Kings Sign Defensive Specialist After 2025 NBA Draft

The first move for the Kings post-draft was to sign Spanish guard, Isaac Nogues, who is expected to compete for a two-way contract via Jake Fischer. Nogues is a really interesting prospect because he played last season in the G-League for the Rip City Remix, but decided to file paperwork to enter the 2025 NBA draft midseason.

Nogues played for two different teams in Spain before being drafted fourth overall in the G-League International Draft by the Portland Trailblazers affiliate Rip City Remix. Nogues might not be a household name, but he definitely was brought in for a reason.

Nogues excels on defense where he posted a 10-steal game against the Santa Cruz Warriors last season on the way to averaging 2 steals per game. At 6’5” Nogues uses his size and instincts really well to get into passing lanes and disrupt what should be simple passes by opposing guards. Nogues was one of the youngest G-League players ever to be named to the All-Defensive Team and finished third in defensive player of the year voting. Nogues is a Doug Christie type of player through and through, but he’ll need to work on his offense if he’s going to make the Kings’ roster and earn minutes.

Nogues did not shoot the ball well from deep (27%) and did not take many shots from there either, which will need to change regardless of how good his defense is. The positive with Nogues is that there are plenty of examples of elite defenders who were able to develop their offense, like Herb Jones and Dyson Daniels.

Nogues won’t need to be an elite offensive player to earn minutes either, if his defense translates, he simply needs to be able to knock down open shots and make the right connective plays.

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Exhibit-10 and Two-Way deals usually do not pan out to be major rotation pieces, but there are some examples that should give fans some hope that Isaac can make some noise, including Keon Ellis. Nogues should get a chance to join Raynaud and Clifford in summer league where most fans will be watching him for the first time. Nogues is likely one of many more moves to come from the Kings in the near future, but he may end up being the most interesting.