NBA Mock Draft Roundup: Clear Trend for Kings Selection

Obviously, the second round is far less predictable and discussed than the first, and pegging individual players to a specific team in the second round is incredibly difficult. So, the actual player-to-Kings fit should be taken with a grain of salt. 

The general positional trend seems noteworthy, though. Six of the above nine outlets project Sacramento to take a center with their 42nd overall pick. This makes some sense. Sacramento has Domantas Sabonis in the middle right now, so finding a starting center is not necessarily a need. That should not be expected out of a second-round selection, either. 

However, there is a need for depth behind Sabonis. Deadline acquisition Jonas Valanciunas was a valuable addition last season, even flashing some ability to play alongside Sabonis. As great as Valanciunas was during the Kings’ stretch run, he only has one more guaranteed year on his contract and will turn 33 next season. The Kings may understandably be scouting and eventually drafting with an eye towards finding a replacement for this role. 

While Nick Richards, Paul Reed, and Jaylin Williams might not be stars, they were also second-round bigs who have carved out nice NBA roles. The point being, teams can most definitely find rotation bigs at this point in the draft. 

The bigs mocked to the Kings are all quite different. For example, Kalkbrenner is a massive, drop coverage big who enters the draft at 23 years old. Joan Beringer, on the other hand, is an 18-year-old French prospect who is still growing into his body and is extremely mobile. Bogolijub Markovic, a teenage stretch big out of the Adriatic League, fits this archetype as well. 

Alex Condon could represent an attempt to capture what the Kings currently have at the center position, with skilled passing and the ability to get out and lead a fast break. 

Maxime Raynaoud and Yanic Niederhauser are both Combine risers after productive college careers. Raynaoud really popped at Stanford last season, averaging 20 and 10 while hitting 37% of his spot-up 3PT attempts. He could be another stretch big to run a double-big lineup with. Niederhauser was one of the best stories of the Combine, parlaying his strong outing at the G League Elite camp into a Combine invite, where he thrived. Niederhauser showed enough mobility to give hope that he can be more than just a drop big at the next level. 

Two mock drafts opt for a point guard, and one opts for an off-ball guard. Point guard is one of Sacramento’s most pressing needs, and may be addressed via trade or free agency as well. However, aside from Andrew Nembhard in 2022, the second-round hit rate for guards is not promising. 

Milos Uzan is intriguing due to his positional size (6’4) and steady playmaking ability. The upside may not be sky high, but Kings fans should not expect a Nembhard-level hit in the second round. Simply finding a rotation player there would theoretically be a win.

It is worth noting that Boogie Fland, the other PG prospect mocked to Sacramento, has since withdrawn from the draft and committed to Florida, so he is no longer an option at 42. 

The Kings have clear roster needs, and the free agent market is not particularly inspiring at their positions of need. It appears that the public consensus is that the Kings will be looking for center depth. These mocks will almost definitely change as we approach June 25, and Kings on SI will be updating this mock roundup weekly leading up to draft day.