Kings eye defensive force Zuby Ejiofor and sharpshooting Richie Saunders in the second round of a new mock draft projection.
The NBA draft is less than two months away, and mock drafts are ramping up, as ESPN draft analyst Jeremy Woo posted his mock ahead of the lottery on May 10.
While the top five picks in the draft are significant for the Sacramento Kings, who could leave with BYU's AJ Dybansta, Kansas' Darryn Peterson, Arkansas' Darius Acuff or Duke's Cameron Boozer, KingsRoundtable will focus on Woo's selections in the second round.
Sacramento has two second-round picks, the 34th and 45th. Woo predicts the Kings will draft the following prospects on June 24.
Zuby Ejiofor, Forward, St. John's
As Roundtable's Lorenzo Reyna highlighted in his draft profile of Ejiofor, the St. John's forward is a stellar defensive player, averaging 2.1 blocks and 1.2 steals in his senior season with the Red Storm.
His defensive prowess would bolster a Sacramento front court lacking rim protection, as the team ranked 20th in blocks (4.5 per game).
The 6-foot-9 forward also strengthens the Kings' rebounding game with 7.3 rebounds last season, and three Kings players averaged over seven rebounds a game.
Ejiofor runs the floor hard in transition and can attack the baseline in the post either facing up or spinning off his defender's momentum. He averaged 16.3 points, including back-to-back 20-point games in the Big East tournament.
Selecting the Garland, Texas, native could bolster the front court with the potential departures of Doug McDermott, Drew Eubanks and Precious Achiuwa.
Richie Saunders, Guard, BYU
Saunders suffered a season-ending ACL injury in February, which could affect his draft stock.
Before the injury, Saunders was one of the more efficient scorers in college basketball, averaging 18 points on 48.9-percent shooting from the field, 37.6 percent from 3-point range and 81.7 percent from the free-throw line.
Saunders scored more than 25 points five times playing next to Dybantsa, showcasing his ability to operate efficiently next to a high-usage star player.
The 6-foot-5 guard can attack closeouts, finishing at the rim or floating the ball over the length of the shot blocker. He can also nail catch-and-shoot threes, which is a premium in the NBA.
The Riverton, Utah native would add much-needed shooting, as Sacramento shot 34 percent from beyond the arc, ranking second-to-last in the league.
Coming off surgery to repain his torn ACL, Saunders would likely spend his rookie season rehabbing, but the Kings could afford that possibility with other guards on the team like Nique Clifford, Malik Monk and Devin Carter.
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