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NBA Draft 2019: Analyzing draft selections of the Sacramento Kings

By Tristan Freeman

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 14: Harry Giles III #20 of the Sacramento Kings reacts with teammates Harrison Barnes #40 and Marvin Bagley III #35 after a technical foul is called against him during the second half at TD Garden on March 14, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeat the Kings 126-120. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 14: Harry Giles III #20 of the Sacramento Kings reacts with teammates Harrison Barnes #40 and Marvin Bagley III #35 after a technical foul is called against him during the second half at TD Garden on March 14, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeat the Kings 126-120. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 06: Bryce Brown #2 of the Auburn Tigers handles the ball in the second half against the Virginia Cavaliers during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 06: Bryce Brown #2 of the Auburn Tigers handles the ball in the second half against the Virginia Cavaliers during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Undrafted free agent additions

Even with the solid improvement overall for the Kings, they still have to do their due diligence and find some hidden gems that went undrafted. As far as those who entered the draft this year Sacramento as of now found four intriguing prospects they want to take an extra look at on their Summer League squad.

The first is Alex Robinson, the all-time assist leader at TCU. The 6’1 point guard put up career-highs last season with 12.5 ppg and 6.9 apg. He was one of the best passers in the country and while his scoring ability could use some work, Robinson could impress folks with his ability to set others up.

One of them he’ll be passing to in the Summer League will be Bryce Brown, a 6’3 shooting guard who is lethal behind the arc – and at an efficient rate to boot. He made 41% of his three-point shots this past season while taking over eight a game. His performances in the NCAA Tournament combined with his shooting raised his stock to where a number of teams were after him as an undrafted free agent. The Kings were 4th in the league in three-point percentage a year ago and clearly they intend to keep it that way.

Sacramento did add a forward from this group in Isaiah Pineiro, a 6’7 forward from San Diego. He averaged 18.8 ppg and 9.4 rpg for the Toreros to get All-WCC honors. He’s a great athlete and a versatile forward who can play both the small and power forward positions. He’ll have to have a great summer to shed those “tweener” concerns but keep an eye out on the west coast scorer.

Overall grade: C

There’s not much to go off of for a team that had no draft selections better than No. 40. But even then it wasn’t very impressive. The James selection is a head-scratcher considering many expected him to go undrafted himself. And the lack of any big men being picked up either during or after the draft is an issue, especially if Cauley-Stein departs. Plus, do any of these guards have a real shot of overthrowing Frank Mason and Yogi Ferrell as backups?

Next. Grading all 30 teams from 2019 NBA Draft. dark

But like I said, it’s hard to judge too harshly considering what the Kings were working with. The Guy selection alone gives them a positive grade and if James was truly just a victim of having no help at Wyoming the last couple of years, he can be a real asset for the franchise. But ultimately it’s clear that Sacramento wants to play an exciting brand of basketball and get back into the limelight like they were over a decade ago. Time will only tell whether any of these young men will be part of it.

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