Kings post-lottery NBA mock draft roundup: Kris Murray, Sidy Cissoko, Brice Sensabaugh
Sacramento was not a participant in Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery after winning 48 games to secure the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, ending the longest playoff drought in league history.
The San Antonio Spurs won the lottery to secure the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft with all eyes on Victor Wembanyama, a 7-foot-5 French phenom who will enter the draft as the most ballyhooed prospect since LeBron James.
The Kings will have the No. 24 pick in this year’s draft along with a pair of second-round picks at No. 38 and No. 54. A new batch of mock drafts were released following the lottery with one predicting the Kings will select Iowa forward Kris Murray, whose twin brother, Keegan Murray, came to Sacramento as the No. 4 pick in last year’s draft.
Will the Kings be seeing double when they reconvene for training camp in September or will they go another direction with their first-round pick? Here’s what some of the latest mock drafts are projecting.
ESPN
24. Kris Murray
Iowa | PF | 6-8/225 | 22 years old
The Kings hit a home run with Keegan Murray in the draft last year and could look to add wing depth to their roster with his twin brother, Kris, who looks well-suited to play a complementary role with his floor-spacing ability and defensive versatility.
The Athletic
24. Sidy Cissoko
G League Ignite | Wing | 6-8/220| 19 years old
The Scout: Cissoko is a young player who improved in many respects over his time with the G League Ignite this past season. He’s a 6-7 wing (listed elsewhere at 6-8) with some point guard skills and an enormous 220-pound frame that looks like it will continue to age well. More than that, Cissoko thrived on the defensive end. Playing at a high professional level for the first time in his career, he was a switchable player who played with real physicality on that end. He’s quick and hard to power through because of his frame. He has good rotational instincts. Ultimately, Cissoko needs to fix his jumper, and that will be the key to his game. He averaged 11.6 points and mostly did his damage in transition, where he can be a bit of a freight train when he gets downhill. But he made only 31.4 percent of his 3s, and he’ll need to make some real mechanical tweaks in the next few years.
The Fit: The Kings need guys who profile long term as multi-positional defenders. De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell were strong on defense this season but are too small to guard up the lineup. Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk and Keegan Murray aren’t difference-makers on that end, and Harrison Barnes hits free agency this offseason. Cissoko would be a nice developmental player for them to have in the system who could give them a real boost once he’s ready to play.
The Range: No. 18 to 35
Yahoo Sports
24. Brice Sensabaugh
Ohio State | G/F | 6-6/235 | 19 years old
Sensabaugh plays bigger than his 6-6 frame and is a hard-nosed wing who will bury smaller guards on the block if they let him get the inside position. He’s a little bit of a streaky shooter from behind the arc and found more success in the catch-and-shoot as opposed to taking players off the dribble. The freshman averaged 16.3 points and 5.4 rebounds during his one year at Ohio State.
SB Nation
24. Kobe Bufkin
Michigan | G | 6-4/175 | 19 years old
Bufkin closed the season on a tear for Michigan to win himself new fans among NBA evaluators as a sophomore who is younger than a lot of the top freshmen in this draft. The 6’4 guard is slippery with the ball in his hands, combining impressive change of pace with an advanced finishing package around the basket. He’s a solid shooter — 35.5 percent from three, 85 percent from the foul line — and has really quick hands defensively despite a thin frame. He feels like one of the more well-rounded guard prospects in this class if he can continue to develop off-the-ball while adding strength.
