Kings hold predraft workout with 2020 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year Ruot Monyyong
The Kings have less than three weeks to decide what they will do with the No. 9 pick in the NBA Draft, but they also have a second-round pick and several spots to fill on their summer league roster.
One player looking for that kind of opportunity is Ruot Monyyong, a 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward from Little Rock who was in Sacramento for a predraft workout with the Kings on Thursday, a league source told The Sacramento Bee.
Monyyong earned Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive All-American honors after averaging 11.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steals as a junior in 2019-20. He was a First Team NABC All-District selection after posting averages of 11.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 0.8 steals as a senior in 2020-21.
Monyyong isn’t expected to be drafted, but the Kings are looking at a number of young big men with Richaun Holmes entering free agency and increasing speculation Marvin Bagley III will be traded. Aside from Bagley, forward Chimezie Metu and center Damian Jones are the only other bigs the Kings have under contract for next season.
Monyyong had seven blocked shots against Coastal Carolina as a junior and three 19-rebound games as a senior. He could be an interesting prospect for a Kings team that must improve its defense and rebounding.
As The Bee first reported Wednesday, the Kings are holding a series of unannounced, private predraft workouts in preparation for the draft July 29. Sources said they’ve held at least four workouts so far, typically with six prospects in each workout, most of whom would be considered potential second-round picks. In addition to their first-round pick, the Kings have the No. 39 pick early in the second round.
According to various sources and reports, the Kings have conducted or scheduled workouts with Utah Valley center Fardaws Aimaq; Belgian guard Vrenz Bleijenbergh; Texas point guard Matt Coleman; Michigan center Hunter Dickinson; Coastal Carolina point guard DeVante’ Jones; Loyola Illinois center Cameron Krutwig; Monyyong; Virginia guard Trey Murphy III; Alabama guard Josh Primo; Tennessee forward Yves Pons; Texas center Jericho Sims; Austin Peay forward Terry Taylor; and Colorado point guard McKinley Wright.
This story was originally published July 10, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
