on-one defender. The WAY he plays defense, the PRIDE he takes in harassing people and being a difference-maker on that end promises to ripple throughout the team. (I'm loving the thought of DM and DW - and Davis, if back- paired up already.) Fox and Ty were already vowing to pick it up defensively. I don't think De'Aaron goes out there half-a$$ing it w/DM busting his tail every time down the floor.

We saw last year that the Kings *could* play strong defense. Mitchell makes it a lot more likely that team-wide defensive intensity will be the norm rather than the exception.
 
Tetsujin said:
It's probably a happy medium to be fair. I like the pick in a vacuum because I think Davion will be a very very good NBA player but we've already got like three good guards in the same position.
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On the bright side, our days of watching Buddy try to create shots in the half court only to throw a one handed bounce pass straight to the other team may soon be at an end. Silver lining?
 
hrdboild said:
It's funny how everyone says you need to go BPA in the draft and give your team the best chance at drafting a star and yet all the post-draft reactions tend to talk about fit and teams get panned for drafting a top talent who doesn't fit their roster. So which is it?
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Well, TBH, it shouldn’t be that simplistic. If the BPA isn‘t the consensus BPA, or is only the BPA by a slight margin, and the fit issue is dramatic…it isn’t as cut and dry. These things should be weighted.
 
https://theathletic.com/2734231/202...it-big-in-the-nba/?source=user_shared_article

great article worth a read - 4 days after Baylor won it all, Mitchell was at Chris Paul’s house, getting advice on the NBA, watching game tape, getting sold on Paul’s diet and starting to eat more salmon, struck up a friendship and have been in touch since

if Paul is Mitchell’s ceiling (well as much as anyone can have Paul as a ceiling), then it seems like he found exactly the right mentor to start his career
 
As unlikely as it still is, Fox-Simmons just got a bit more likely.

Your 2021-22 Sacramento Kings:

Mitchell
Ty
Simmons
HB
Holmes

Bench: Wright, Jones, Metu, maybe Davis
 
I know we need a full sized wing. We can’t run Barnes into the ground at SF and PF playing 40 minutes a night. We need another guy to go with him. That being said, Davion Mitchell has possible star potential. He’s going to ball out. I mean, we just drafted our best in ball defender……and he’s our best by a country mile. I do see Mitchell and Fox together with Hali playing some 3. I see Wright and TD back these guys up in the rotation. That’s a talented group. Will be small but fast/quick as hell.

Davion Mitchell could end up being better than Fox and Hali.
 
Will need to see him defend 2 guards to really evaluate. If he can be a true combo guard that's an elite defender at both spots, that changes the upside of the pick.

Still, need to see McNair clean up the roster. As of now, Mitchell is slated for about 8 minutes a game.
 
The_Jamal said:
Will need to see him defend 2 guards to really evaluate. If he can be a true combo guard that's an elite defender at both spots, that changes the upside of the pick.

Still, need to see McNair clean up the roster. As of now, Mitchell is slated for about 8 minutes a game.
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I think Fox will be effective against 2 guards if he applies himself. I think both guys can switch
 
Tetsujin said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1420913156759633925
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Thanks for posting these and being a voice of reason @Tetsujin . If Mitchell wasn't already being written off by Kings fans pre-draft because he plays the same position as our best player I think people would have seen that he's the safest pick in the draft. He's a suffocating defender who shot the lights out last season and led his team to a championship. If he were 3 or 4 inches taller he would not have been available at #9 just like last year if Haliburton were a little bulkier and didn't have a funky shooting motion he would not have been available at #12.

I like upside too and I realize we need more help on the wing and defensive toughness in the frontcourt which is why I was willing to roll the dice on guys like Jalen Johnson and Usman Garuba but both would have been gambles and taken years to acclimate. No rookie in this class is more plug and play than Mitchell. He might not be the most exciting prospect out there in terms of long-term upside and leaves us with more holes to fill in our rotation but I wouldn't be surprised if his dedication to the game has the same aura effect for this team that Haliburton's did.
 
hrdboild said:
Thanks for posting these and being a voice of reason @Tetsujin . If Mitchell wasn't already being written off by Kings fans pre-draft because he plays the same position as our best player I think people would have seen that he's the safest pick in the draft. He's a suffocating defender who shot the lights out last season and led his team to a championship. If he were 3 or 4 inches taller he would not have been available at #9 just like last year if Haliburton were a little bulkier and didn't have a funky shooting motion he would not have been available at #12.

