It is not just Luka Doncic that the Sacramento Kings have passed on in recent memory. Here are three other players that the franchise whiffed on.
While much of the talent evaluation issues for the Sacramento Kings is centered around Luka Doncic and the 2018 Draft, there are plenty of other contributing players that they have missed out on. Although it is too early to summon the jury on Marvin Bagley, he has not shown anything to contribute to winning this year and has looked like he has regressed. Who are some other players that the Kings have missed out on recently?
Eric Paschall
Eric Paschall has been a nice surprise for the Golden State Warriors this season. The rookie is averaging 14 points and 4.8 rebounds and has been given his opportunity due to the Warriors’ injuries. He scores in a variety of ways and has a good chance to have a long career in the league. He was taken with the 41st overall pick in last year’s draft, one pick after the Kings selected Justin James.
Bol Bol
Bol Bol was drafted by the Heat with the 44th pick and subsequently traded to the Nuggets. He has yet to play a game in the NBA, but has shown what he is capable of down in the G-League. He is averaging 12 points and 6 rebounds while playing just 19 minutes per game. He has a solid jumper for a big man and is shooting 36% from deep. He runs the floor well for his size and is also a defensive anchor, averaging 2 blocks per game. There is plenty of risk with his foot injury, and has only played 8 out of 25 games for the Windy City Bulls.
Kendrick Nunn
Kendrick Nunn went undrafted in 2018 after a four-year collegiate career for both Illinois and Oakland University. After transferring, he averaged a career-high 25 pts on 39% 3 point shooting. After te draft, he went on to sign a deal with the Warriors and ended up playing for their G-League affiliate. He averaged 19 points on 33% shooting in 29 minutes with the Santa Cruz Warriors in 45 games. Later he signed with the Miami Heat and played on their Summer League roster, scoring score 28 points and 27 points in two games.
He has made quite the impression in the big leagues, as well. Nunn is averaging 16 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds on 35% three-point shooting in 30 minutes for the Heat.
Final Thoughts
It is discouraging to see that the Kings do not have an outstanding front office that is skilled at scouting and developing talent. Two teams that the Kings can look at that are superb at this are the Heat and Nuggets. The Heat have been the better of the two teams at finding player such as Nunn, and also scouting Hassan Whiteside in the past. They have also drafted players such as Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson, and Tyler Herro who have excelled and why Miami is off to a 30-13 start.