Sacramento Kings Draft Review

Current Roster
PG: De'Aaron Fox/Frank Mason
SG: Buddy Hield/Garrett Temple
SF: Justin Jackson/Malachi Richardson
PF: Skal Labisierre/Harry Giles
C: Willie Cauley-Stein/Kosta Koufos/Georgios Papagiannis

2017 Free Agents
Unrestricted
F Rudy Gay
G Tyreke Evans
G Ty Lawson
G Darren Collison

Restricted
G Ben McLemore
G Langston Galloway

Who They Drafted
1-5 De'Aaron Fox, PG Kentucky
1-15 Justin Jackson, SF North Carolina
1-20 Harry Giles, PF/C Duke
2-34 Frank Mason III, PG Kansas
The Kings coveted De'Aaron Fox and, thankfully, didn't trade up to get him. The Kings roster, especially if they don't bring back any free agents, it so sparse that Fox will likely play a bulk of the minutes going forward. Fox is the centerpiece of the team now, so their roster will be shaped around his ability to penetrate and push the ball in transition. The Kings can give Fox and athletic pick-and-roll partner (Willie Cauley-Stein) and capable pick-and-pop shooter (Skal Labissiere) as well as shooters to space the floor (Skal, Justin Jackson, Buddy Hield) and give him room to operate. They also all run the floor well, be it for dunks or threes. These players are young, all on their rookie deals, but they make sense together offensively. Defensively, it is good that the Kings have some bigger off-guards (Hield, Garrett Temple, Malachi Richardson) because Fox at this current strength level is probably just a one position defender, though he should be very good at that in time.
After trading back, the Kings used their next pick on a wing, which makes sense because they don't have any on the roster right now. Jackson is a definite role player, but one that should play in the NBA for a long time do to his intelligence and craft. During his first two years at North Carolina, Jackson was a great gap-filler, a smart off-ball mover who always seemed to be in the right spot, Jackson scored on floaters, cuts, and in-between moves as well as making the correct extra pass. However, Jackson struggled from beyond the arc, limiting his upside. Last season, Jackson re-made his jumper and became a knockdown shooter, nailing 37% of his threes on 284 attempts, more than he took the previous two years combined. This shooting ability (provided it is legit) gives him excellent role player potential, able to score from range, hit floaters, and make good passes, a perfect fit with Fox, who is a poor shooter. Defensively, Jackson is smart, has good feet and balance, but isn't a super-athlete or incredibly long or strong. In the future, the Kings might want more of a stronger, lockdown guy on the wing to compliment Jackson.
After taking a safer choice in Jackson, the Kings took a bigger swing for the fences and drafted Harry Giles, who was once considered a potential top overall pick before a swath of knee injuries. Giles has great size and length for a big man and will likely be a center down the line as his body fills out. Before his injuries, Giles was a tremendous athlete who could move on the perimeter and finish well above the rim. Now? Who Knows! This is truly a risk/reward proposition, for if Giles is what he was last season, he's not an NBA player, if he recovers some? Well, the star potential is probably gone Giles could be a valuable energy big man that can rebound at a high rate, defend, and score around the basket. Giles also has shown flashes of some outside touch and it would make sense for him to remake his game as more of a stretch player if his athleticism doesn't come back.
In the second round, the Kings again went back to a safer choice in point guard Frank Mason. Mason is a smaller guard and more of a natural scorer than passer, though he does have enough skills to be a point guard. His most translatable skill is his shooting ability, where he is particularly deadly off the dribble. This shooting will help Mason get to the rim at the next level, as the threat of a pull-up is always on the table, which is good because much of Mason's game is his aggressive attacking nature. While it is always difficult for small guards to score at the rim, Mason has the floater game you need to be successful, even if it isn't a given. Mason competes defensively, which is all you can ask for, but will always be held back by his size/length. One way that I dislike this fit with the Kings is that Mason and Jackson probably can't play together, as it is likely neither can defend off-guards. For the Kings second unit, Mason makes sense as a focal point scorer that can heat up and carry their offense while being helped out defensively by some of their bigger guards and defensive minded big men.

What They Need Going Forward
What the Kings do really depends on what they want from this season. Since they own next year's draft pick, but do not in 2019, it would makes sense for them to wait until next summer to spend big. Giving this season over to the young players will not only aide in their development but also most likely ensure another high draft pick and young player to add to their core. Then, next summer with cash to splash they can bring in free agents to make their run. In the very short term, they'll probably want a veteran point guard to mentor their two rookies (but not so good that Dave Joergor plays them over Fox and Jackson) as well as a bigger wing to defend the players that are too big/strong for Justin Jackson. The Kings are finally heading in the right direction, they need to avoid disaster this summer.

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2015 Draft Review: Sacramento Kings

2015-16 Depth Chart

PG: Darren Collison/Ray McCallum/David Stockton

SG: Ben McLemore/Nik Stauskas

SF: Rudy Gay

PF: Willie Cauley-Stein/Carl Landry/Eric Moreland

C: DeMarcus Cousins/Jason Thompson

2015 Free Agents

F Derrick Williams (RFA)

F Omri Casspi

PF Reggie Evans

C Ryan Hollins

PG Andre Miller

What They Did On Draft Night
Drafted Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein 6th overall

