u/Proof-Membership-341

16.1pts 4.9reb 2.4ast 49.1fg% 38.73p%

Pro comps: please read further and I'll give you some ;)

Author's note: I am avoiding an overview of Mikel Brown out of hope more information about his injury will come to light.

If you have been following the year-to-year "meta" of the NBA you'll have noticed a general shift from the positionless 3 ball dominated teams (the 2016 GSW clones which include 2024 Boston, 2021 Phoenix, 2021 Hawks, and our beloved 2022 Kings) for what I would like to call "athletic depth ball". The best example of this type of team is the 2019 Raptors. A clear 1a superstar with Kawhi, but behind him a team that is skilled both ways, lengthy, and most importantly athletic up into the 10th man. No big 3s. One superstar max. The 2025-26 Thunder, 2025 Pacers, 2026 Spurs, 2021 Milaukee, and ironically the 2022 GSW all reasonably fit this archtype, and I will stand 10 toes down on the idea that it is the way to construct a team to win in the 2020s.

The ironic thing with the league now selecting for depth is that it has made it ridiculously hard to do so with the new CBA. Eliminating the leagues middle class equals eliminating the all-rounder, clocking into work type of players that used to make up the depth of deep NBA teams (2004 Pistons and the 2002 Kings, as well as Dallas in 2011 are good examples of this if you'd like to go over some cap sheets). Now however crucial depth is mined mainly from one real place- the draft. The combination of rookies coming into the league more skilled than ever before, and the rookie scale contract being super cap friendly (see Ajay Mitchell).

This is where, after 2 paragraphs, Brayden Burries comes in.

Burries appears to be underated at the 7th pick, with most outlets (and most commenters on my recent posts) not discussing him as much as other prospects at the 7. If I had to come up with a general idea why, I would say that Burries is percieved as having less upside,. Less of a chance at becoming a star than said previously discussed prospects. But let's be real, should the Kings be aiming to draft a star at 7?

One thing that Brayden Burries is generally agreed to be is a switchable, an all rounded, swiss army knife. Good on defense, terrorising passing lanes. Able to comfortably score inside and outside. A good rebounder for a guard, somethjng that he prides himself on discussing it during the combine with an interviewer who refers to him as "Brandon". The fact he doesn't correct her or get offended shows some character I suppose. His passing is weaker than Wagler, Flemmings, Acuff, and other prospects, but, and this is going to be slightly controversal, I think his shooting might be the best of these "I'm not Darryn Peterson" guards.

While not statistically impressive at 38.7%, the numbers dont tell the whole story. This percentage, while very run of the mill for his position, also reflects a bit of a shooting slump early in the college season. Anyone following the Arizona Wildcats would know he shot the lights out towards the end of March Madness! And while obviously an average is an average, I suspect his shooting is being underated. He is a I think, already, a coveted 3nD Wing. His less than stellar assist numbers indicating he's an off-ball player.

Burries cieling is probably closer to a NAW, a Quentin Grimes, a Desmond Bane. This might seem less appealing in a draft where the Kings want a new franchise player, but let's not forget that these are the players going for 5 1st round picks. Not the DeAaron Foxes of the league.

As I stated in my preamble- depth rules the league now, and you gain depth via the draft. The Kings, despite their Vivekian dysfunction have done this pretty well in this post Beam Team hangover, with guys like Carter, Nique, Cardwell, Maxine, Precious (somehow), and our beloved Keegan all great pieces for a future playoff team. Let's add to the menagerie Burries, and wait for another chance to find a star.

Let me know what you think below :)

16.1 pts 5.2 ast 4.1 reb 47.6 fg% 38.7 3p%

Pro comparisons: swole DeAaron Fox

Do you believe in destiny? I don't, yet I still see it's strings through time and space, like how you can see the veins under a persons skin on a cold day. And I have this feeling that Kingston Flemmings is destined to be the Kings new PG. Our new boy following the complete collapse of the Fox era.

