Every pick counts: The Sacramento Kings have found winners in the draft’s second round
The NBA Draft is a way for teams to reload, to retool and to become relevant again. The Kings are forever in that mode.
Yes, everyone lusts for a first-round gem, a banger, a shooter, a playmaker — anything and anyone to improve the product. So, what about the second-round guys? Do they make rosters? Sure, but not many impact rosters.
The Kings have had their share of second-rounders who did a lot of nothing, if they even made the team, but they have also aced some second-round selections. Who remembers Isaiah Thomas, the little guy who could and did? Or Lawrence Funderburke, the tireless forward who was a steady reserve for five Kings playoff teams? Or Hassan Whiteside, a big man who, in a theme all too familiar, flourished after he left Sacramento.
The Kings have the No. 4 pick in the first round of Thursday night’s draft and a second-rounder at No. 37. The Kings need keeper or two if they aim to end their playoff drought after 16 seasons. All of this is subject to change, as trades could happen. The NBA draft for decades went 10 rounds, then seven rounds. It was pared down to just two rounds in 1989. Second-rounders are promised nothing beyond an opportunity.
Here’s a peek at some memorable Sacramento second-rounders, and some who were not-so memorable.
1985: The Kings picked Arkansas center Joe Kleine with the No. 6 pick for their first top-round selection upon arriving from Kansas City, and he provided minimal help. Sacramento’s other six picks did a lot of nothing, though third-round pick Michael Adams was a keeper later in his career after lasting just one season with the Kings, averaging 7.7 points in 18 games. The speedy guard averaged 26.5 points for the Denver Nuggets in 1990-91.
1987: Kenny Smith, the team’s first-rounder, was solid but hardly spectacular. He saved the spectacular moments for when he helped lead Houston to two NBA championships. The Kings’ other five picks amounted to squat, including Sven Meye, Joe Arlauckas and Vernon Carr. Who? Exactly. Cool names and not much else.
1988: The first-rounder was a keeper in shooting forward Ricky Berry, but his pick was tragic. Berry took his life by suicide after one Kings season. The second-rounder was also a keeper in guard Vinny Del Negro, who was solid in two Kings seasons, averaging 7.1 and 9.7 points respectively, before playing for five other teams through 2002.
1990: The Kings made history as the first team to have four first-rounders in a single draft, none of them spectacular. (Lioneel Simmons was the best of the bunch, a forward averaging 18.0, 17.1, 17.9 and 15.1 points in his first seasons.) The second-rounder, guard Bimbo Coles, never played for the Kings, though he logged 16 NBA seasons, averaging 7.8 points. That’s Kings luck.
1991: The top pick was Billy Owens, the star guard from Syracuse who refused to sign with the Kings and was dealt to Golden State for Mitch Richmond. The second-rounders were rock solid in center Pete Chilcutt and guard Randy Brown.
1993: Bobby Hurley, the first-rounder out of Duke, had his promising career derailed by a car crash after a Kings game that nearly killed him. Second-rounder Mike Peplowski saved his life, pulling him out of a ditch, so that alone made Peplowski a keeper.
1994: The Kings added muscle and effort in this haul, starting with first-rounder Brian Grant and second-round forwards Michael “The Animal” Smith and Lawrence Funderburke. Those rate as superb second-rounders.
1995: Corliss Williamson, the bruiser out of Arkansas, was a steady and productive first-rounder, second-rounder Tyus Edney averaged 10.8 points as a rookie guard with 60 starts, but he lasted just one more Kings season and two more in the NBA total.
1996: The first-rounder was booed — Peja Stojakovic — because fans didn’t know who he was. The second-rounder was even more unknown, Jason Sasser of Texas Tech. The forward never played for the Kings and appeared in just 16 NBA games.
1997: First-rounder Tariq Abdul-Wahad was decent and second-round pick Anthony Johnson got a shot in Sacramento as the guard started 62 games as a rookie, averaging 7.5. It was his lone Kings season. He played 12 more seasons across the NBA, starting 187.
1998: Top pick Jason Williams electrified fans with his guard skills while second rounder Jerome James, a 7-foot center, lasted one Kings season, averaging 1.5 points. He logged eight more NBA seasons, starting 180 games.
2000: First-rounder Hedo Turkoglu had a good Kings run as a versatile forward while second-rounder Jabari Smith, a 6-foot-11 big man, managed 52 games with the Kings and 108 in the NBA, with two career starts.
2008: First-round pick Jason Thompson had a long and solid Kings career, and the Kings’ second-rounder had name: Patrick Ewing, a forward from Georgetown. Too bad it wasn’t his father, the top pick of the 1985 draft who went on to enjoy a Hall of Fame career. The younger Ewing played no games with the Kings and just seven in the NBA total.
2011: The best pick for the Kings this draft was the last player picked in crowd-pleasing guard Isaiah Thomas, who averaged 15.3 points in his three Kings seasons with 154 starts. Of course, the party ended when he was traded away for spare parts and probably some luggage to be named later. Thomas averaged 28.9 points with Boston in 2016-17.
Since 2011, the Kings have not had any memorable second-rounders.
All-Time Kings Second-round pick team
(Year drafted)
G Isaiah Thomas, 2011
G Vinny Del Negro, 1988
F Lawrence Funderburke, 1994
F Michael Smith, 1994
C Hassan Whiteside, 2010
This story was originally published June 20, 2022 at 5:00 AM.