Rd 2, pick 47, Pacers select Mojave King

Post #1 » by **Grang33r** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 4:23 am

6'4 guard from G League Ignite

Post #2 » by **Grang33r** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 4:25 am

From the athletic draft guide:

STRENGTHS
The idea behind King is that he can be a 3-and-D floor-spacing combo guard who can knock down shots off the catch then
occasionally dive to the rim and score off cuts or a heavy closeout. Measured at 6-foot-3 3/4 without shoes at the combine with
a 6-foot-8 wingspan, so he has reasonable size for the two-guard spot. Posted a 42-inch vertical leap at the combine, which
stands up well with the tape. Showed some deft timing as a cutter this past season. Thought that was his best skill set. Found
his way to the rim effectively in those settings and finished well when he could really load off two feet. When he gets rolling as a
3-point shooter, can knock a few down in a hurry. The jumper looks like it should be clean long term. No real flaws with a high
release point. I’d bet on him shooting well eventually. Also thought King was useful on the defensive end this past season. Used
his length and quickness to cause issues for opposing guards at the one and two spots. Also thought his team defense was solid.
Was a good rotational player. Had a couple of impressive weakside blocks. His athleticism allows him to be valuable in scramble
situations and in recovery. I think he’s good on defense already, and this should be considered the building block of his game.

WEAKNESSES
Right now, King is a 6-foot-4 combo guard who isn’t a consistent shooter, creator or passer. That’s a hard way to live in the NBA.
King made just 31.9 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s, per Synergy, a number that is not nearly good enough for the limited role
he’d be asked to play. There’s upside here, as I think the shot will eventually fix itself. But right now, he’s not good enough. He’s
also never been a good enough pull-up shooter. King made just 29.5 percent of his pull-up jumpers and isn’t effective enough
to rely on them at any point moving forward. Doesn’t really have a floater or a way to score in the midrange. Made his floaters
at a 28 percent clip. Should be an impactful finisher but just isn’t. Made only 47.1 percent of his half-court attempts at the rim, a below-average number despite his athleticism. Tends to be better when he can really load up and leap. Doesn’t really have great
touch through contact at the rim right now. Finally, he could stand to improve as a passer and playmaker for others. It’s not
something he’s ever really done at a high level off drive-and-kick opportunities. He’ll need to get stronger to become the kind of
defensive player he likely needs to be to stick.

SUMMARY
I think King makes a lot of sense on a two-way contract right now. He’s in the ballpark of 6-foot-5 in shoes, has a legitimate
8-foot-5 standing reach and should have the size to play at the two. He’s also already an impactful defensive player, and he’s
clearly an NBA-caliber athlete even if it’s not wildly functional because his hip flexibility could stand to be better, and he needs
to really load up to access his vertical leap. The swing skill is the jumper. If he ever becomes a 38 percent 3-point shooter beyond
the NBA 3-point line, he’ll have a chance to play in the NBA. The only question is how long it takes to get there. Can he become
a consistent 3-point shooter before NBA teams move onto different, younger players in the future? If he does, he has a chance to
stick. But, again, being a non-shooter, non-creator and non-passer is a tough way to stick as a guard in the NBA. He needs to tick
some of those boxes sooner rather than later.

basketballwacko2 · Post #3 » by **basketballwacko2** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 8:47 am

Wasted pick.

Wizop · Post #4 » by **Wizop** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 2:10 pm

basketballwacko2 wrote:Wasted pick.

other than Lance Stephenson, can you name a Pacer second round pick that you wouldn't call wasted? Brogdon doesn't count as we didn't pick him.

Tom White · Post #5 » by **Tom White** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 2:12 pm

Wizop wrote:
basketballwacko2 wrote:Wasted pick.

other than Lance Stephenson, can you name a Pacer second round pick that you wouldn't call wasted? Brogdon doesn't count as we didn't pick him.

Antonio Davis
Andrew Nembhard
Georges Niang
James Jones
Fred Hoiberg (well, sort of)
Louis Orr

Wizop · Post #6 » by **Wizop** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 2:25 pm

Tom White wrote:
Wizop wrote:
basketballwacko2 wrote:Wasted pick.

other than Lance Stephenson, can you name a Pacer second round pick that you wouldn't call wasted? Brogdon doesn't count as we didn't pick him.

Antonio Davis.

who spent several years in Europe before he actually was ready to join the Pacers.

but if you only hit on a second round pick once every 20 years, are the rest of the picks wasted??? I've often got excited about a second rounder only to see them come and go quickly.

Tom White · Post #7 » by **Tom White** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 2:29 pm

Wizop wrote:but if you only hit on a second round pick once every 20 years, are the rest of the picks wasted??? I've often got excited about a second rounder only to see them come and go quickly.

I went back and added a few others. None of them became "stars", but I certainly don't think any of them were wasted picks either.

