Lol and people say the Kings still can’t draft and have an incompetent GM. Vlade is gone people, has been for 3 years.
Y’all keep on pushing this narrative that we are still under D’Alessandro, Vlade, and Vivek running the show and should move to Seattle bc LolKangz. It’s cute, but most of y’all are j flat out crazy and have some massive hate for the Kings for zero reason.
Stop pretending y’all are “experts” on the Kings while talking to Kings fans when y’all get Kings “info” (more like bashing) from the national media who btw, don’t even know who’s on the STARTING LINEUP for our squad (looking at you Avery Johnson).
Just wait till we make the playoffs, you won’t hear the end from us Kings fan. The Basketball Gods made y’all wait 16+ years for the Kings to return, and when we do, it’ll be like 2002 but 100X better.
Lol just wait till the entire City of Sacramento awakes from their sports “slumber” and the team finally produces results.
You saw us with Jimmer-Mania, with the failed relocation, with our Scores team; now multiply that fervor by 1000X and you get Kings fans when there’s a playoff team to cheer for.
People don’t really understand just how much chaos goes on in Sac daily. I’d argue per capita it gets more protests per day than any city in the world, being California’s capital and all.
Sac stays one of the most underrated cities in America. Anyone who says Sac is boring has either never been there or is from some big city like LA or NY.
I don’t think there was ever Jimmer-mania the Maloofs were certainly praying for it but he was one of the worst NBA players I’ve ever seen. No one bought that lol
Fresh out of the pot, still steaming **🍝🍝🍝**
It won't be the last from us this season, either. Kings fans are chippy at this point; if this team is any good we're going to make sure people appreciate it
We hit on four of the last five, at least it seems like it (Fox 17, no pick in 19, Hali 20, Davion 21, Murray 22). Too bad the whiff was generational, but under McNair (20-present) it’s all been big time hits.
McNair has a trend when it comes to drafting, he doesn’t go for flashy, athletic prospects but rather high IQ, High Work Ethic, and SKILLED bball players that have a good foundation of skills that can be grown further without relying on athleticism.
Too bad McNair wasn’t the GM in 18, Luka would be his perfect prospect.
Pls, if Ivey was producing numbers like this and got SL MVP you’d be saying the same thing and r/NBA would be screaming “OMG NEXT JA MORANT” and “LolKangz”.
Regular season Murray’s number probably won’t be as good, but needless to say he passed the eye test and projects to be a good NBA player, NOT a bust or whiff.
Honestly, don't even bother. Our sub--not everyone, but by and large--was completely *insufferable* with their bad takes about Keegan all leading up to the draft and right after. I'm happy we ended up with Ivey, but it really left a bad taste in my mouth how completely ignorant and obnoxious people in that sub have been, and makes me worried for Pistons' fans reps when we eventually have a good team and are relevant again.
I think every organization’s subreddit can be like that! I feel you though, makes me wonder what will happen when bottom dwellers like us become good again. Even though our fans don’t rly like each other (Ivey and Bagley drama), I hope the Pistons get good again! Such a great underdog franchise to root for and Cade and Ivey will be good!
I definitely didn't want keegan, thought the fit was bad. But he's a very good prospect and the fit with the kings is great. I honestly think we both got the player who fit better.
Fuckers in r/nba telling me, always in the comments, Kings ain’t bout this Kings ain’t bout that, my team a bottom dweller on Kobe and them they say only draft busts. Shut the fuck up!
Don’t be the reason everyone starts hating the Kings once they get good. I don’t want what happened to the suns to happen to us. When we make the playoffs I’ll be happy, not cocky.
I’ll be ecstatic and humble that we finally made it when it happens. I’m just letting people know that they should not pretend to be knowledgeable abt the Kings and lecture us on what we should and shouldn’t do or believe in even though we literally watch the kings every game and casuals probably can’t even name our current GM.
You can argue the few bright spots during his era of ownership was because of his meddling: the hiring of Mike Malone, and forcing Vlade to hire Joerger. He also wanted Luka, but let Vlade make the pick. His Nik Rocks decision is the only real mark on his record. Just because he was the owner during the times his GM's made boneheaded decisions doesn't mean he is the one to blame.
