Top 5 players passed by Sacramento Kings on draft night in last 10 years


Top 5 players passed by Sacramento Kings on draft night in last 10 years

Sacramento Kings

With the state the Sacramento Kings have been in, in the league, implying that they haven’t made it to the playoffs since 2006 and haven’t one a single playoff series since 2004, the Kings have committed grave mistakes, which if not committed, could’ve changed the team’s trajectory, giving them the push, they have always needed, to also probably getting them a few NBA Titles, which right now, looks like a far away dream for the team.

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Sacramento Kings, possible the worst drafting team

Standing currently at the 13th position in the Western Conference, with a terrible record of 19-35, the Sacramento Kings would want nothing less than a miracle to help them get even slightly close to the title, and with the opportunities they’ve missed, we’re now talking about those players who would’ve not only gotten them close to the title, but would’ve probably gotten them the title itself, along with years of reign in the league.

DeAaron Fox

We’re talking about the NBA Draft opportunities, where just like the regular seasons, Kings haven’t made the best of decisions, with the quality of their job being lower than any standard. The Kings did make a good choice with DeAaron Fox, and also on DeMarcus Cousins, who eventually couldn’t be held on to for a really long time, but what matters more is that the team missed out on bumper opportunities which could’ve been the game changer for them, keeping in mind these players have been the game changers for the respective teams they are in right now.

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With the NBA Draft not being remotely close to Rocket Science, it is expected of Kings to do a better job at those, with even the slightest of effort in identifying the potential these stars possess, which could’ve brought them far-far ahead from where they are right now.

Let us take a closer look at the opportunities missed by Kings which will make you feel nothing, but pain, and probably a bit of sympathy.

Top 5 players passed by Sacramento Kings on draft night in the last 10 years

  • Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic

With who is being compared to the likes of Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Stephen Curry even before turning 23, Luka Doncic is a name that carries more value than you could ever imagine. Being the star that he is, Luka has carried his team forward after taking it over from Dirk Nowitzki, and has done the job wonderfully, to say the least.

Having All-Star level performances all season, you expect nothing less but the best from Luka, emphasizing on how good he is, and can be. With the reason for not choosing Luka being stated as the “hate for Luka’s father” by the Sacramento Kings, and instead choosing Marvin Bagley 3 over him, this decision will do nothing less but haunt them for infinity.

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  • Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the 2-time MVP and in contention for the NBA MVP award this year as well just at the age of 27! Giannis is nothing short of sensational, having carried his team all year long, to also winning the Championship with the Bucks in 2021.

The Greek Freak is already being compared to the likes of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal with the style of dominant play that he has, making his presence felt on court, and also instilling a sense of fear in anyone who comes against him.

Its not just dunks this man gets, it’s the whole impact that he has on the game, which in itself gives the Bucks an upper hand most of the times. With Giannis’ intentions of staying with one franchise till the end of career, and the Kings choosing Ben McLemore instead of Giannis, this decision will also trouble the Sacramento Kings till time exists.

  • Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi “the Klaw” Leonard is the man who won two championships with two different teams, also winning the finals MVP both of the times!

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Not choosing Kawhi in itself seems like the biggest mistake you could make in a draft night, and then choosing Bismack Biyombo instead of him, and then trading Biyombo for two other players who have gad 0 impact sounds a bit worse than that.

Seems like the Sacramento Kings have had a pretty bad one with this missed chance.

  • Devin Booker
Devin Booker
Devin Booker

With the kind of performance Booker has had with Suns this season, always being argued for as an All-Star starter this entire season, missing a chance in Devin Booker is another bad decision the Kings made.

Devin Booker while getting the support from his team is as dominant as anyone can get, getting 3s or dunks or making players, the man knows it all.

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Taking Willie Cauley-Stein over Devin Booker was like missing an entire package by Sacramento Kings more than missing just one player.

  • Zach Lavine
Zach Lavine

The Chicago Bulls’ Zach Lavine is all that you would expect from him, the dunk contest champion and also the 3-point expert that he seems to be right now.
LaVine is the kind of player the Kings wanted, a sharpshooter, for which they chose Nik Stauskas, which definitely didn’t turn out to be what they wanted, missing on Devin Booker, who actually was what the Sacramento Kings were seeking.

For what I have seen from the Sacramento Kings’ decision-making skills, I’d argue that they have the worst possible luck, accompanied by the worst possible strategies and also a lack of talent identifying skills, for even though I don’t have the ability, but if I did, I would bet all that I own, on all of these players. At the end of the day, It’s not just normal people who are blessed with bad luck eh!

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