Wizop · Post #8 » by **Wizop** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 3:09 pm

Tom White wrote:I went back and added a few others. None of them became "stars", but I certainly don't think any of them were wasted picks either.

very few second round picks become solid starters or even long term fits as rotation players. to me "wasted" implies that there were better choices to be made and I reject the notion that teams should be able to find hidden gems late in every year's draft.

jowglenn · Post #9 » by **jowglenn** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 3:28 pm

basketballwacko2 wrote:Wasted pick.

Ok who should they have picked? Give me a single name. And then years from now if that guy has a meaningful NBA career and Mojave King doesn't, you can show that you were so right and prescient.

Odds are King and whoever you name won't ever make it anywhere in the NBA and it would have been a "wasted pick" either way.

basketballwacko2 · Post #10 » by **basketballwacko2** » Sat Jun 24, 2023 3:04 am

Wizop wrote:
basketballwacko2 wrote:Wasted pick.

other than Lance Stephenson, can you name a Pacer second round pick that you wouldn't call wasted? Brogdon doesn't count as we didn't pick him.

You know that's my freaking point thanks wiz!

Bad scouting, there are always good players in the late first round and in the 2nd. Good teams find those guys.

basketballwacko2 · Post #11 » by **basketballwacko2** » Sat Jun 24, 2023 3:06 am

jowglenn wrote:
basketballwacko2 wrote:Wasted pick.

Ok who should they have picked? Give me a single name. And then years from now if that guy has a meaningful NBA career and Mojave King doesn't, you can show that you were so right and prescient.

Odds are King and whoever you name won't ever make it anywhere in the NBA and it would have been a "wasted pick" either way.

Wasted pick! Clown show! I don't need to play your game.

Wizop · Post #12 » by **Wizop** » Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:30 pm

basketballwacko2 wrote:
Wizop wrote:
basketballwacko2 wrote:Wasted pick.

other than Lance Stephenson, can you name a Pacer second round pick that you wouldn't call wasted? Brogdon doesn't count as we didn't pick him.

You know that's my freaking point thanks wiz!

Bad scouting, there are always good players in the late first round and in the 2nd. Good teams find those guys.

I don't think any team has a great record of striking gold in the second round although some do get lucky. I don't buy your notion that the current Pacer management team is particularly bad at finding hidden gems but it's clear that nothing is to be gained by further debate.

Post #13 » by **Scoot McGroot** » Sat Jun 24, 2023 3:44 pm

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=jYPPXwUlm02fAaE9rSSACw

Wizop · Post #14 » by **Wizop** » Sat Jun 24, 2023 4:16 pm

Scoot McGroot wrote:stashing King

Hope so as I want Brown on two-way.

Post #15 » by **Grang33r** » Sat Jun 24, 2023 4:54 pm

Wizop wrote:
basketballwacko2 wrote:Wasted pick.

other than Lance Stephenson, can you name a Pacer second round pick that you wouldn't call wasted? Brogdon doesn't count as we didn't pick him.

Drafting second round is a crapshoot. The odds a team will find an All-Star or All-NBA player among second rounders is just around 2.4%.

basketballwacko2 · Post #16 » by **basketballwacko2** » Sat Jun 24, 2023 5:13 pm

You same people said all the same stuff in 2017 about TJ Leaf!

Post #17 » by **Grang33r** » Sat Jun 24, 2023 5:17 pm

basketballwacko2 wrote:You same people said all the same stuff in 2017 about TJ Leaf!

Lol

For the record I was never high on Leaf. Hated the pick. But I do remember he was a pretty popular choice among the posters.

Post #18 » by **Grang33r** » Sat Jun 24, 2023 5:19 pm

Donovan Mitchell was my “draft crush” that year. I’m not 100% certain but I think since Mitchell was gone at our pick my next favorite pick was Harry Giles lol

I don’t know who was worse between Leaf and Giles tbh

Wizop · Post #19 » by **Wizop** » Sat Jun 24, 2023 5:27 pm

basketballwacko2 wrote:You same people said all the same stuff in 2017 about TJ Leaf!

Every GM has misses. Leaf turned out not to be an nba 4. Today he might make it as a 5 but then he was a miss. he's still playing in China.

That was 2017 and we also took Anigbo who flashed briefly and Summer who was a late second round hit

jowglenn · Post #20 » by **jowglenn** » Sat Jun 24, 2023 5:44 pm

basketballwacko2 wrote:You same people said all the same stuff in 2017 about TJ Leaf!

There’s a pretty big difference between a genuinely wasted mid-first pick like Leaf and a 47th pick.

basketballwacko2 wrote:
jowglenn wrote:
basketballwacko2 wrote:Wasted pick.

Ok who should they have picked? Give me a single name. And then years from now if that guy has a meaningful NBA career and Mojave King doesn't, you can show that you were so right and prescient.

Odds are King and whoever you name won't ever make it anywhere in the NBA and it would have been a "wasted pick" either way.

Wasted pick! Clown show! I don't need to play your game.

You do need to “play my game” if you want anyone to take you remotely seriously. Who should they have picked instead?

I’ve never seen anyone flip out this hard over 2nd round picks. Maybe you have other issues in your life that you’re taking out on the Pacers? I genuinely find your behavior disturbing