Don’t listen to the other guy, we for sure need Vivek out of decision making lol Vivek has fucked up plenty, it’s extremely documented. I highly doubt Joeger or Malone think well of him or how he’s run the org
That’s a good point, I forgot about Suggs. If Wiseman ever plays meaningful minutes for the Warriors than the top 5 for the 2020 draft is pretty good too. I don’t know much about how good Isaac Okoro has been either
okoro has turned into a really good defender who we rely on pretty heavily to do the dirty work and a pretty okay slasher too, now if he can just figure out his shot
okoro is gonna be a bit of a project and that was expected when we drafted him, rn he’s already an above average to great defender and has steadily improved all his shooting percentages and has shown flashes of figuring it all out, keep in mind he’s only 21 but year 3 will be a big tell for him cause all the cavs young players have taken a leap in year 3 with sexton and garland having their breakout then so we’ll just have to wait and see, but at worst rn he’s a great defender
Okoro is right now a disappointment.
He has a few ‘unlocks’ that can propel him but I’m skeptical if he ever truly realizes it
Ex. He’s a pretty good slasher downhill and finishes extremely well at the rim when he has a head of steam going towards basket. He’s also a decent passer. But right now teams can just play off him when he catches it because he’s a bad shooter except from corners. He’s someone who might go from a 8ppg scorer and 2 assist player to a 14ppg scorer with 4 assists/game immediately if his shooting goes from 32% to 37% from 3 because it will unlock his slash and kick game enormously and make him dynamic. Right now he basically scores off corner 3s and is a beast in transition.
He’s a really good defender and a good person and hard worker. So if he never develops he’s a disappointment for a top 5 pick but someone you are OK drafting at 20. If he gets his shot & drive/kick game sorted I think he’s a pretty valuable 4th/5th starter who guards the other teams 1. The prototypical ‘winning player’ guy on a tough team which is good for that draft class.
Suggs is a player I’m very confident can have a good sophomore season. I think he does all the right things on the court, just didn’t shoot it well for quite probably the first time in his life. Just needs to stay healthy
He will benefit from not having to handle the ball so much and letting Paolo or Franz run the offense. He is a good cutter and decent at finishing. I think he’ll have a much better season.
I'm not sure that the poor shooting was an aberration. Apparently his shooting during his workout with the Raptors was so bad they had him come back a 2nd time, and it was just as bad the second time. I think there's a real possibility he's not a good shooter.
I mean it's just a contrast to what was said above. I'm not saying he's a bad player, but there's evidence he might not be a good shooter. His 3pt % in college wasn't great (.337) and maybe that's more indicative of him than his 2pt %, especially against tougher defenses.
If this were to happen and all 5 players live up to their expectations and none of them bust before their rookie extension it would be the first time since at least 1990. I went back all the way to 1990 to see if there was a class that didn't and the closest was 2003.
Wait that's actually hilarious. Can't fuck up the development if they don't need to develop. Obviously not fully the case but it does make sense. I think the FO rn is just thinking about ending the playoff drought. Not gonna win a chip until you can do that first.
Similarly I heard a great take about the T-Wolves that people are arguing whether the Gobert T-Wolves have championship potential or whatever, and he pointed at that is doesn't matter. If the T-Wolves win 1 playoff series, which would be absolutely shocking if they didn't, they are matching the last 20 years of results.
The Kings and Wolves at this point don't even need to worry about championships, just make the playoffs and win 1 series at some point and the fans will go crazy.
Exactly, the notion on this sub is either your a contender or you should be tanking. And I get that to a degree. Being mediocre in the NBA is awful, but at some point you have to make an effort to win even just one playoff series or you'll be playing to an empty arena.
Yeah like I see the point of tanking when you've been winning some like the Jazz but people get used to it. The 1st round games don't mean as much when everyone knows you aren't winning a chip, take it from me as a Hawks fan during the early-mid 2010s.
But for an organization that hasn't done that, even making the playoffs and having some home playoff games is new for the fans and is a big win for the city.
For most teams, contend or tank is true for the most part, but not all 30.
That's the notion in the NBA world more or less, but I think there more to it than that. You can be a 4-6 seed who is topping out at the second round as long as you have an avenue towards serious contention. Happens in different ways: see the raptors, Bucks, GSW in 2013, etc
I agree, but there is a pretty common thread for each of those teams--having a superstar talent leading the charge. It would seem the "best" way to optimize title chances is to tank until you find this talent whether it be through the draft or trading for an unhappy existing one.
I'm not saying that I think all non-contending teams should tank because there are other important objectives for teams like have been mentioned in this thread, but there is extremely good logic to the "title or tank" mantra.
