ESPN Rankings

Jordan Ramirez

ESPN asked their panel of experts a simple question:

Even after selecting Tyrese Haliburton at No. 12, the former Iowa State Cyclone ranks amongst the top picks as a potential winner.

LaMelo Ball collected 36 percent of first-place votes, the top amongst any player.

Ball was followed by No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman (12 percent), with top pick Anthony Edwards and Haliburton both sharing 11 percent of first-place votes.

See the panel's full list of award winners.

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ESPN Sees Haliburton as Rookie of the Year Contender

Every summer for the past decade, ESPN has asked:

Who will be the best players this season?

Known as NBARank, ESPN ranks the Top 100 NBA players based on their predicted performance for the upcoming season, voted on by their panel of experts.

This year, ESPN names two Kings — De'Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield — as players with this expected performance.

Coming in last season at No. 59, Buddy Hield enters this year at No. 87.

Fox is even higher on the list, landing at No. 34 this season after coming in at No. 25 last season.

"If Fox can force teams to defend him above screens, he's close to unguardable," proclaimed ESPN NBA Draft Analyst Mike Schmitz

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Fox, Hield Highlight ESPN Top-100 Player Rankings

Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton hasn’t logged his first NBA minutes yet, but the 20-year-old is already making waves.

“One of the best value picks in the first round, Haliburton was one of my top-five overall prospects and is an excellent fit alongside Kings franchise point guard De’Aaron Fox,” proclaimed ESPN NBA Draft Analyst Mike Schmitz.

Haliburton joins Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and others as most likely to have success during their rookie campaigns.

“Haliburton should remain an advanced analytics darling with a monster true shooting percentage plus high steal and block rates,” Schmitz continued. “Earning him real consideration in the top 100 next year.”

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ESPN Labels Haliburton as Future Top-100 Player

Tracee Jay

The Rookie of the Year race has already begun.

After a hectic Summer League, rookies from around the league are now settling in with their new teams. This includes Marvin Bagley III and Harry Giles, who both were mentioned by ESPN’s Mike Schmitz and Kevin Pelton when discussing the race.

“Bagley is a walking double-double,” explained Schmitz. “His hunger to score, athleticism and aggression on the offensive glass should lead to some big scoring and rebounding nights.”

In addition to Bagley, ESPN showed love to Giles, the second-year rookie who impressed many averaging 14.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per 36 minutes this summer.

“Giles looked a lot like someone who'd spent the previous year working out individually rather than playing,” said Pelton. “His feel for the game was rusty, but Giles looked skilled and comfortable in the pick-and-pop and other settings that can be recreated easily in drills.”

Kings fans are hoping their two big men shine when the lights are brightest as the regular season inches closer.

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ESPN Lists Bagley, Giles in Rookie of the Year Race

Kyle Ramos

Between free agency, trades, and the NBA Draft, various models have been utilized to reach the pinnacle of professional basketball - all of which were detailed in a recent article by Tom Haberstroh for ESPN.

With these in mind, Haberstroh looked towards the future in an attempt to predict which current teams could be the next to make a big leap within the Association.

Of the teams listed, the Kings were noted as a dark horse candidate to follow the path of past NBA champions that utilized the Draft to create title-winning franchises.

“...The young core in Sacramento is tantalizing. Youngsters De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere, Justin Jackson and Harry Giles represent a sky-high ceiling in Sacramento,” wrote Haberstroh. “With George Hill, Zach Randolph and Vince Carter presenting some much-needed veteran infrastructure, the kids could bring trouble to the rest of the NBA in a few years.”

To read the full article and see the rest of the teams Haberstroh pegged as potential super teams, click here.

ESPN Rankings

ESPN Sees Haliburton as Rookie of the Year Contender

Fox, Hield Highlight ESPN Top-100 Player Rankings

ESPN Labels Haliburton as Future Top-100 Player

ESPN Lists Bagley, Giles in Rookie of the Year Race

ESPN Tabs Kings with Having ‘Sky-High Ceiling’