2017 NBA re-Draft: De’Aaron Fox landing spot, Kings selection
By Logan Struck
5. Scouting Report. PF. Arizona. Lauri Markkanen. player. 84. Pick Analysis
Original Pick: De’Aaron Fox
With the 5th overall pick, the Kings can draft a 7-foot forward from Finland with loads of potential. While it is not as intriguing as the original pick, the Kings can still select an All-Star in the top five and get their franchise power forward. A struggling Kings team would be content with drafting a project player, as even though Markkanen has been consistently solid throughout his career, he finally made the All-Star leap in his sixth season. While the Kings might not want to wait that long for him to make that leap, he would be the focus of this Kings offense alongside their newly-acquired Buddy Hield and would progress faster than he did in Chicago.
Coming off the best year of his career, Markkanen averaged 25.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while shooting a career-high 49.9% from the field and an impressive 39.2% from three. Markannen is an incredible offensive player who shoots the three-ball at a high rate and moves very well for a seven-footer. While his defense is nothing special, possibly acquiring a defensive-minded center to pair him with would be the next step in building that strong frontcourt.
Drafting Markkanen with this pick leaves a hole at point guard on this struggling Kings team, so that would need to be dealt with in the next year’s draft or free agency. While the Kings could also look at OG Anunoby with this pick, I see Markkanen as more of a potential franchise player, which is what the Kings needed considering all of the holes within their roster.