Sacramento Kings must break sad trend of No. 2 pick

The Sacramento Kings must do their homework to break the trend of the No. 2 pick, which has produced many disappointments in recent years.

It was a great day in Sacramento Kings history when the franchise landed the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. So desperate for any type of good news for so long, Kings fans celebrated like they had already clinched the next NBA title.

History, however, says the No. 2 pick hasn’t exactly been a slam dunk in recent years.

Just look back at the No. 2 draft picks since 2008 and notice how many of them have been named All-Stars. The number is one, and it’s Victor Oladipo, who made the All-Star team this year with the Indiana Pacers (his third team after being drafted).

Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge and Tyson Chandler are the only other No. 2 picks who have made the All-Star team among players drafted since the year 2000. Durant is also the only No. 2 pick who has been named MVP among that group.

Notable No. 2 picks who failed to live up to expectations include: Darko Milicic, Michael Beasley, Hasheem Thabeet, Derrick Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

The last four No. 2 picks — Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, D’Angelo Russell and Jabari Parker — have shown glimpses of their potential, but the jury is still out on them.

In recent history, there are only a few cases where the No. 2 pick clearly proved to be better than the No. 1 pick. In 2013, for example, Anthony Bennett was selected ahead of Victor Oladipo. Most notably, Greg Oden was selected ahead of Kevin Durant in 2007.

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Leading up to draft night, fans and journalists usually engage in a heated debate about who should be picked No. 1 and No. 2. However, when we look back years later, we see a significant drop-off between the No. 1 and No. 2 pick.

In 2011, it was clear from the beginning that Kyrie Irving would be the No. 1 pick, but Derrick Williams never came close to meeting expectations at No. 2.

A similar scenario happened in the 2012 NBA Draft between the first overall pick, Anthony Davis, and the second overall pick, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Davis turned out to be a franchise center for the New Orleans Pelicans, while Kidd-Gilchrist is now trying to save his career in Charlotte.

Many Kings fans have already set their minds on Luka Doncic being selected with No. 2 pick. If history is any indication, things are obviously not always cut-and-dry. There are many options out there and every one of them needs to be explored before a final decision is made.

Since relocating to Sacramento, the Kings haven’t owned the No. 2 pick. However, the franchise has owned the No. 2 pick two other times.

Although there are many players who are coming into this draft with a lot of hype, there is a good chance some of them will never meet expectations.

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The Kings need to do their homework and maybe hope for a little more luck in order to break the unfortunate trend of the No. 2 pick. Otherwise, they may have another Darko Milicic on their hands.