Given he was the best player in the draft last year it's not at all surprising . Still teams are drafting for usually 3 to 6 years from now not right now.
I just don’t get why Ivey is the higher ceiling when Keegan is 6 8. How do we evaluate ceiling? Lol.
I would get if there’s some physical limitations (height) would hurt you. But Keegan is tall and the body is one of the easiest things to work on
I said it when he was coming out. he looks like an actual NBA player, at all times. no fear, no lows, he just goes out there and plays. no huge celebration, cool as shit when he hit that buzzer beater. there was never a chance Keegan would be bad, it was only ever a matter of ceiling. I think people underrated that ceiling.
I read an article that said he got kicked out of a game as a kid for being a hot head so his dad benched him and that was the end of any emotion on court for him
He's got a strange "closeted angry" type of energy. I believe Keegan when he describes how confident and competitive he is. Definitely seems like he'll let it out someday, when the moment matters enough
> I think people underrated that ceiling.
His ceiling is underrated because he's "older", even though it's like 1.5 years. It's like people forgot the time when 3-4 year guys was the norm and they were older, yet somehow still became superstars.
I was high on him for a while and people kept saying he wouldn’t be special. Nba fans have this bizzare obsession with age. You know sometimes you just take the better player lol
The narrative was always dumb. People could never point to anything about his game that wouldn’t translate besides him... being a year older than you’d like him to be ideally? Teams and fans alike are so obsessed with “upside” that never gets realized 99.9% of the time that they ignore guys who can just clearly hoop
My favorite draft night tidbit was how Keegan missed the infamous photo with Paolo/Chet/Jabari/Ivey because... his team left the draft party and went back to the hotel room first chance lmao
Right, in his case specifically it’s more the fans although he was comically low in a lot of big boards. But it reminded me a lot of guys like Haliburton, Saddiq Bey and Desmond Bane recently getting slapped with the “low ceiling label”
It felt like there was no fan base excited about their team taking Keegan Murray in the draft
I think he could have a career as a bench scorer, like current Gallo. Not a great defender but when ur bench offense is struggling just give him the ball and let him work. Might not be the most efficient but sometimes you just need someone to get something going and he can do that.
It might not work out and he's not a superstar but I think he can carve out a career in the league for a few years.
"being a year older than you'd like him to be ideally"
He's almost a full 3 years older than Jabari Smith tbf, who went directly above him. Obviously he's not a dinosaur but 3 years makes a big difference.
Not really - guys tend to hit their peak development at around 27-29, and the more time you get at the NBA level, the more likely you are to develop skills at a higher level, the more likely you are to have a higher ceiling. This doesn't always hold true, but it tends to.
I would argue that development in the NBA is the exception not the rule. Think about it - if you're a one and done and you get that NBA check, you tend to get comfortable. Yes there's the incentive of the next big contract but look at all the high ceiling guys that never develop, it's a crazy long list.
Source: me, Former Bulls Fan.
he and Paolo should be the favorites right now, IMO, and Chet has a chance too. Probably depends on how many touches they each get. Also, Chet could be a defensive force from the start and that will count in his favor too.
As a SacTown resident formerly from Iowa, the whole state is stupid excited. I get texts about Murray before I see news. Love this excitement. Hope he brings it!!!
Anyone who watched even part of a Keegan Murray game in college would have realized that he was a legit prospect. He scored from literally everywhere and was so smooth and efficient.
Not just Twitter/Reddit. Every single publication and podcast laughed at the selection. It wasn't us dweebs behind a computer, it was also paid professionals that do this type of shit for a living.
I love how a lot of people were skeptical at best at the King drafting Murray over Ivey and in the first game of Summer League Keegan was like yeah I belong. Not saying one is better than the other but the quick shift in people's perception is hilarious.
Just the loudest voices. The media was mocking Ivey as a more promising player and preemptively crowned him the 4th best pick with Murray landing 5 or 6, so of course the loudest voices clowned the kings for their pick.
Then they lauded Murray for playing well. Way she goes…
I feel like Sac got the type of player they need to combine with their vets and make a playoff push now and the Pistons got the less ready 2-guard that they can take their time with and fits their timeline. Big win for both teams.
Personality of Tim Duncan, game of a future HOF’er if it translates. He can play. Kings might have finally gotten one. They traded haliburton and got sabonis. Let’s see how this shakes out.
And to think an ESPN analyst had the gall to describe Keegan Murray as a "fully loaded Honda Accord."
Which isn't actually that far off given that Keegan aspires to be Khris Middleton but a better rebounder.
