Where does Sacramento land in this newest NBA draft mock? And what traits lead to Boozer landing with the Kings.
The Sacramento Kings got called a potential destination for Cameron Boozer of Duke back on Wednesday.
One mock draft envisions the Blue Devils nabbing him inside the top three. But at what spot?
Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo! Sports released a new mock draft Thursday with a few surprises.
The two biggest ones? Neither the Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets, or even Washington Wizards pick ahead of the Kings. O'Connor plugs the Chicago Bulls pulling the stunner and drafting first, followed by the Atlanta Hawks.
But the Kings land at third overall. O'Connor outlined multiple reasons why he believes Boozer is a stronger fit for Sacramento.
"The Kings need a leader. Boozer fits the bill," O'Connor began. "He’s a do-it-all offensive talent who can post up, run pick-and-rolls, set screens, spot up and crash the boards."
Boozer often times looks like he plays a physical brand just like his father Carlos, who earned nine all-star appearances in the league. Yet O'Connor believes this Boozer is different.
"He doesn’t need to rely on bully ball to make an impact as a scorer or passer," O'Connor said.
But with Boozer on board, who does O'Connor believe is the odd man out for the Kings? It's a player who once surfaced on the trade radar before the deadline.
"That said, the acquisition would almost certainly signal the end of the Domantas Sabonis given their overlapping strengths and weaknesses," O'Connor said.
There are some notable flaws that the Kings would need to fix if they take in Boozer.
"Defensively, some of the questions about Boozer popped up in Duke’s Elite Eight loss to UConn: He wasn’t big enough to defend Tarris Reed, and he got smoked by Alex Karaban on a key 3-pointer on the perimeter," O'Connor said.
Does that hinder his development on the floor?
"But he plays hard and has improved at every weakness in his game so far," O'Connor adds. "That approach is exactly the type of player Sacramento needs to bring into its organization."
O'Connor even has the Kings passing on the following names: Darryn Peterson (mocked to the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 4 in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers), Keaton Wagler (No. 5 to the Washington Wizards) and Darius Acuff (No. 7 to the Nets).
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