2019 NBA Draft: Second-round sleepers and potential value picks

Louis King, Oregon

20 years old | Wing | 6-foot-8 | 195.2 lbs

Stats (FR): 13.5 ppg (.435/.386/.785), 5.5 rpg, 1.3 apg

I am particularly intrigued by Louis King as an NBA Draft prospect due to how he performed in the second half of the season for the Oregon Ducks. After starting quite slow during his freshman campaign as a result of recovering from knee surgery, King really turned it on in conference play on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he emerged as a serious perimeter threat at 6-foot-8 and he also used his length and athleticism tremendously well to be a disruptive defender.

Oregon made a big run to acquire the Pac-12’s automatic bid and reach the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament during this past season and King’s play was a major reason why. In the modern NBA, perimeter shooting and defensive switchability are two attributes that are extremely enticing to general managers. King should be able to bring both of them to the table at the next level. For the time being, he might just project as a 3-and-D reserve, but that would be a pretty strong late-second-round selection if that was his ceiling.

But if he is able to add some muscle to his rather thin frame, he could show improvement as a finisher around the rim and that would expand his game even further. One of the other major concerns regarding King is his lack of secondary playmaking. He only averaged 1.3 assists per game during his lone season at Oregon and his vision isn’t great. If he is able to function within an NBA offense as a knockdown shooter who avoids turnovers, though, this might be able to be glossed over.