Sacramento Kings NBA Mock Draft Roundup

Jackson proved a great scorer this past season at South Carolina with his ability to create for himself and emerged as a strong creator and playmaker on offense. He was fifth in the country in scoring among first-year players (15.4) and had the most 20-point games (11) by a Gamecocks freshman since the team joined the SEC in 1991. He is projected to go in this range and would be a good addition to a Kings roster that could use more scoring.

Jaquez should enter the NBA at the age of 22 ready to contribute immediately. He's not going to wow anybody in individual workouts or test off the charts, but there are a lot of reasons to believe he has the stuff to be, at worst, an impactful role player on a winning team for many years to come.

After snapping the longest active playoff drought in North American pro sports this past season, the Kings will look to build on that momentum next year. Jones is the type of NBA-ready prospect who could plug and play a variety of roles for Sacramento.

He has great positional size for a lead guard, he's a savvy passer and decision-maker, and he's improved his 3-point shooting stroke, converting 39.1 percent of his attempts from deep this season (compared to 29.2 percent as a sophomore). Jones is a jack-of-all-trades on both ends of the floor, doing whatever it takes to win games. He would thrive on an unselfish team like the Kings.

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 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.

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.

While the Kings could see benefits to adding Keegan's twin brother, Kris' off-ball scoring and improved shot-making warrants consideration from all teams in the late teens and 20s. His game is similar to last year's No. 4 overall pick, with Kris offering the same type of spot-up and movement shooting, transition offense and overall opportunistic scoring.

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.

Big men who don't shoot 3-pointers don't pop off the page as definite first-rounders, and yet Jackson-Davis by most measures appears to be an anomaly. He's a dominant interior scorer and rebounder who shows great touch and makes great plays as a passer.

NC State's Terquavian Smith was arguably the most surprising player to withdraw from the 2022 NBA Draft and return to school. As a sophomore, he finished tied for the second-most unassisted 3-pointers per game among all high-major players, per CBB Analytics.

During his second year playing college basketball, he also made strides as a playmaker. But his scoring efficiency dropped, unfortunately, which he will need to fix at the next level.

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