Who Should the Sacramento Kings Target With the 6th Pick?

"In this rare miniature Tuesday edition of the Royal Roundtable, Tony Xypteras, Kyle Robert, and Raf Wong discuss their early opinions on who the Sacramento Kings should select 6th overall on June 25th."

Tony Xypteras (@TonyXypteras): I’m sending out the Royal Roundtable bat signal to anyone and everyone willing to answer its call. The NBA Draft Lottery just was last week, and the Sacramento Kings landed the 6^th overall pick in June 25^th’s draft. If that isn’t a reason for an emergency roundtable, I don’t know what is.

The Draft is about a month out. Things can change, blah blah blah, but right now, at this very moment, give me your realistic selections for the 6^th overall pick. Or maybe you hate this draft, and want the Kings to trade the pick for veteran talent. Either way, let us know.

Kyle Robert (@NotoriousKRO): For me, this pick is an easy one, and no, Willie Cauley-Stein is not the answer. The Kings are more than one piece away from being a contender and while adding rim protection would be nice, the answer is Justise Winslow. The NBA is a fluid game that requires players to fill multiple roles. The Warriors playing Draymond Green at the 5 is one example of this. Winslow can come in and contribute right away as a very good defender who can get to the hoop. He will be able to develop into a guy who has range on his jump shot. He also has the potential to be the best player in this draft. The Kings claim they are about winning now and Winslow is the guy who can impact now, but still has upside. He would also allow the Kings to basically switch everything on defense, which is part of what makes the Hawks and Warriors so successful.

If not Winslow, Kristaps Porzingis is a name that makes a ton of sense. Vlade clearly has Vivek’s ear, and will influence the final decision. Porzingis is that stretch four Kings fans covet. At 7 feet tall, he can step away from the hoop and show range, but also has enough of a handle to move with the ball. Think Pau Gasol with more range for his upside.

Raf Wong (

I agree with Kyle, if Winslow is there at #6, the Kings will not regret taking him. To me, Winslow is a player that the Kings can plug into the lineup right away. His defense and athleticism is, in my opinion, NBA ready. Another prospect that I like is Stanley Johnson. To me, Winslow and Johnson share similar traits in their game. Both are known for their defense and intangibles, and also showed in college their offensive potential. What makes Winslow and Johnson different is that Winslow is quicker and more athletic, while Johnson is bigger in size and is stronger. Because of this, Winslow is more versatile, where he can play from positions 2-4, while Johnson can potentially play from 3-4. I wouldn’t mind if the Kings chose either one of the two because I think both could be ready to start on opening day, plus the Kings can finally have that stretch four they want if they move Rudy Gay there full time. But overall, I would take Winslow over Johnson.

Kyle Robert (@NotoriousKRO): I like the Stanley Johnson call a lot. If Winslow is gone, Johnson wouldn’t be a bad fall back option.

Tony Xypteras (@Tony Xypteras): Willie Cauley-Stein is my pick, but everyone already knows that because I’ve been screaming about it on Twitter for the last 6 months. Justise Winslow and Kristaps Porzingis are my fallback options, but if Cauley-Stein is there, I’m taking him.

Why Cauley-Stein over Winslow? I still value that defensive anchor / rim protector over just about anything else the Kings need to address this offseason. You can say they can address it in free agency, but that doesn’t mean they will.

I also don’t view Cauley-Stein as your ‘run of the mill’ rim protector. I view him as an elite level rim protector and team defender. Prime Tyson Chandler with the ability to erase shots like Rudy Gobert. He has the agility and length to blow up the pick and roll like we’ve never seen in Sacramento. I’ll agree with everyone who says that DeMarcus Cousins has improved as a defender, because he has, but he’ll never be what Cauley-Stein is on that end. He has limitless defensive potential. I don’t want to pass on that guy.

I’m sure we’ll be talking this over many times between now and the draft. See you then.

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