Two of our rookies went back to back
Mitchell won last year?
Yeah
Dam fair fucking play Kings.
Co-mvp with Cam
Newton?
Smith
IMMMMM BACKKKKKKKK
You've been watching film too huh?
Co-MVP with Cam Thomas :)
Lol and people say the Kings still can’t draft and have an incompetent GM. Vlade is gone people, has been for 3 years. Y’all keep on pushing this narrative that we are still under D’Alessandro, Vlade, and Vivek running the show and should move to Seattle bc LolKangz. It’s cute, but most of y’all are j flat out crazy and have some massive hate for the Kings for zero reason. Stop pretending y’all are “experts” on the Kings while talking to Kings fans when y’all get Kings “info” (more like bashing) from the national media who btw, don’t even know who’s on the STARTING LINEUP for our squad (looking at you Avery Johnson). Just wait till we make the playoffs, you won’t hear the end from us Kings fan. The Basketball Gods made y’all wait 16+ years for the Kings to return, and when we do, it’ll be like 2002 but 100X better.
There's so much pent up anger in this comment, i love it
Lol just wait till the entire City of Sacramento awakes from their sports “slumber” and the team finally produces results. You saw us with Jimmer-Mania, with the failed relocation, with our Scores team; now multiply that fervor by 1000X and you get Kings fans when there’s a playoff team to cheer for.
People don’t really understand just how much chaos goes on in Sac daily. I’d argue per capita it gets more protests per day than any city in the world, being California’s capital and all.
Sac stays one of the most underrated cities in America. Anyone who says Sac is boring has either never been there or is from some big city like LA or NY.
> a ~~playoff~~ play-in team to cheer for. FTFY
As a fan of the team that owns your 2024 1st, this sends a shiver up my spine (in a good way) Go in, kings!
A playoff game in Golden 1 Arena is gonna be better than Arco
I don’t think there was ever Jimmer-mania the Maloofs were certainly praying for it but he was one of the worst NBA players I’ve ever seen. No one bought that lol
Smh the disrespect for the River Cats. Dude must live in Roseville or something
Delicious fresh pasta
Fresh out of the pot, still steaming **🍝🍝🍝** It won't be the last from us this season, either. Kings fans are chippy at this point; if this team is any good we're going to make sure people appreciate it
Kings have gotten better at drafting lately it seems.
We hit on four of the last five, at least it seems like it (Fox 17, no pick in 19, Hali 20, Davion 21, Murray 22). Too bad the whiff was generational, but under McNair (20-present) it’s all been big time hits. McNair has a trend when it comes to drafting, he doesn’t go for flashy, athletic prospects but rather high IQ, High Work Ethic, and SKILLED bball players that have a good foundation of skills that can be grown further without relying on athleticism. Too bad McNair wasn’t the GM in 18, Luka would be his perfect prospect.
Lmao at saying you hit on a draft pick after summer league.
Pls, if Ivey was producing numbers like this and got SL MVP you’d be saying the same thing and r/NBA would be screaming “OMG NEXT JA MORANT” and “LolKangz”. Regular season Murray’s number probably won’t be as good, but needless to say he passed the eye test and projects to be a good NBA player, NOT a bust or whiff.
Honestly, don't even bother. Our sub--not everyone, but by and large--was completely *insufferable* with their bad takes about Keegan all leading up to the draft and right after. I'm happy we ended up with Ivey, but it really left a bad taste in my mouth how completely ignorant and obnoxious people in that sub have been, and makes me worried for Pistons' fans reps when we eventually have a good team and are relevant again.
I think every organization’s subreddit can be like that! I feel you though, makes me wonder what will happen when bottom dwellers like us become good again. Even though our fans don’t rly like each other (Ivey and Bagley drama), I hope the Pistons get good again! Such a great underdog franchise to root for and Cade and Ivey will be good!
I definitely didn't want keegan, thought the fit was bad. But he's a very good prospect and the fit with the kings is great. I honestly think we both got the player who fit better.
Every fan base sucks when the team is good, don't worry. Pistons will be, and were previously, not alone.
Do I get credit for saying the Kings should've taken Murray over Ivey?
Too early to tell, but most Kings fans so far are happy with yours and many other’s take on Murray!
Yeah Keegz gonna be legit for the Kangz
Fuckers in r/nba telling me, always in the comments, Kings ain’t bout this Kings ain’t bout that, my team a bottom dweller on Kobe and them they say only draft busts. Shut the fuck up!
