NBA

2017 NBA Mock Draft: Who Each Lottery Team Should Pick

Brett Oswalt  —  @bRo14thekid May 18th, 2017
Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow

5. Sacramento Kings (via 76ers): Jayson Tatum, SF

Team needs: Wing production, perimeter defense, rebounding

For a team that ranked among the bottom 10 in both offensive (107.3) and defensive rating (111.3), Vlade Divac and company could go a few different ways with this one. With Rudy Gay opting out of the final year of his contract, though, that should make the decision quite clear -- it's Duke's Jayson Tatum.

This year, the Sacramento Kings were out-produced at the small forward position by an average of 2.4 PER per game. Most of that was without Gay, who missed 52 games due to injury, so Sacramento has a gaping hole at the three spot.

Getting a guy like Tatum would put those concerns to rest. For the year, Tatum's 4.1 DBPM is promising in terms of shaping him into a strong defensive cog for the Kings' young core. Tatum averaged 28.9 points and 12.6 rebounds per 100 possessions, grabbing 19.7% of available defensive rebounds while on the floor.

Prev Next