Draft Watch 2018

[Jkam31]

Why isn’t Doncic ceiling high is he a finished product at 18, no


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[kalenclayton]

Why isn’t Doncic ceiling high is he a finished product at 18, no


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If this is in response to my post, I never said Doncic’s ceiling wasn’t high. I just stated my opinion, which was that Ayton and Porter have the highest ceilings in the draft. I’m looking at the combination of athleticism, size, skill, and quality of playing different positions. From what I’ve seen, I only see two potential superstars and heya re Ayton and Porter. I think Doncic will be great, but I just don’t hold the same opinion of him.

[codydaze]

Porter looks to have the highest ceiling as well. I think the Kings need to really look for that guy who can take over this team and become the face of the franchise. Porter could be that guy. I think Ayton and Porter have the highest ceilings and are the tier 1 prospects because of it. Porter is a high risk, high reward player and I think the Kings are in the perfect position to take on his risk.

I disagree that we are in the perfect position to take on risk, I think it's actually the opposite. We need to hit on a star caliber player, we don't have a sure-fire number one option, star type on this team. We already have high risk players with Giles, Papa and even Skal to an extent who are all big question marks right now. I believe in Giles that he can be a really good player for this team but we definitely have too many questions marks still. If we don't hit in this draft, it will make things that much more difficult for us with not having a first round pick in 2019.

If I'm Vlade, my board is like this:
1. Ayton (I think he and Willie would be an extremely dynamic front court with Ayton being able to step out and stretch the floor. the length, athleticism and defensive potential there is the stuff of dreams)
2. Doncic (perfect playmaking and scoring wing that can slot right in at the 3 with Fox-Bogdan at the guards. allows Buddy to come off the bench and lets Skal/Giles fight for the other front court spot with Willie)
3. Bagley (would scare me to add another lefty who struggles going right and with a jumpshot but the guy has insane talent and can be a franchise player)
4. Jaren Jackson Jr. (versatile big that would really help with some of our defensive issues)
5. Porter Jr. (scary to take another big injury risk coming off drafting Giles but the scoring potential as a 3 or posstibly stretch 4 is desperately needed)

I’m not too worried about not having a pick in 2019. Our team is so young and a lot of them have shown flashes. If need be, we could trade for a 1st next year. It won’t reflect our record, but it will add yet another young prospect.

I disagree that Giles, Papa, and Skal are high risk. Giles was the 20th pick, Papa was 13th in a weak draft (bad pick), and Skal was 28th. There was not much risk attached to those positions. There is significantly more risk when selecting in the top 3. The Kings are likely destined there, so that is my definition for high risk.

The Kings need a star. I agree with you on that stance. Fox could become one, but it is really blurry looking into his future. I see star potential in the draft, but really only see top-15 potential in two players: Ayton and Porter. Both of those guys fit right in with our roster, which helps their development. Couple that with the fact that the league is trending smaller and that makes Porter look even more attractive because he can play the 3 and 4. Sure, I think Bagley, Bamba, Jackson Jr., and Doncic will be fantastic, but I just don’t see the same potential in them as I do in Ayton and Porter.

Now I’m not gonna lie. I’m still worried about Porter’s injury risk. I just see the potential and am quite enamored with it. If our team is the same on draft night, then my (today’s) Kings big board looks like:
Tier 1
Ayton, Porter
Tier 2
Doncic, Bamba, Bagley
Tier 3
Jackson Jr.
Tier 4
Mikal Bridges, Young, Miles Bridges, Carter
Trade

Yeah, I guess I'm defining risk not based on draft position but on an actual risk of them being rotational pieces on a winning team. That's why I would classify all of Skal, Giles, Papa, Jackson and Malachi as risks because there are some major question marks surrounding their games. I have confidence in Skal, Giles and Jackson the most but they still definitely need to prove themselves.

I'm confident in Willie's ability as well as Bogdan's to be solid pieces moving forward. I think Buddy is best suited for a sixth man spark plug role and that's something he can definitely become in the mold of Eric Gordon. Fox has shown some great flashes especially the last couple weeks but even he has big question marks. I like Mason a lot as the backup point guard of the future too.

This is why I feel like we need to nail this pick and get the most "sure thing" we can get. Only difference I would make to your tiers is switching out Doncic and Porter. I think Bamba is going to be really good too, I just don't like his fit with Willie.

[codydaze]

You can put him at the top of your board and hope for Ayton all you want, but if Vlade gets the #1 pick he's going Doncic, put it in the bank!

And I would be totally fine with that. Doncic is going to be a stud.

[SacKingZZZ]

Why isn’t Doncic ceiling high is he a finished product at 18, no


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Actually as a matter of fact he's fairly close. The benefit of playing pro ball so early is that you do reach your ceiling much faster since you are playing with grown men in a professional setting. That's when you take the scouting in the areas towards what he can become athletically, body wise, etc. because that's what will either limit, or expand his potential.