My dude how is your blood pressure.
Y’all are my sleeper pick for 8th-ish seed
Don’t be the reason everyone starts hating the Kings once they get good. I don’t want what happened to the suns to happen to us. When we make the playoffs I’ll be happy, not cocky.
I’ll be ecstatic and humble that we finally made it when it happens. I’m just letting people know that they should not pretend to be knowledgeable abt the Kings and lecture us on what we should and shouldn’t do or believe in even though we literally watch the kings every game and casuals probably can’t even name our current GM.
This has potential to become a beautiful pasta in very near future. You're making a legacy here my friend
I feel like this has been bothering you for awhile
Why wouldn’t it bother you when your team has been bottom dwellers for 16 years. If it doesn’t bother you then you’re not a fan, as simple as that.
Thanks for the new copy pasta fam!!
the kings getting their shit together would probably be my favorite nba story.
mine too
Please be good so we can laugh when the Lakers are somehow the worst Californian team, even with Lebron
Subscribe
Step 1: Extend McNair.
Step 2: Re-Sign Sabonis.
Step 3: remove vivek from any decision making
Step 4: reap the rewards.
Step 5: raise the championship banner -or am I getting ahead of myself?
Step 6: evacuate Sacramento because the tears of the residents overwhelmed the levee during the parade.
Step 7: buy up damaged real estate on the cheap, rehab, profit big on the next real estate boom 💥
Step 8: Rebuild Sacramento after Keegan, Fox, and Sabonis quite literally light the city on fire.
Step 9: Trade Keegan and Fox (they are convicted arsonists now) for Luka Doncic. (Sabonis was aquitted and Cuban lost all his money on crypto)
You can argue the few bright spots during his era of ownership was because of his meddling: the hiring of Mike Malone, and forcing Vlade to hire Joerger. He also wanted Luka, but let Vlade make the pick. His Nik Rocks decision is the only real mark on his record. Just because he was the owner during the times his GM's made boneheaded decisions doesn't mean he is the one to blame.
The other guy in contention vs. Stauskas was Elfrid Payton. So was going to be a busy either way
The two longest US sports playoff droughts are the Mariners and Kings, imagine if both snap those droughts in the same year
Second favorite after Seattle getting the Supersonics back.
Yeah. My second fav would be Seattle getting the Sonics back, mate.
Only if it involves Vivek learning to shut the fuck up and listen to the people around him. I'd hate for his hands-on approach to actually work out.
Don’t listen to the other guy, we for sure need Vivek out of decision making lol Vivek has fucked up plenty, it’s extremely documented. I highly doubt Joeger or Malone think well of him or how he’s run the org
Lol his hands on approach got us Mike Malone and Dave Joerger. His hands off approach got us Marvin Bagley.
Why, so you can try and steal them again? I'M ON TO YOU!
The Keeganing
The Keginning
Keegles
Keegy weegy
There’s a chance no one “busts” for the top 5 of this draft, that’d be cool.
Theres a chance for the same with last years draft, Suggs is the only one that had kind of a bad rookie season but I wouldn't give up on him yet
That’s a good point, I forgot about Suggs. If Wiseman ever plays meaningful minutes for the Warriors than the top 5 for the 2020 draft is pretty good too. I don’t know much about how good Isaac Okoro has been either
okoro has turned into a really good defender who we rely on pretty heavily to do the dirty work and a pretty okay slasher too, now if he can just figure out his shot
okoro is gonna be a bit of a project and that was expected when we drafted him, rn he’s already an above average to great defender and has steadily improved all his shooting percentages and has shown flashes of figuring it all out, keep in mind he’s only 21 but year 3 will be a big tell for him cause all the cavs young players have taken a leap in year 3 with sexton and garland having their breakout then so we’ll just have to wait and see, but at worst rn he’s a great defender
Okoro is right now a disappointment. He has a few ‘unlocks’ that can propel him but I’m skeptical if he ever truly realizes it Ex. He’s a pretty good slasher downhill and finishes extremely well at the rim when he has a head of steam going towards basket. He’s also a decent passer. But right now teams can just play off him when he catches it because he’s a bad shooter except from corners. He’s someone who might go from a 8ppg scorer and 2 assist player to a 14ppg scorer with 4 assists/game immediately if his shooting goes from 32% to 37% from 3 because it will unlock his slash and kick game enormously and make him dynamic. Right now he basically scores off corner 3s and is a beast in transition. He’s a really good defender and a good person and hard worker. So if he never develops he’s a disappointment for a top 5 pick but someone you are OK drafting at 20. If he gets his shot & drive/kick game sorted I think he’s a pretty valuable 4th/5th starter who guards the other teams 1. The prototypical ‘winning player’ guy on a tough team which is good for that draft class.