I like upside too and I realize we need more help on the wing and defensive toughness in the frontcourt which is why I was willing to roll the dice on guys like Jalen Johnson and Usman Garuba but both would have been gambles and taken years to acclimate. No rookie in this class is more plug and play than Mitchell. He might not be the most exciting prospect out there in terms of long-term upside and leaves us with more holes to fill in our rotation but I wouldn't be surprised if his dedication to the game has the same aura effect for this team that Haliburton's did.
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If Davion Mitchell were 19 instead of 21, he'd have gone top 5. He's a dog.
 
Woot! said:
Stop me if you've heard this one already: the Kings played "historically bad" defense last year. And, IMO, the worst part of that defense was on the perimeter. Davion Mitchell isn't simply a great one-on-one defender. The WAY he plays defense, the PRIDE he takes in harassing people and being a difference-maker on that end promises to ripple throughout the team. (I'm loving the thought of DM and DW - and Davis, if back- paired up already.) Fox and Ty were already vowing to pick it up defensively. I don't think De'Aaron goes out there half-a$$ing it w/DM busting his tail every time down the floor.

We saw last year that the Kings *could* play strong defense. Mitchell makes it a lot more likely that team-wide defensive intensity will be the norm rather than the exception.
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Well, you might be in for shock. Just as they might. Waltons defense was mostly based on run outs and switching. In order to do that you need size and length. We'll see how versatile Fox/Haliburton/Mitchell really is.
 
I've liked Mitchell from the jump. Dude is a Bobby J/Pat Bev type of player. On the second unit, he's going to beast all of the guards that he plays.
I would've preferred Bouknight, but I get the pick. BPA. Solve the rest later. Bye Buddy, likely bye Davis, likely bye Wright?

Now draft Donsumu, Jones, or Butler. Call it a night.
 
Tetsujin said:
If Davion Mitchell were 19 instead of 21, he'd have gone top 5. He's a dog.
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When Mitchell WAS 19 he was averaging 17 mpg at Auburn, shooting under 29% from 3 and averaging less than four ppg.

I'm trying to see the bright side here but the Kings took a "win now", "plug and play" defensive PG only to put him behind their best player on a team that failed to reach the playoffs for the 15th straight year.

Best case scenario he's locking down backup PGs and helping dig the Kings out of the hole their starters dug?
 
funkykingston said:
When Mitchell WAS 19 he was averaging 17 mpg at Auburn, shooting under 29% from 3 and averaging less than four ppg.

I'm trying to see the bright side here but the Kings took a "win now", "plug and play" defensive PG only to put him behind their best player on a team that failed to reach the playoffs for the 15th straight year.

Best case scenario he's locking down backup PGs and helping dig the Kings out of the hole their starters dug?
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I mean, Tyrese looked bad at times in his first season with Iowa State and then got better and better as time has progressed and absolutely shattered initial expectations of him in the league. Players can improve and surprise you.

Just give them a chance?
 
Tetsujin said:
I mean, Tyrese looked bad at times in his first season with Iowa State and then got better and better as time has progressed and absolutely shattered initial expectations of him in the league. Players can improve and surprise you.

Just give them a chance?
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My issue with Mitchell is that I think his outside shooting this year was fool's gold based on his previous shooting numbers and his FT%. And as he's not much of a playmaker to begin with I don't see a clear path to success for him in the NBA.

The fact that he plays the same position as the only two Kings players worth keeping just exacerbates things.

I think I'm also just overly frustrated that there were all these reports in the weeks leading up to the draft about how "aggressive" the Kings were and now it looks like they'll have the exact same team plus Mitchell, but only if they can resign Holmes. Otherwise they'll be worse but still not bad enough to get a top pick.

Mitchell is a frustrating pick to me. The complete lack of any other movement just makes it worse.
 
SacTownKid said:
He's not really small for a PG. However the Kings are extremely small in the build of their core in totality.

Suprise Davion! Welcome!
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When I watch him play, he doesn’t look small. That doesn’t mean anything, I realize. Just an observation.

Supposedly he doesn’t have good length either. But I couldn’t care less. Defense is often more about attitude and will than ability.

If he’s a tenacious defender, his size means nothing to me. Bobby J and Kyle Lowry aren’t big. Donovan Mitchell and Patrick Beverley aren’t big. But they ball out.

I realize that highlights are highlights, but I also see a capable offensive player not just a Patrick Beverley defensive stopper type. He can play make and score.
 
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