[kalenclayton]

I disagree that we are in the perfect position to take on risk, I think it's actually the opposite. We need to hit on a star caliber player, we don't have a sure-fire number one option, star type on this team. We already have high risk players with Giles, Papa and even Skal to an extent who are all big question marks right now. I believe in Giles that he can be a really good player for this team but we definitely have too many questions marks still. If we don't hit in this draft, it will make things that much more difficult for us with not having a first round pick in 2019.

If I'm Vlade, my board is like this:
1. Ayton (I think he and Willie would be an extremely dynamic front court with Ayton being able to step out and stretch the floor. the length, athleticism and defensive potential there is the stuff of dreams)
2. Doncic (perfect playmaking and scoring wing that can slot right in at the 3 with Fox-Bogdan at the guards. allows Buddy to come off the bench and lets Skal/Giles fight for the other front court spot with Willie)
3. Bagley (would scare me to add another lefty who struggles going right and with a jumpshot but the guy has insane talent and can be a franchise player)
4. Jaren Jackson Jr. (versatile big that would really help with some of our defensive issues)
5. Porter Jr. (scary to take another big injury risk coming off drafting Giles but the scoring potential as a 3 or posstibly stretch 4 is desperately needed)

I’m not too worried about not having a pick in 2019. Our team is so young and a lot of them have shown flashes. If need be, we could trade for a 1st next year. It won’t reflect our record, but it will add yet another young prospect.

I disagree that Giles, Papa, and Skal are high risk. Giles was the 20th pick, Papa was 13th in a weak draft (bad pick), and Skal was 28th. There was not much risk attached to those positions. There is significantly more risk when selecting in the top 3. The Kings are likely destined there, so that is my definition for high risk.

The Kings need a star. I agree with you on that stance. Fox could become one, but it is really blurry looking into his future. I see star potential in the draft, but really only see top-15 potential in two players: Ayton and Porter. Both of those guys fit right in with our roster, which helps their development. Couple that with the fact that the league is trending smaller and that makes Porter look even more attractive because he can play the 3 and 4. Sure, I think Bagley, Bamba, Jackson Jr., and Doncic will be fantastic, but I just don’t see the same potential in them as I do in Ayton and Porter.

Now I’m not gonna lie. I’m still worried about Porter’s injury risk. I just see the potential and am quite enamored with it. If our team is the same on draft night, then my (today’s) Kings big board looks like:
Tier 1
Ayton, Porter
Tier 2
Doncic, Bamba, Bagley
Tier 3
Jackson Jr.
Tier 4
Mikal Bridges, Young, Miles Bridges, Carter
Trade

Yeah, I guess I'm defining risk not based on draft position but on an actual risk of them being rotational pieces on a winning team. That's why I would classify all of Skal, Giles, Papa, Jackson and Malachi as risks because there are some major question marks surrounding their games. I have confidence in Skal, Giles and Jackson the most but they still definitely need to prove themselves.

I'm confident in Willie's ability as well as Bogdan's to be solid pieces moving forward. I think Buddy is best suited for a sixth man spark plug role and that's something he can definitely become in the mold of Eric Gordon. Fox has shown some great flashes especially the last couple weeks but even he has big question marks. I like Mason a lot as the backup point guard of the future too.

This is why I feel like we need to nail this pick and get the most "sure thing" we can get. Only difference I would make to your tiers is switching out Doncic and Porter. I think Bamba is going to be really good too, I just don't like his fit with Willie.

You and I can agree on the risk of rotational pieces on a good team aspect. Papa, Skal, Giles, and even Jackson are all low floor players. They are all projects when it comes to the NBA. They all have major things to work on in order to convey that they belong there (Papa and Giles more than any). We knew this going in though. We took a low risk of draft capital in order to get these guys. We knew that they were project players who had potentially high ceilings. Jackson is the only exception. He’s just had a rough transition, but he’s shown some promise as of late. At this point, we can take the risk of those players because we already paid the cost to get them. If it doesn’t work out, then we cut our losses and move on in a couple years.

Coming back to your current pieces that you talked about, I agree that Willie, Bogdan, and Hield have places in the NBA. I actually think we are good to go with them. I may be interested in moving Willie at some point though just because of his contract status (extension next year) and fit. Willie needs certain types of players next to him to be successful and if we can’t put those pieces around him, then we have to move him. Fox looks like what I expected him to look like. I’m pretty confident that he is going to be a solid-great PG. Mason has looked pretty darn good backup. We have solid young pieces, but no star (yet).

I partially agree with you that it may be in our best interest to draft the best sure thing we can get. The problem I have with it is that taking that route could bite us down the road. Projects who turn out great are better franchise pieces than good players who stay good. The difference between our evaluations is that I think higher of Porter’s potential than you do. That’s fine and it’s what sparks good debate. To be honest, this is a great problem to have. I’d be happy with any of Ayton, Porter, Doncic, Jackson, Bamba, or Bagley. All of them should help the team going forward.