Why? He plays like Fox, though a little less fast on the first step he has the mid range and athleticism. And he'll be a better defender than Fox ever was. Though he has short arms despite his stature (as confirmed yesterday at the combine) he's a dog on defense. He's has the kind of grit that Perry and Doug have basically stated is what is going to define this new era of the Kings. Shit he wears out goat's number, he has Keon's hair, and his name is King's Son. It feels like perhaps we fell to 7 so we could draft him!

Enough if the woo-woo. Kingston Flemmings coming to the Kings might be the first move that pulls us up from our Post Beam Team Tailspin. While he is not as a good a passer as Wagler, as good as defense as Brown, or as good offensivly as Acuff, he is easily the most all rounded player around 7. Also he certified 2 way dog, playing with an intensity that the Kings desperatly need.

Offensivly his midrange fadeaway is, ofcourse, familiar. Though unlike Fox's, which relied on his longer arms, his has a funny lean back, that in a weird way reminds me of Dirk. Outside the arc he is statistically, at 38.5%, there. However a great deal of comentators have pointed out that this percentage reflects a very small sample size (1.1 atempts a game), and his shot mechanics, the lack there of proper mechanics, indicate that without intwnsive coaching he'll never be a 3 point threat- just like Fox.

Appearing as high as 4 early in the season on draft boards, Kingston began to fall not due to lack of abillity on his part, but in other prospects like Caleb Wilson and Keaton Wagler showing more upside. While I think Kingston has the highest floor of any of the 7th range picks we're discussing, his ceiling atleast feels not as high, though I am prepared to be wrong about this.

The main consensus I see from draft specialists is that his physical gifts are backed by 'intangibles" in his abillity to be coached to excel in a new system (not that the Kings have a "system"), something he suceeded in doing with Houston and something he would hopefully be able to do with the Kings.

The issue is the Kings need a saviour, even though we don't deserve one. Yet still the sun shines. Perhaps the best pick this year is the most sensible, the guy who might not be our 1A but will be starting on a future Kings playoff team (lol). Or maybe, in spite of your beliefs, when destiny rings you should awnser, putting faith in the blatant signs telling you to Draft another Fox.

Let me know what you think.

17.9pt 5.1 reb 4.2ast 44.5fg% 39.73p%

Pro Compatisons: shades Tyrese Haliburton, Shai, Austin Reaves.

I think the above compatisons can give you a good idea of the type of player Keaton Wagler is: a 2020 Point Guard. While he isn't as good a passer as Tyrese, as fast and in control of his body as Shai, or as athletic and big an Reaves, you can see with him a game that should translate into the NBA.

From a pure data perspective Wagler looks very promising. His splits are great, he's 6'6, he has a very good TO/A ratio.

What really makes me like him however is how well he passes the eye test. He plays not slowly but deliberatly on offense, determining how to got at a defender and executing. His shooting form isn't completely textbook but it's cool to watch. He dribbles less than you'd expect a point guard to. As I said it's very 2020s basketball. He uses well the vision he gains from his stature, being one of the better passers in this draft. He makes the right reads, slashing when a defender tries to contest him on the perimeter, shooting when they atempt to guard him, and passing when neither is avaliable. In short he's pretty to watch with awesome stats, not a bad pick at 7.

Waglers is in no way a "complete" prospect, however he doesn't have glaring flaws like the previously discussed Darius Acuff jr. He is not a cone nor a bad defender, however he isn't a good one. He isn't unathletic by any means however he is in no way athletic. He doesn't have a low floor like DA jr, though one could argue he doesn't have anywhere near as high a ceiling.

I find Waglers ceiling hard to gauge and I'm not going to get into the weeds attempting to do so. I do think that what he does have is a very solid foundation. What could be developed on top of this is anyones guess. I would love him to bulk up a little, however his skinny frame could really make him a Keon Ellis style defender, weaving around screens and such. He also wears 23!