Willie Cauley-Stein was long rumored to be a favorite both of Sacramento's various front offices and star center DeMarcus Cousins, so it was no surprise that is the direction they decided to go in. In theory it makes sense, the Kings' defense was one of the worst in the league last season, and Cauley-Stein was considered the best overall defensive prospect in the draft, a natural fit. In practice, however, it may not go so smoothly. On offense, it could really damage Sacramento's already poor spacing. Unless he takes a drastic step forward, Cauley-Stein is not a threat anywhere outside the basket area so there won't be any reason for teams to not double-off him to Cousins in the post, which will hurt his efficiency there. While it might seem logical to use Cousins further away from the basket, he shot just 38% outside the paint. So taking an already not terrifically efficient player and putting him in a position to be less efficient isn't exactly the best strategy for a not-great offensive team. Furthermore, Cousins is such a great offensive rebounder, moving him further from the basket hurts that as well. Sacramento might be able get by if they had great shooters on the floor elsewhere, but consider Sacramento's presumptive starting wings, Ben McLemore and Rudy Gay. Despite a reputation as a shooter, McLemore was really only effective from the corners, making 41% of his shots there while above the break hitting only 33%. Gay on the other hand shot 41% from the wings (above the break, but not straight on) but just 29% elsewhere. So the Kings can space the floor, but only from specific areas, something smart defenses can exploit by moving them off those spots. Even more of an issue is that three-pointers made up just 20% of Gay's offense, meaning 80% came inside the arc, which means Sacramento will be starting three mostly inside-the-arc players, it will be getting pretty crowded in there. Asking Gay to shoot more from the outside also risks a regression to the inefficiency that have plagued his career in previous seasons. Now trades, particularly of Gay could change this a little bit, but the fact remains Cauley-Stein will be easy to double off of no matter who else is on the floor, he is a pick-and-roll center, not a power forward to play next to a low post big. Even defensively Cauley-Stein's talents won't be maximized playing next to Cousins. Because you don't want Cousins defending on the perimeter and against pick-and-roll, you'll need to have him guard the opposing center and remain as close to the rim as possible, where he is very good getting in front and challenging shots. This puts Cauley-Stein on the power forward, where he should be excellent except it will be very easy for a team with a jump-shooting power forward to simply set him up in the corner on one side of the floor while running a pick-and-roll on the other side, negating Cauley-Stein's ability to switch and block shots. True he could leave his man to help cover the rim, but that would leave a wide-open three in the corner. And because he isn't much of a threat as a post-up player, teams can play small forward at the four with little chance of Cauley-Stein making them pay for going small. Carley-Stein needs to play center defensively, place him in the middle of the floor and use his ability to cover so much ground to blow-up pick-and-rolls, cut of penetration, and protect the rim. I think Cauley-Stein should still help their defense, but he can hurt their offense and won't be maximized to the fullest potential. George Karl is smarter than me, so maybe he can make it work. Playing fast will certainly help.

What To Do Next?

Trades trades trades! I'm not sure they have much they can really do in free agency, but rumors that they want Rajon Rondo would be horrifying and ruin even more spacing. A trade for Ty Lawson makes more sense and would definitely help them get better. Even more helpful would be moving Rudy Gay and acquiring a better shooter at small forward, former Karl player Danilo Gallinari perhaps? I am sure they'd like to make a run at Wes Matthews or Danny Green, but I can't see it happening unless they way overpay.

A bonus trade sure to never happen

Gay and Nik Stauskas to Denver for Lawson and Gallinari

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2015 Draft Preview: Sacramento Kings

2015-16 Depth Chart

PG: Darren Collison/Ray McCallum/David Stockton

SG: Ben McLemore/Nik Stauskas

SF: Rudy Gay

PF: Jason Thompson/Carl Landry/Eric Moreland

C: DeMarcus Cousins

2015 Free Agents

F Derrick Williams (RFA)

F Omri Casspi

PF Reggie Evans

C Ryan Hollins

PG Andre Miller

2015 Draft Picks

1-6

Team Needs

In some ways, the Kings have a nice young core to begin building upon, yet because DeMarcus Cousins is involved, that foundation could crumble at any minute. Success will be built around Cousins and finding players to fit around him is crucial. Sacramento has decent makings of a supporting cast; Rudy Gay is perpetually underrated because people want to focus on his flaws, but there aren't many better small forwards in the league. Ben McLemore's offense and defense both took a step forward last season and he should continue to develop into an above-average two way player. Nik Stauskas undoubtedly struggled as a rookie, but his shooting and ball skills are plus for a wing. Beyond that, Darren Collison and Jason Thompson are solid, but they are miscast as a starters. There positions, point guard and power forward are where Sacramento can improve the most. Perhaps the best fix to power forward is moving Rudy Gay there full time, where he has proved to be a much more efficient scorer.

Potential Fits

If PG Emmanuel Mudiay is available, he is exactly the kind of player Sacramento needs, a second potential star that Cousins would enjoy playing with because of his intensity and playmaking abilities. If Mudiay is off the board, Sacramento should look at wings Stanley Johnson of Arizona, Justise Winslow of Duke, and Croatian Mario Hezonja if they want to move Gay to power forward. All three can make shots and should be good at creating space for Cousins to operate, while Johnson and Winslow bring versatile, physical defense, Hezonja has the chops to be more of a go-to scorer. Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis' ability to shoot and block shots would be a excellent fit next Cousins, but I don't think Sacramento has the patience to wait a year or two for him to be ready to play starters minutes. If they wish to go off the board a bit, Wisconsin's PF Frank Kaminsky is an excellent shooter, passer, and ball-handler, but a Cousins/Kaminsky frontline could have defensive issues. One persistent rumor is that the Kings, namely Cousins himself, really want Kentucky C Willie Cauley-Stein to play power forward. While he would certainly improve Sacramento's defense, I would really worry about the offensive pressure it would put on Gay at small forward. It could easily turn him back to the low efficiency that plagued him in Memphis and Toronto.

Mock Draft

6. Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, Guandong

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