NBA GMs predict the Rookie of the Year. He was drafted after the Kings took Bagley
Marvin Bagley III will finish second in the NBA Rookie of the Year race, according to a survey of the league’s general managers.
The annual NBA GM Survey was released Wednesday, and although no Kings were tabbed to win anything, two were mentioned among the list’s 49 questions.
Bagley, the Kings’ No. 2 overall pick, finished tied with his former Duke teammate, Chicago Bulls forward Wendell Carter Jr., with 17 percent of the top rookie vote.
The top spot went to the player drafted right after Bagley: Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks. The 6-foot-7 Slovenian guard, who received 43 percent of the vote, is a player some fans thought the Kings should have drafted. Deandre Ayton, drafted first overall by the Phoenix Suns, finished fourth at 13 percent among Rookie of the Year candidates.
Last season, the GMs missed the mark on the race. They had Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball with 62 percent, but the honor went to Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons. The player who finished second, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, didn’t receive any votes on the 2017 survey.
As for the rookie expected to be the best player in five years, Ayton and Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. tied with 27 percent of the vote. Bagley tied for fourth with New York Knicks forward Kevin Knox at 13 percent.
The only other Kings player mentioned in this year’s survey was De’Aaron Fox. The second-year guard received votes for the question, “Which player is the fastest with the ball?” The winner was Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook at 50 percent.
Some other highlights of the survey:
▪ Which team will win the 2019 NBA Finals? The Golden State Warriors received 87 percent, down from the 93 they had last year.
▪ Who will win the 2018-19 Kia MVP? Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (30 percent) had a slight edge over Warriors forward Kevin Durant (27 percent)
▪ What was the most surprising move of the offseason? DeMarcus Cousins’ move to Golden State topped the question at 35 percent.
GMs were not allowed to vote for anyone on their team, and not every question was answered by all 30 general managers.