The Sacramento Kings Draft Breakdown: Point Guards

The Sacramento Kings are in the market for a new point guard in this year’s NBA Draft, and it might be that four of the top ten spots in this draft will be a guard. The Kings will have a good shot at getting a high-quality player who can contribute in the backcourt next season.

If they draft a guard, then it will be determined by a few factors. It would mean the Kings won’t trade up to get a better pick (which I don’t see happening in an underwhelming draft this year). The NBA is also already loaded with strong point guards, and the Kings could also pick one up from free agency or a trade.

I’ve said before I think that the Kings shouldn’t draft just for position. They should draft the best available player. In doing so they either get someone that can contribute on the court, or they get a valuable asset that they can trade. But this won’t matter this year, in my opinion, because the best available player is probably going to be a guard, and that would meet a need for the Kings.

Buddy Hield

has shot himself into a lottery pick this year with an impressive March Madness performance and overall season with the Oklahoma Sooners. The best shooter in the draft, he shoots 53% from the field, 53% from the perimeter, and 90% from the free-throw line. There is a lot of talk about his intangibles too, as he greatly improved from his junior year at Oklahoma to his senior year. As evidence of his work ethic, Buddy reportedly shoots between 500 to 700 jumpers outside of Oklahoma’s practices (

per NBADraft.Net

Hield has all the markings of a player the Kings would pass on when they shouldn’t have. Maybe they don’t want to draft another shooting guard after doing it twice in a row. Do they need another two-guard anyway? He is not known for his defense, and the Kings sure do need that.

But the potential for an explosive, highly motivated player with a good work ethic and a deadly shot should not be passed up if he drops down to the #8.

Kris Dunn

But what if Providence’s Kris Dunn is available for the Kings to pick up? He might be a better fit. He has good size for a guard and uses his 6’8″ wingspan to contest shots. He’s a solid facilitator, who is also very good at getting the ball down to the post (like to Boogie for example). He would be a great fit for Sacramento, and might be able to take control of what appears to be a quickly depleting point guard position.

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

A guy like Dunn can run the offense and defend the perimeter, which is something the Kings sorely need. But the draft is a gamble, and Dunn has been sidelined with a shoulder injury that still gives some scouts some worry. There’s always something.

Jamal Murray

Kentucky Wildcat Jamal Murray was projected to go to the Kings on a lot of mock drafts, but now there are reports that the Sixers are considering him for the number one pick. There’s a lot of reasons why he might be moving up, but if the Kings get the chance should consider taking him?

A lot like Hield, Murry can scorch opposing teams from beyond the arc. He has a good physical sense of the court and can always seem to find room for the open shot. But the scouting reports say the freshman might not have the athleticism to become an NBA starter.

. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /

Wade Baldwin IV

Wade Baldwin IV out of Vanderbilt has shown up in the top 15 of a lot of mock drafts, and if the draft goes off the rails, Sacramento could even strike a deal to move down the order to pick him up. That might not be a bad idea.

Baldwin commanded Vanderbilt’s offense as the point guard and greatly improved his performance in his sophomore year. He is already built like an NBA player at 6’4″, 202 pounds, and has a shocking 6’11” wingspan. He might be the most athletic of all the guards in the draft as well.

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He is dangerous from the three-point line, and can finish at the rim. He has also shown that he can be an intimidating perimeter defender. Baldwin might not be on the radar for a lot of lottery teams, but maybe he should be, at least for Sacramento.

Either way, the Kings can’t go wrong with picking any of these guards if they decide to go in that direction. It will be interesting to see if the Kings try to get any of the players listed above to come to Sacramento and workout with the team, as we head nearer towards the draft.

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