Btw, you mentioned that you don’t think Bamba would be a good fit next to WCS. Why do you think that? I think Bamba is as close to perfect as a WCS complement defensively as you can get. They are both young, athletic, and versatile. WCS is looking more and more like a versatile defensive player instead of a rim protector. Bamba projects to be a rim protector as well as a versatile defender. Bamba also complements WCS in the rebounding department. Both guys are gifted athletically. The only issue I see so far is that Mo is raw offensively. He looks like he has some potential all over the floor though. What are your thoughts?

[City of Trees]

I'm 100% sold on Ayton as my #1. He's on a tier all by himself.

Tier #2 Doncic, Bagley, Bamba

Tier #3 Porter (injury risk), Trae Young

Tier #4 Jackson Jr, Bridges x2



IMO Bamba could end up being the best player in this draft. His shooting stroke looks good as well as his 3pt shot. The numbers could be better but I see potential. He's already regarded as the best defender in the draft. His ceiling is as high as anyone's in this draft. Probably higher than Doncic.

[Sacramento_King]

We're getting Bagley. People like Bomba, Luka, Porter, Ayton in our group thus far so that means Bagley it is.

[kalenclayton]

We're getting Bagley. People like Bomba, Luka, Porter, Ayton in our group thus far so that means Bagley it is.

Vivek says “I want Trae Young. I would like to experiment with an all PG lineup. NBA 3.0.”

In all seriousness, I really think Doncic is Vlade’s #1. I want it to be Ayton, but Doncic really fits the player that Vlade talks about: smart, all-around playmaking players.

[City of Trees]

Anyone have an intelligent take on Doncic as a defender in the NBA?

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[SacKingZZZ]

We're getting Bagley. People like Bomba, Luka, Porter, Ayton in our group thus far so that means Bagley it is.

I think Bagley has the most potential as a franchise go to. He reminds me of a more athletic Reef.

[SacKingZZZ]

Anyone have an intelligent take on Doncic as a defender in the NBA?

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I think he'll be good. He plays hard and he's big enough to switch to PF in a lot of match ups. His length will limit him in some respects but he's not a complete zero defensively by any stretch.

[City of Trees]

Anyone have an intelligent take on Doncic as a defender in the NBA?

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I think he'll be good. He plays hard and he's big enough to switch to PF in a lot of match ups. His length will limit him in some respects but he's not a complete zero defensively by any stretch.

Lateral quickness doesn't look great... But I haven't seen much

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[SacKingZZZ]

Anyone have an intelligent take on Doncic as a defender in the NBA?

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I think he'll be good. He plays hard and he's big enough to switch to PF in a lot of match ups. His length will limit him in some respects but he's not a complete zero defensively by any stretch.

Lateral quickness doesn't look great... But I haven't seen much

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He's not a great athlete, but I haven't seen him be a negative very often. I guess it would depend on if a team saw him as someone who would defend PG/SG full time. I don't think that would be wise but on the wing as a defender and at point offensively whatever team that gets him will be getting a solid player.

[kingjawn100]

I think the dream scenario for the Kings is Ayton with Doncic a close 2nd. Ayton would take longer to make an impact offensively.

The biggest draft related question i have...if Trae Young is the best player available when the Kings are picking do they take him? Fox is really coming on as of late and point guard isn't a position of need with Mason also on the roster. But if there's even a small chance he turns into Steph Curry he would be really hard to pass on (especially for a team in extreme need of scoring).

The question is...how much do they love Fox and could Trae and Fox play together? Offensively maybe, defensively not so much IMO.

[kingjawn100]

Also if you're 100% sure Porter is healthy to me that has to be your pick (if he's the pre-injury Porter he's the best player in the draft plain and simple). The question though...is he gonna come into Sacramento and workout/take a physical? I know how adamant Vlade has been in the past of not drafting guys he hasn't seen/doesn't have medicals on.

There's a massive dropoff after the top 6 or 7 so wins like tonight are nice but they're pretty counterproductive (mostly cause aside from Fox the majority of guys who played well won't even be on the team next year)

[City of Trees]

If Young is the best player on the board id look to trade back one or two spots. Otherwise I'd need to know who else is available in this scenario.

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[SacKingZZZ]

If Young is the best player on the board id look to trade back one or two spots. Otherwise I'd need to know who else is available in this scenario.

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Exactly. The Kings track record of BPA and wait is pure misery. They never seem to make that next move.

[City of Trees]

If Young is the best player on the board id look to trade back one or two spots. Otherwise I'd need to know who else is available in this scenario.

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Exactly. The Kings track record of BPA and wait is pure misery. They never seem to make that next move.

Yep.

In this tankathon mock draft scenario, if the Kings are picking 5th I pass on Young and draft Bamba no questions asked.


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[jazanetti]

Speaking of Doncic I see lack of size and athleticism to be SF and lack of speed to be SG. And all these things are difficult or even impossible to develop. But his scoring and playmaking skills are incredible at the age of 18, so he's the most risky top-5 pick IMO, a lot in common with Tyreke.