Year after year, the Sacramento Kings have been patiently waiting for that All-Star caliber guard to compliment DeMarcus Cousins. In recent memory, the most success the Kings have had through drafting guards is Tyreke Evans.
Evans had tremendous upside coming out but ultimately it was not the right fit in Sacramento.
In 2011, the Kings landed Jimmer Fredette and with that came “Jimmermania” but it didn’t help the cause of losing out on drafting Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson or Kawhi Leonard. All of these players are flat-out ballers and are huge contributors on playoff teams.
The hurting continued in 2012 where the Kings selected Thomas Robinson with the fifth pick in the draft. Guards Damian Lillard (who now has more 3-pointers (785) than any NBA player in his first four seasons) and Terrance Ross were both selected immediately following the pick.
After back-to-back miserable drafts, Sacramento was in dire need of a scoring guard. The NBA was rapidly changing into a guard-oriented league and Sacramento was falling back in that regard.
In 2013, the Kings selected their shooting guard of the future Ben McLemore with the 7th pick. Behind Victor Oladipo, McLemore was the next best available guard in the draft.
In the 2014 draft, the Kings would select Nik Stauskas to be their shooter that they were missing. Stauskas was traded during the summer of 2015 to the Philadelphia 76ers.
So now it’s 2016 and the only two Sacramento bred players are Cousins and McLemore. McLemore has been mentioned time and time again on the trading mill and the talks won’t stop as the offseason is quickly approaching. The Kings have no choice but to draft a guard in the 2016 draft.
Luckily for the Kings, 2016 has been the year of the shooting guard in the NCAA.
Best Available Shooting Guards
1: Jaylen Brown – California, Freshman 6-7, 225 lbs
Brown is a supremely talented wing with physicality and a nose for the basket. He is most comparable to a more physical Jason Richardson. Brown has been blessed with a man’s body at a very young age at 19 years old. He often outmuscles his opponents whether attacking the basket or bodying up defenders in the post. He’s not just strong, but also a high-level athlete and can create space with a simple jab step. Brown has a combination of strength and speed that is rarely seen in players his age. He uses these attributes to finish plays around the rim at a high rate.
Brown welcomes and absorbs contact whenever he drives to the basket and is very good at splitting defenders whether in the air or off the dribble. He doesn’t force his way through the lane because he’d rather survey the defense and will often take what is given to him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-toofqPlxk
His frame and athleticism allows him to guard between the two and four positions. His greatest attribute is the ability on the defensive end. He can stay in front of quicker players and go blow for blow with bigger players down low. Transition is where he has the ability to wreak the most havoc and is capable of both starting and finishing the fast break.
His only downfall is that he needs to maintain a consistent shooting stroke. At the NBA level, you need to have a consistent jump shot. If not, you will never be an elite player in today’s NBA.
(*Stats and info comes straight from nbadraft.net)
2: Kris Dunn – Providence, Junior 6-4, 220 lbs
Dunn is a converted point guard with excellent size, athleticism, versatility and potential. He possesses a very quick first step to blow by opponents, utilizing it well to attack the basket. Dunn led the NCAA in assists throughout most of his junior year, displaying great ability to pass and create shots for teammates.
Dunn is comparable to a more score savvy Jordan Clarkson with the same athletic ability.
Dunn has proven to be an excellent ISO player utilizing his quick first step and ability to pull up and find teammates on the move. He feeds the post extremely well, finding the open man and getting them the ball.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhDlyNaIqmw
Dunn’s greatest attribute is the ability to drive and draw defenders and then find the open man for the jumper. He’s a very fluid run and jump athlete with ideal size and length for the position. Dunn’s great leaping ability and body control allows him to finish plays at the rim with ease while making highlight plays attacking the basket.
Dunn is an excellent defender with great anticipation on steals (2.8 per game, good for 4th in the nation). He has above average rebounding numbers from the point guard position 5.6 rpg.