While Keaton Wagler doesn't bring with him the identity that Acuff would bring, I do think he can easily be fit into any interation of a future Kings team. I like the idea of putting Wagler next to Nique with Keegs at the 3, and getting a lengthy back court who can shoot the lights out. I like the idea of him playing next to Devan Carter a lot as well. Even if his ceiling isn't anything more than a rotation piece, a shooter like him feels easy to rotate to.

To sum up I think the central question in drafting him isn't "will he be good" but rather "does he have the potential upside for the kany other guards we could draft in his place". This might not be a decision the Kings get to make, seeing as he seems to be who the Clippers have their eye on, but I digress.

As I'm sure you can guess I like him a lot. He seems to me like a 6'6 baby faced assassian. But let me know what you think!

Hey I though I'd do an ameteurish overview of guard prospects the Kings are likely to take at 7, starting with the moat likely pick: Darius Acuff jr

Stats

23.5 ppg 3.1 reb 6.4 ast 48.5 fg% 44 3p%(!!!!)

Pro-comparison: Keyonte George. A slower Kyrie. Stephon Marbury.

Darius Acuff jr seems to be the most polarising player in the draft. I would argue that 10 years ago he could go first. However, as you may have noticed, small guards are going out of vogue, and Darius has all the defensive issues endemic them, some arguing even that he's a bonafide pigeon on defense. Offensivly however he is arguably the most talented in the class. A three tier threat who not only scores easily but comfortably, who dribbles the ball like it's on a string, and who passes well.

Here lies the central tension of him as a prospect and why he could rise as high as 4 and fall as low as 7. He is both endowed and deficient. A 45% 3 point shooter and probably 2 inches shorter than his listed height of 6'3.

As you may know Darius has been on the Kings radar for a while, with Scott Perry showing interest in him as it became clear the Kings were winning their way out of a guranteed top pick. Considering his previous tenure in NYC and Brunson, another small guard's, recent success it's not hard to see why. Building around him should he continue his production in the NBA would arguably not require to many big moves from the Kings, who already have 3-4 good defensive wings in our roster and a respectable center roation. A path forward is what the Kings need right now, and Darius Acuff Jr supplies that.... should he remain an offensive engine.

Still I personally am having some trouble getting behind him as a prospect. This isn't simply due to defensive concerns, though they play a huge part of it, but rather a feeling that his game might not translate to a bigger, more athletic NBA. Eye-test wise, a lot of the moves he uses to score in college are moves I can't really see being workable in the big leagues. His bag is deep enough that I think he'll be able to adapt, but I just feel that a diminished offense small guard isn't the way the "meta" of the league is heading.

If Darius Acuff Jr is avaliable at 7 I believe the Kings will take him. It's a coin flip (lol) if Brooklyn takes him, however I don't see the Clippers or Bulls biting at all. So it's more likely than not.

Let me know what you guys think about Acuff and his prospects on the Kings!

Magic Trade Franz to the Heat for Davion and Tyler Hero, the Heat being eager to assemble an intimidating frontcourt without spending Giannis money. Davion fits well into their defensive culture and can play accessory to Anthony Black.

Magic trade Johnathan Isaac and some pics for Herb Jones, hopping he'll be solid 3nD starter.

Magic trade Suggs to the Bucks for Bobby Portis and Myles turner, hoping to assemble a deeper frontcourt. This gives Anthony Black starting minutes, Myles can hopefully be a playoff caliber starting center, and Portis can play good bench minutes.

Portland gets to improove it's guard depth while adding a defensive piece.

Sacramento unites the Murray twins

Raptors get bigger and tougher, while shedding a bit of dead weight

Phoenix get their PG

Kings get to rehab Dick and flip Ingram

Bucks get some picks

Raps get PG depth, Kings get to rehab Dick. Both rookies get a change of scenery.

Magic get some needed offensive grit and another ball handler. Kings take on a bad contract.