3. Colby Jones
We've seen before that late first round/early second round "3-and-D" picks can sometimes take a year before becoming productive rotational players. For instance, Quentin Grimes (25th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft) played less than 800 minutes in his rookie year before blossoming into an important starter on a playoff team in Year Two.
While Colby Jones (34th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft) doesn't have the shooting indicators that Grimes possessed, he could experience a similar maturation pattern.
Given how deep the Kings are at shooting guard/small forward, it is unlikely that Jones will need to start at any point next season. However, if he can become a consistent contributor off the bench, that would be a massive development for a player who only logged 186 minutes last year.
Jones flashed a great deal of something the Kings desperately need: positional rim protection. Last season, Jones finished in the 74th percentile in block rate among all positions (per Dunks & Threes). That's a marvelous feat for someone who stands at just 6'6. He also showed sound flashes as a driver (see clip below) and connective tissue passer.
I touched on the shooting earlier. That's the main reason Jones is only the third-most likely to have a breakout season. Jones hit just 2 of his 22 threes (9.1%) and 6 of his 11 free throws (54.5%) last season. Not necessarily the marks you want to see from someone you hope will develop into a 3-and-D role player.
(Sidebar #1: Jones' college shooting marks weren't that promising, either. He hit 34.4% of his 218 3-point attempts and 67.9% of his 308 3-point attempts.)