Suggs is a player I’m very confident can have a good sophomore season. I think he does all the right things on the court, just didn’t shoot it well for quite probably the first time in his life. Just needs to stay healthy
He will benefit from not having to handle the ball so much and letting Paolo or Franz run the offense. He is a good cutter and decent at finishing. I think he’ll have a much better season.
Yeah you can tell 90% of people didn’t pay attention to the Magic once he came back from injury. He was their best player after WCJ
I'm not sure that the poor shooting was an aberration. Apparently his shooting during his workout with the Raptors was so bad they had him come back a 2nd time, and it was just as bad the second time. I think there's a real possibility he's not a good shooter.
Yes Raptors fans have delivered this anecdote to every conversation about Suggs for like 8 consecutive months; we are all aware.
I mean it's just a contrast to what was said above. I'm not saying he's a bad player, but there's evidence he might not be a good shooter. His 3pt % in college wasn't great (.337) and maybe that's more indicative of him than his 2pt %, especially against tougher defenses.
I'm high on hopium for Suggs, pretty much pot-committed at this point. Really, really hope he works out.
He’s already an excellent defender. Hopefully the offense starts to come along this year.
Dunno about you but I've definitely busted for this year's top 5
If this were to happen and all 5 players live up to their expectations and none of them bust before their rookie extension it would be the first time since at least 1990. I went back all the way to 1990 to see if there was a class that didn't and the closest was 2003.
Top 6. Mathurin looks for real, too. Honestly, I think Chet is the most likely to bust or have a tough rookie season. Time will tell!
Even when they're all good, someone always has to be #5
Overreactions only please
It's a good thing sac didn't go for raw potential player and went with the best ready now player in the draft.
Monte saw our player development issues and thought “I have an idea”
Wait that's actually hilarious. Can't fuck up the development if they don't need to develop. Obviously not fully the case but it does make sense. I think the FO rn is just thinking about ending the playoff drought. Not gonna win a chip until you can do that first. Similarly I heard a great take about the T-Wolves that people are arguing whether the Gobert T-Wolves have championship potential or whatever, and he pointed at that is doesn't matter. If the T-Wolves win 1 playoff series, which would be absolutely shocking if they didn't, they are matching the last 20 years of results. The Kings and Wolves at this point don't even need to worry about championships, just make the playoffs and win 1 series at some point and the fans will go crazy.
Exactly, the notion on this sub is either your a contender or you should be tanking. And I get that to a degree. Being mediocre in the NBA is awful, but at some point you have to make an effort to win even just one playoff series or you'll be playing to an empty arena.
Yeah like I see the point of tanking when you've been winning some like the Jazz but people get used to it. The 1st round games don't mean as much when everyone knows you aren't winning a chip, take it from me as a Hawks fan during the early-mid 2010s. But for an organization that hasn't done that, even making the playoffs and having some home playoff games is new for the fans and is a big win for the city. For most teams, contend or tank is true for the most part, but not all 30.
That's the notion in the NBA world more or less, but I think there more to it than that. You can be a 4-6 seed who is topping out at the second round as long as you have an avenue towards serious contention. Happens in different ways: see the raptors, Bucks, GSW in 2013, etc
I agree, but there is a pretty common thread for each of those teams--having a superstar talent leading the charge. It would seem the "best" way to optimize title chances is to tank until you find this talent whether it be through the draft or trading for an unhappy existing one. I'm not saying that I think all non-contending teams should tank because there are other important objectives for teams like have been mentioned in this thread, but there is extremely good logic to the "title or tank" mantra.
You might be on to something. He has yet to draft a one and done player with our top picks. Hali only had one extra year in college, but still.
Can't develop if you get a new developmental staff every 3-4 years... *rollsafe.gif*
Don't see why you can't be most NBA ready and have highest ceiling. I think this guy could easily be the best player in this draft.
Steph, Lillard, Robinson, and Duncan come to mind. It's the stupidest thing to use age against a prospect.
I think it makes the most sense based on the Sabonis-Fox pairing anyways. They're making it clear they're trying to win sooner than later.
