Sacramento Kings: Complete 2017 offseason grades

Drafting Frank Mason III

The best way to completely overhaul the point guard position is to make a wholesale change. The Kings did exactly that this offseason, cleaning out their roster and adding three new point guards. If De’Aaron Fox is the future starting point guard, then Sacramento selected his long-term backup in Frank Mason III.

Last season Kansas did what it seemingly always does — winning the Big 12 before losing too early in the NCAA Tournament. While Josh Jackson was the team’s freshman phenom, their best player was Mason, who led the team in scoring and won the Wooden Award for best player in the country.

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Already 23, Mason probably lacks the upside to develop into a starter. But his versatile skill-set and killer drive make him perfect off the bench, where he can attack on both sides of the ball. In Fox and Mason, the Kings of the future could have 48 uninterrupted minutes of ruthless point guard defense.

The vision is clear, but it doesn’t come without a cost. Sacramento may be convinced of Justin Jackson’s long-term viability as a starting wing, but this team still needs a combo forward. Their current roster doesn’t have a single player who fits that description – the team’s depth chart at SF is presumably Buddy Hield, Jackson and 40-year-old Vince Carter. Each of those players are better deployed at the 2.

Players such as Semi Ojeleye, Wesley Iwundu and Jonah Bolden were all available at pick 31 when the Kings selected Frank Mason with the first pick of the second round. It will be years before credible analysis can let us know whether Mason or Ojeleye, for example, will be the better players. But the Kings still need to address that hole one way or the other.

Even so, Mason was underrated by his age and height (5’11”) by teams on draft night, and he should have a solid NBA career. That’s not a bad use of a second round pick.

Grade: B