Sacramento Kings: Nik Stauskas Taken 8th Overall

Outside of the top three, there weren’t many teams whose pick was talked about as much as that of the Sacramento Kings. The Kings front office had considered every possible option, and made no secret of it, showcasing their unique approach in Draft 3.0, a mini-documentary for Grantland. Despite all the speculation and deliberation though, general manager Pete D’Alessandro went with Michigan’s Nik Stauskas with the eighth overall pick.

Many had speculated that the Kings were going to be in the market for a point guard, and it was Marcus Smart who was the name being most frequently mentioned. In fact, only a few minutes before the Kings found themselves on the clock, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that Sacramento was looking to make a deal with the team who eventually drafted Smart.

In the end, the Kings keeping their eighth pick and opting for one of the best shooters in the class shouldn’t have been much of a surprise. Sacramento ranked 27th in three-point percentage last season, and with their depth chart looking a little thin at the guard spots, Stauskas makes sense.

In the aforementioned Draft 3.0, head coach Mike Malone alluded to his desire to add shooting to a roster that already had the Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins combo to occupy defenders. Stauskas will help space the floor having shot just under 45 percent from deep as a Wolverine last year, but there’s more to his game than that.

Stauskas is a good ball handler, who will also be able to create as a play-making two guard. On the whole, the 20-year-old is exceptionally comfortable with the ball in his hands. As a result, one part of Stauskas’ game that is particularly intriguing is his work in isolation.

The Canadian showed a knack for seizing the moment, and making the correct decisions in one-on-one situations in college. Stauskas can lull his opponent into a false sense of security, before using his smooth shooting stroke to score over the top of them. Although this might not be Sacramento’s primary reason for picking him, having guys with strong isolation skills can be invaluable at the end of NBA games.

The selection of Stauskas could mean a lot more for the shape that the Kings will take on next season too. As it seems they have already tried to shop him, is last year’s first-rounder Ben McLemore on the trade block already? Although he didn’t have the rookie season that many expected, McLemore still has a lot of potential, and if the Kings decide to move him, he could yield a nice return.

Getting back to Stauskas, he may not have been the guy that everyone expected Sacramento to pick, but he helps to give the Kings a greater shape immediately. Stauskas will help to add a greater coherency to the Kings offense, and he’ll also get the chance to work on his sub-par defense under a high quality coach.

It’s understandable why some Kings fans will be disappointed with the pick, as they’ve been burned by this sort of selection before. As recently as 2011, the Kings drafted Jimmer Fredette as a guard who could shoot, but needed work defensively, and look how that turned out.

Stauskas seems to have a little more to his game though, and my instincts tell me he should be a great fit in a dynamic and re-energized Sacramento system.