Slideshow: Ultimate Lineup of Former Sacramento Kings’ Draft Picks

Overview

Despite being listed as my two-guard, Tyreke would be the primary ball handler. Thomas would remain the closer but would benefit from spotting up for a majority of the game. A mixture of Tyreke-Boogie (or Whiteside) pick-and-rolls with Thomas and Casspi hovering around the three-point line could result in a lethal offense.

This team would also be comfortable playing either a quick or slow tempo depending on the situation. Cousins or Whiteside would have an advantage in the post whether teams go big or small, making it tough for opponents to game plan against. These two would dominate the boards as well with Biyombo providing energy off the bench.

Defense is the main issue, however. Casspi, Thomas, and Evans are not the stingiest of perimeter defenders but would be able to play aggressively with Whiteside lurking the paint. Boogie lacks the lateral quickness to stay with most fours as well.

The best defensive lineup would be with Biyombo in for Cousins, but that sacrifices too much floor spacing on the other end. The Kings would create mismatches on the offensive end, however, their defensive inefficiencies are too glaring to overcome if they all stayed with the team.

The problem is that some of these transactions made sense at the time. Thomas averaged north of 20 points in his final season with the Kings, but outside Thomas’ inner circle, who would have thought he’d turn into this type of offensive force? And how many teams intentionally passed on Whiteside until he settled in with Miami? So instead of lamenting on past roster failures, be positive in knowing all of those moves have led to the optimism heading into the offseason.