Dunn can either play the one or two guard spot in the NBA and is a very coachable player. The only downside to Dunn is that his first two years at Providence were plagued by injuries and some scouts are timid on taking an injury prone guard.
(*Stats and info comes straight from nbadraft.net)
3: Buddy Hield – Oklahoma, Senior 6-4, 215 lbs
Very rarely do players improve dramatically between their junior and senior years of college, but Oklahoma senior, Buddy Hield has taken his game to the next level during his senior season.
Hield is most comparable to CJ McCollum at the next level. They both stand tall at 6-4 and have the same skill set especially the 3-point ability.
Hield has improved his 3-point percentage to a 52.3 percent on 7.9 attempts per game. He showcases NBA range, and even beyond, rendering him as player that needs to be guarded out to 26 feet away from the hoop.
Through 19 games this season, he’s scorching the nets to the tune of 53 percent from the field, 53 percent from deep, and 90 percent from the stripe, and he reportedly shoots between 500-700 jumpers a session outside of Oklahoma’s practices, which is an attribute to his work ethic and desire to improve.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uK4EwZfZ1s
From a defensive standpoint, he is very solid considering the offensive load he carries for his team. Hield is willing, has quick hands, and has amassed 27 steals and 10 blocks in 19 games this season at Oklahoma. Looking towards the NBA, he may not project as an elite defender, but he’s more than physically capable. He’s quietly averaging a career-high in rebounds (5.8) and has actually logged eight or more rebounds five times this season.
Buddy’s main knock will be his height for an NBA shooting guard, and although he’s improved his handle significantly in order to become more of a combo guard, he’s still considered an undersized two guard.
Hield is one of the elite players in college basketball this season, and he’s done so by improving his game tremendously throughout his four years. This kind of work ethic, and the results on the court present a huge draw when looking to draft a player.
He’s an NBA ready 3-point marksman, scorer, and an emerging ball handler, who is clearly looking to become a more versatile combo guard at the next level.
(*Stats and info comes straight from nbadraft.net)
Honorable Mentions
Jamal Murray – Kentucky, Freshman 6-4, 205 lbs
Murray is a combo guard, but in a good way. Standing at 6-foot-4, he possess the size to play both guard positions. Murray has shown the ability to play off the ball as a freshmen at Kentucky and has three-point range that must be respected by his defender.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1FcEAJ-6Ok
Murray is a NBA-level athlete that will pose a problem for opposing point guards in the league. Murray is a natural scorer (currently averaging better than 18 PPG at Kentucky) and makes putting the ball in the basket look effortless. He moves well without the ball and is very good in catch-and-shoot situations.
Murray has been one of the best 3-point marksman in the NCAA this year and possesses the ability to get hot from deep (shot 8-of-10 from three against Florida and 7-of-9 from three against Ohio State) while averaging a shooting percentage of 55.2 percent on the season.
(*Stats and info comes straight from nbadraft.net)
Denzel Valentine – Michigan State, Senior 6-6, 220 lbs
Valentine has been the most impressive player in the NCAA this season with the ability to get his teammates involved as well as score the basketball. Valentine has been compared to LeBron James in the sense that he has the ability to do it all on the floor. (But he is no LeBron James)
Valentine posses the skill set to post triple-double numbers almost every night and has an NBA ready body. Valentine is a pure player, with an impeccable blend of instincts, ball handling, timing, vision and shooting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzMLf6U1bx4
He can change speeds as a ball handler and use his elite footwork to sneak into crevices in the paint. He makes lightning-quick decisions as a pinpoint passer. He’s a nifty scorer who can shoot from anywhere and uses floaters or runners to finish creatively around the rim. Valentine hustles on defense and never misses his rotations and also rebounds well.
Valentine’s calling card in the pros will be his 41.3 percent rate as a knockdown shooter from behind the arc. But he isn’t just hitting open spot-ups, he strokes 3-pointers in every imaginable way.
(*Stats and info comes straight from sportingnews.com)
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