Should The Sacramento Kings Draft By Need Or BPA?
A question undoubtedly being discussed by the Sacramento Kings brass in the hours leading up to the draft. Should they draft the best player available (BPA)? Or draft by need *cough* a point guard *cough*.
The Case For Drafting By Need:
The Kings have a need at almost every position, save for maybe shooting guard and center. It’s incredibly likely that the BPA is at a position of need, especially at the fifth pick. The Kings likely have De’Aaron Fox at the top of their board, followed by Josh Jackson. Two players who are feasibly within reach and fill a position of need in a deep draft.
Drafting by need is a risky strategy, as it could lead to a team reaching wildly on a prospect. At the fifth pick, however, drafting by need might be the smartest and safest route. It’s incredibly likely one of Josh Jackson, Lonzo Ball, and De’Aaron Fox will be available at #5 meaning the need is BPA. This strategy is likely out the window at #10 though.
Unless the Kings strike gold and draft Jackson at #5 and stumble onto Dennis Smith Jr. at #10, the Kings would be wise to go BPA at 10th overall. While it’s possible the Kings kill two birds with one stone, it’s unlikely the Kings will get that lucky. Fortunately for them, however, the lottery is filled with tantalizing prospects.
The Case For BPA:
BPA is a strategy that is commonly used across all sports, more so than drafting for need among teams that are rebuilding. The Kings don’t have any transcendent players on their roster and can use talent at any position where they can find it. Meaning even though they have Skal Labissiere and Cauley-Stein, Lauri Markkanen should be considered at for the tenth pick.
The Kings can afford to employ this strategy as they have nice pieces in Buddy Hield, Willie Trill, and Skal, but are any of them all-NBA caliber players? The answer is, probably not.
Skal had a nice half season, but does that make him better than Markkanen or Jayson Tatum? Same goes for Hield and Malik Monk. Or Cauley-Stein and any of the lottery-projected big men.
There is a ton of value and impact players in this draft. Many of which would likely be considered at first overall if this were any other draft. Luckily for the Kings, it’s not any other draft.
Final Thoughts:
It’s almost impossible to tell how the Kings will play this draft. Not only is the team one of the most unpredictable franchises, but rumors of a flurry of trades among teams in the top-four make it impossible to project who goes where. The Kings likely have a plan based on both strategies, but we won’t see which they employ until the draft.
For the fifth pick, it seems best to go based on need, unless Jayson Tatum is available here. Tatum is incredibly polished and could be an impact player right away, the type Sacramento would be foolish to pass up to draft a player who could potentially be there at #10.
As for the tenth pick, it’s a tough call. It seems logical to go BPA here, but we don’t know if Sacramento is planning to keep this pick. It’s rumored to have been brought up in trade talks, so it’s uncertain what they’re planning.
Next: 6 players Sacramento should target in the draft
One thing is certain though. Sacramento cannot fumble this golden opportunity to land two talented prospects. There is a clear path to a successful draft, the Kings just need to stick to their plan, and hopefully refrain from making a boneheaded trade.