By: Steven Wilson
Noah Vonleh, who participated in the Kings first round of pre-Draft workouts, surpassed Marcus Smart as the favorite pick from notable league evaluators. The 6-foot-10 prospect from Indiana earned four votes this week, including selections from Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports, as pundits praised his ability to stretch the defense and knock down perimeter shots.
Smart, who tallied the most votes in the first two Mock Draft Roundups, fell two spots as he garnered one vote from NBA.com. Smart – the 6-foot-3 point guard from Oklahoma State – also participated in the Kings first session of pre-Draft workouts back on June 2nd.
Creighton’s Doug McDermott has been an analyst favorite for some time now and finished second this week with three total votes, including a selection by Fox Sports and Net Scouts. Much like Vonleh, McDermott has the ability to knock down perimeter shots. As a senior, he drained 44-percent of his three-point attempts and led the league in scoring with a 26.7 points per game average en route to consensus National Player of the Year honors.
Another player who has garnered a lot of attention lately is Arizona’s Aaron Gordon, who most recently received two selections from league analysts. Gordon has impressed teams with his athleticism and jumping ability and has been slotted as a top-ten pick in nearly every mock draft.
Finally, there were two new selections in this week’s Roundup as Julius Randle and Rodney Hood surfaced on a few Draft board. Randle – a 6-foot-9 prospect out of Kentucky – possesses a unique combination of size and athleticism says Joe Kotoch from SheridanHoops.com, the lone site that pegged Randle falling to the Kings at No. 8.
Meanwhile, NBADraft.net chose Hood as one of the many prospects Sacramento is contemplating in the coming weeks.
With just two weeks remaining until the Draft, NBA writers have started to narrow their selections. Check out who they believe the Kings will select with the team’s eighth-overall pick below:
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What the experts are saying…
Noah Vonleh – F, Indiana – 4 votes
“The 18-year-old is a project, but he has great physical tools and shot 48.5 percent from three-point range (16-of-33) at Indiana. For a team that has rotated big men alongside DeMarcus Cousins, Vonleh could be a nice fit.” – Chris Mannix, SI.com
“As I've long said of this scenario, [Noah Vonleh could be] the sugar to DeMarcus Cousins' spice.” – Matt Moore, CBSSports.com
Doug McDermott – F, Creighton – 3 votes
“I think his ability to stretch the floor and attract defenders will just open up even more room for Cousins to operate in the post. Plus McDermott can be placed almost anywhere on the floor, so Cousins should learn how to play off him well.” – Ed Isaacson, NBADraftBlog.com
Aaron Gordon – F, Arizona – 2 votes
“Gordon is a unique athlete who averaged 12.4 points and eight rebounds in one year of college, and he grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds in the Wildcats' loss to Wisconsin in the Elite Eight. He'll likely be capable of playing either forward position in the NBA.” – Gary Parrish, CBSSports.com
Marcus Smart – PG, Oklahoma State – 1 vote
“Smart will be a physical force, [and he] has a chance to be very good defensively and has a great attitude, but the team that takes him will have to see [a] true point guard through an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.8-2.6 on a college squad with other NBA prospects. Some front offices do see it.” – Scott Howard-Cooper, NBA.com
Julius Randle – PF, Kentucky – 1 vote
“Before Embiid supplanted Randle as the top big in the draft, scouts and executives around the league raved about Randle’s combination of size and athleticism. After an impressive freshman campaign highlighted by the Wildcats’ run in March, Randle is right on the cusp of the top five.” - Joe Kotoch, SheridanHoops.com
Rodney Hood – SF, Duke – 1 vote
“The idea of the sharp-shooting Hood on the perimeter for this team is tantalizing.” - Reid Forgrave, FoxSports.com