Kings Report – 4/2
With the Kings eyeing a top draft pick, several Final Four stars are emerging as options.
And then there were four. The Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight wrapped up last week, culminating in the elimination of Duke, which was the favorite to win the tournament when it started two weeks ago, on a three-point buzzer-beater. Let’s look at some of the top draft prospects that are still in the tournament. If the draft happened today, it looks like the Sacramento Kings would get pick number four; this is all up in the air, of course, we won’t know their pick until after the lottery, but we’ll go with it for now. While the top four draft picks have been eliminated, there are still some great players out there. First up, Keaton Wagler of Illinois is a 6’6” guard who’s known for his playmaking abilities. He was averaging 16 points through the tournament until he exploded for 25 in the Elite Eight to help push his team past the Iowa Hawkeyes. Most experts put him at number five in the draft, but could he move up if he leads Illinois to their first-ever NCAA Championship?
Arizona has a pair of top prospects in 6’4” guard Brayden Burries and 6’8” power forward/center Koa Peat, both freshmen. Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, a 6’9” forward who has apparently been playing in college for six years (rare for a top draft prospect), is known for being effective in all aspects of the game, from three-point shooting to defense. And Braylon Mullins, a 6’6” guard with the UConn Huskies, is the newest inductee to the March Madness Hall of Fame after his team came back from a 19-point deficit and Mullins hit that aforementioned three-point buzzer-beater, which sent Duke packing.
The Final Four takes place on Saturday, with Illinois playing Connecticut at 3:09 PM, followed by Michigan and Arizona at 5:49 PM. The two winners will face off in the championship game on Monday at 5:30 PM.
The Sacramento Kings are still hanging on to their spot as the fourth-worst team in the league by losing six of their last seven games, and with only a week and a half left in the season, it doesn’t look like that is going to change. Who’s ready for next season?