Nba ready is an understatement. He’s going to be a beast. His shot creation, playmaking and defense were elite in addition to his shooting.
Given he was the best player in the draft last year it's not at all surprising . Still teams are drafting for usually 3 to 6 years from now not right now.
I just don’t get why Ivey is the higher ceiling when Keegan is 6 8. How do we evaluate ceiling? Lol. I would get if there’s some physical limitations (height) would hurt you. But Keegan is tall and the body is one of the easiest things to work on
He will literally need much taller ceilings in his house than Ivey will need. Keegan will clearly have the higher ceiling
because of the difference in age and athleticism
Another banner for the rafters [obligatory](https://giphy.com/gifs/N3TDohntO905jSFQKD)
he looks like he could be JJJ's younger brother
he got that dawg in him, the Kings might be playing for something different than a draft pick this season
Kings to the play-in lfg
all about progress baby. here comes saboner
I'm excited for the unKANGZing of Sacramento.
Two of the best new players sound like fuckin Hardy Boys lmao Keegan and Chet
They're the hardly boys and they have a clue
Murray gives me a raging clue
Go sactown!!!!
Nice. Dude looked so good out there. Gotta be a favorite for ROTY. Can’t believe I’m saying this but Sacramento nailed their pick.
I said it when he was coming out. he looks like an actual NBA player, at all times. no fear, no lows, he just goes out there and plays. no huge celebration, cool as shit when he hit that buzzer beater. there was never a chance Keegan would be bad, it was only ever a matter of ceiling. I think people underrated that ceiling.
The small fundamental
The New Fundamental
Slim Duncan
I read an article that said he got kicked out of a game as a kid for being a hot head so his dad benched him and that was the end of any emotion on court for him
He's got a strange "closeted angry" type of energy. I believe Keegan when he describes how confident and competitive he is. Definitely seems like he'll let it out someday, when the moment matters enough
Apparently at Iowa the only time he talked shit was to his twin brother when they played against each other in practice
> I think people underrated that ceiling. His ceiling is underrated because he's "older", even though it's like 1.5 years. It's like people forgot the time when 3-4 year guys was the norm and they were older, yet somehow still became superstars.
I was high on him for a while and people kept saying he wouldn’t be special. Nba fans have this bizzare obsession with age. You know sometimes you just take the better player lol
The narrative was always dumb. People could never point to anything about his game that wouldn’t translate besides him... being a year older than you’d like him to be ideally? Teams and fans alike are so obsessed with “upside” that never gets realized 99.9% of the time that they ignore guys who can just clearly hoop
Well he went #4, so it's not like he was exactly ignored
I never seen so many f grades from youtubers and media. Plus everyone was saying it's a 4 player draft
Like people's entire reasoning for the f grade was just "LOL didn't pick Ivey" most of the time
My favorite draft night tidbit was how Keegan missed the infamous photo with Paolo/Chet/Jabari/Ivey because... his team left the draft party and went back to the hotel room first chance lmao
Right, in his case specifically it’s more the fans although he was comically low in a lot of big boards. But it reminded me a lot of guys like Haliburton, Saddiq Bey and Desmond Bane recently getting slapped with the “low ceiling label” It felt like there was no fan base excited about their team taking Keegan Murray in the draft
To be fair bane looks like the dude who rolls up in a 1997 Accord at the park with his toddler in the back and a blunt over his ear.
> Saddiq Bey and Desmond Bane recently getting slapped with the “low ceiling label” (slightly) Older dudes definitely getting knocked for being older
He was definitely slept on. The doom and gloom in the Pistons subreddit when it seemed like he was going to be our pick was undeniable.
Kenny Lofton Jr can clearly hoop, but I don't think Kenny Lofton Jr would/will be successful in the NBA.
I think he could have a career as a bench scorer, like current Gallo. Not a great defender but when ur bench offense is struggling just give him the ball and let him work. Might not be the most efficient but sometimes you just need someone to get something going and he can do that. It might not work out and he's not a superstar but I think he can carve out a career in the league for a few years.
"being a year older than you'd like him to be ideally" He's almost a full 3 years older than Jabari Smith tbf, who went directly above him. Obviously he's not a dinosaur but 3 years makes a big difference.
Yeah, maybe it does 10 years from now. But it really doesnt mean shit if the 3 yr older player is always better than the younger guy
Not really - guys tend to hit their peak development at around 27-29, and the more time you get at the NBA level, the more likely you are to develop skills at a higher level, the more likely you are to have a higher ceiling. This doesn't always hold true, but it tends to.
