11th pick: Spurs- RJ Hampton
Geib-
There was a discussion of RJ Hampton being a top-5 player in the draft when he was coming out of high school. However, Hampton made the decision to forgo playing college basketball in the United States last season in exchange for the opportunity to play professional ball in New Zealand.
Previous players to have made similar decisions skipping college include Brandon Jennings and Emmanuel Mudiay. Additionally, LaMelo Ball played this last season in the New Zealand league as well, prior to the upcoming draft.
Players that do not play American college basketball tend to have questions surrounding their talent and draft stock. New Zealand has fairly competitive basketball, but it is nothing like the United States. Regardless, Gregg Popovich has a great eye for international talent and will be eager to draft Hampton if he falls out of the top-10.
12th pick: Kings- Aaron Nesmith
Gilbert-
I believe Aaron Nesmith is the best shooter in the draft. There is a difference between him and Anthony Edwards. Edwards is a scorer with the unique ability to get his own shot off the dribble, while Nesmith is more of a catch-and-shoot player. Though he only played 14 games of his Sophomore season, Nesmith averaged 23.0 points shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 52.2 percent behind the line.
The Kings have some great young talent on their roster in De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield. Nesmith could be the perfect compliment to those budding stars as the starting small forward. Hield and Nesmith would be a deadly shooting combination and De’Aaron Fox is the perfect point guard to get them the ball. Shooting could not be more important in today’s NBA making Nesmith an invaluable pick-up for any team.