5 All-Stars the Sacramento Kings painfully passed on in the NBA Draft
By Eric Fritts
3. Klay Thompson – 2011
Looking again at 2011, it really wasn’t the Kings’ year to pass on guards. With hindsight, this one looks really bad but it’s important to keep in mind no one foresaw Klay becoming what he is today, although the signs were there. His shooting was no secret coming into the league and his size playing the two guard was a definite defensive upside. The switching defenses we see today were a direct result of his, along with Draymond Green’s, abilities and contributions to the Golden State scheme of the mid 2010s.
This is actually another great ‘what if’ pairing for Boogie. Cousins operating as he did from all over would give Klay the openings he needed to be deadly, especially because he didn’t need much of one to be effective. Still, most are skeptical Klay would be what he is today if not for the perfect situation he found in the Bay next to Steph Curry. Even so, he grew up around the game and would have found a way to be successful in Sacramento one way or another. His, shooting, defensive prominence, and unorthodox personality would have been a great fit.
Overall though it’s hard to be too hard on the Kings for missing this one because absolutely no one saw this kind of potential. NBADraft.net gave him the comparison of Marco Belinelli, a player he has far and away surpassed.