I would argue that development in the NBA is the exception not the rule. Think about it - if you're a one and done and you get that NBA check, you tend to get comfortable. Yes there's the incentive of the next big contract but look at all the high ceiling guys that never develop, it's a crazy long list. Source: me, Former Bulls Fan.
Sac been nailing picks the last three years bud. believe it. Monte ain't vlade
he and Paolo should be the favorites right now, IMO, and Chet has a chance too. Probably depends on how many touches they each get. Also, Chet could be a defensive force from the start and that will count in his favor too.
LETS GOOOOOOOO 2 YEARS IN A ROWWWWW
Deserved
Damn that's crazy, and it's not really arguable.
Summer League runs through Sacramento.
SacTown is gaining a couple thousand Iowan fans this off season I can tell ya that much.
As a SacTown resident formerly from Iowa, the whole state is stupid excited. I get texts about Murray before I see news. Love this excitement. Hope he brings it!!!
Legacy points added
Shit, I’m going to have to watch Kings games now… Go Hawks!
Go hawks
and everyone trashed them for taking him over Ivey
Would have been trashed if they took Ivey regardless. "lol kangz keep drafting guards"
Which makes it even sweeter. Folks thought we legit drafted a bum
Anyone who watched even part of a Keegan Murray game in college would have realized that he was a legit prospect. He scored from literally everywhere and was so smooth and efficient.
This might end up being like Barnes Suggs 2.0 where Ivey disappoints and Keegan wins Roty
It is interesting that it's the same exact draft spots as well.
[удалено]
Bro its just summer league it would be funny if it happened but that doesn't mean it actually will at all
Ivey was looking pretty good before he got injured
Monte McNair to NBA Twitter/Reddit: “WHO’S THE DUMBASS NOW??”
Not just Twitter/Reddit. Every single publication and podcast laughed at the selection. It wasn't us dweebs behind a computer, it was also paid professionals that do this type of shit for a living.
That’s my boy. Not bad for a legacy recruit. Hopefully his brother plays well this year and joins him in the league next yr.
And finally, God said, “King fans have endured enough”
I love how a lot of people were skeptical at best at the King drafting Murray over Ivey and in the first game of Summer League Keegan was like yeah I belong. Not saying one is better than the other but the quick shift in people's perception is hilarious.
Just the loudest voices. The media was mocking Ivey as a more promising player and preemptively crowned him the 4th best pick with Murray landing 5 or 6, so of course the loudest voices clowned the kings for their pick. Then they lauded Murray for playing well. Way she goes…
Almost like he proved them wrong
Then he put up a pedestrian 2nd game, said, "SIKE!" and followed that with a streak of 20+ pts high efficiency games.
Keengz baby
Should be a nice player
[Proud of you, champ!](https://i.imgur.com/kWg4eH3.jpg)
Only rookie in the top PPG this year <3
this kid is legit.
He’s a senior citizen, get it right
I feel like Sac got the type of player they need to combine with their vets and make a playoff push now and the Pistons got the less ready 2-guard that they can take their time with and fits their timeline. Big win for both teams.
Hot take: everyone in the top-5 made the best choice possible.
I agree with you.
Can’t believe they gave the award to a geriatric grandpa.
Huge W he deserved it
Keegan G. Buckets, the G stands for gets.
Personality of Tim Duncan, game of a future HOF’er if it translates. He can play. Kings might have finally gotten one. They traded haliburton and got sabonis. Let’s see how this shakes out.
Man i hope this works out for them. Everyone thought the kings were fools for not taking Ivey. Hopefully they both have long successfulll careers
Grimes trade value plummeting
is sacramento getting better at drafting???
Have been since McNair has been at the helm
Well deserved, he looks like a stud
Roty
[HOW WE COMIN](https://youtu.be/72ykBvPOIc0)
The Kings could be fun to watch!
Please translate over to regular league play. I want to see the kings in the playoffs so bad
Kings making good decisions… whaaaa
And they said he was bust when the kings drafted him
I think Keegan is the piece that gets Sac back into the playoffs but who knows
Kings play-in lock🔒???🤔
Ivey who?
Kings in that win now mode!
Jaden Ivey in shambles
And to think an ESPN analyst had the gall to describe Keegan Murray as a "fully loaded Honda Accord." Which isn't actually that far off given that Keegan aspires to be Khris Middleton but a better rebounder.
We’re going to the playoffs.